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A colorful bowl of BLT rotini pasta salad tossed with avocado buttermilk ranch. Garnished with an orange, red, and yellow flowers made of small variety tomatoes.
Sacha Hirschfeld

BLT Pasta Salad with Avocado Buttermilk Ranch

This flavorful pasta salad is great to bring along to a BBQ, picnic, or any summer pot luck. This tastes even better the next day!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Pastas
Cuisine: American
Calories: 1133
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Avocado Buttermilk Ranch
  • 1 avocado skin and pit removed
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ cup mayonnaise like Hellmans
  • ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • ¼ cup fresh chives chopped
  • ⅛ cup fresh dill chopped
  • ⅛ cup Italian parsley chopped
  • ½ tsp garlic powder or more if you like it garlicky
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper skip if you are overly sensitive to heat
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
Pasta Salad
  • 12 oz short pasta noodles fusilli, bowties, gemelli, penne, small riga
  • 1 lb bacon sliced into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 cups small variety tomatoes like mini heirlooms, cherry, and sugar plum tomatoes
  • 2 cups baby Swiss chard large stems removed, roughly chopped, and packed

Equipment

  • 1 large pot
  • 1 strainer
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • 1 whisk
  • 1 medium bowl
  • 1 large bowl

Method
 

Avocado Buttermilk Ranch
  1. Put everything in a food processor and blend like there's no tomorrow. You can't get any easier than that! Taste; adjust seasoning if needed. When I made this batch, I added a touch more garlic and cayenne powder. You can also whisk in the fresh herbs at the end. I normally make my ranch in a glass bowl using a whisk, but because of the avocado, I opted to use the food processor.
  2. Transfer Avocado Buttermilk Ranch to a bowl and cover; place in the fridge until we toss it with the pasta.
Pasta Salad
  1. Fry bacon in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Cook until brown and crispy. Remove from heat and transfer bacon to a bowl lined with paper towel. Random tip: don't throw away that pork fat! Pour it into a small glass dish, cover with a lid, and keep it in the fridge for cooking. I use this instead of olive oil or butter when I sear scallops. A little of this adds a ton of flavor!
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to the package instructions. Strain pasta; do not run it under cold water. Remove all access water and transfer to a large glass bowl.
  3. Add ½ cup of Ranch to the pasta and toss to coat. Keep adding in smaller amounts until you think it's enough. Add tomatoes, bacon, and baby Swiss chard; toss together to combine. Add more Ranch if needed.
  4. Serve pasta salad on its own or as a side. This is great to bring to a picnic, BBQ, or potluck.

Notes

Please do not use fake mayo like Miracle Whip for this or anything else for that matter. I will cry. So dramatic but probably true.
You will definitely have leftover dressing/dip. This will keep well in the fridge for 4 days. I keep mine in a small glass bowl with a tight fitting lid. 
If I'm making this the night before, I'll stir in a bit more dressing right before serving.