Creamy Bacon, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad Recipe

A creamy, delicious cold pasta salad with bacon, avocado, small tomatoes, and curly pasta. Perfect side dish for any meal!

A creamy, delicious pasta salad is without a doubt one of my favorite side dishes to enjoy during the Summer.

There are a couple of steps that I would recommend not skipping while preparing this recipe.

The first tip is to be sure to rinse the cooked pasta with cold water.

This is important when making cold pasta salads. Rinsing with very cold water stops the cooking process. I’m not a cooking expert but it also seemed to help in keeping the pasta from sticking to itself as well.

The second tip is to add 1 tbsp of lemon juice to the diced tomatoes and stir gently before adding to the pasta salad.

This helped greatly in preventing my avocados from turning brown after it has been in the fridge for a day or two.

Finally, use thick, quality bacon if you can and look for ripe, flavorful tomatoes for the best results.

For this recipe, you will need:

• 12 slices bacon
• 16 oz. box curly pasta Use whatever style you like best
• 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice + 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried dill or 1 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups of small red, orange or yellow tomatoes (like cherry, sun gold, or sun sugar)
• 2 ripe avocados pitted and diced

Equipment you will need:

• colander
• medium bowl
• whisk
• large serving bowl

Creamy Bacon, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad Recipe

Yield: 12 -16 servings, or one giant bowl suitable for a potluck/party

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

A creamy, delicious cold pasta salad with bacon, avocado, small tomatoes, and curly pasta. Perfect side dish for any meal!

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Ingredients

• 12 slices bacon
• 16 oz. box curly pasta Use whatever style you like best
• 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice + 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried dill or 1 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups of small red orange or yellow tomatoes (like cherry, sun gold, or sun sugar))
• 2 ripe avocados pitted and diced

Instructions 

• Cut bacon into bite sized pieces. This works a bit easier if it is very cold. Cook bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
• Cook pasta according to package directions. Strain. Run cold water over the top until the pasta is cooled.
• While your bacon and pasta are cooking, whisk mayonnaise, 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, pepper and dill together in a bowl. In separate small bowl, add the diced avocados with 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and stir gently to mix.
• Stir cooled pasta, diced tomatoes, and reserved bacon into the dressing. Toss to combine. Add the avocado last and gently mix together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Author: Ali

Ali

Ali posts family-friendly recipes at Jam Hands.