Recipes and Tips for Healthier Living and Smarter Budgeting

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Creamy Bacon, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad

W.O.W! My dad says this is the best pasta salad he's ever eaten. For me, it takes a very close second to my all-time favorite, Krissy Doodle's Noodles (man, do I need to update that pic...). This pasta salad has more of a dark, musky flavor, thanks to the bacon and avocados, but is perfectly lightened up by the lemon-dill dressing. 

I've had this salad on my to-do list all summer, ever since a friend posted it on Facebook. So when I finally had all the ingredients at one time, I took the plunge.

The credit for the amazingness of this salad goes to its inventor, foodie blogger of Life's Ambrosia. (The only modification I made was using whole wheat pasta instead of white.) This recipe will definitely be staying in my personal file!

Note: I love dill, so I thought the amount was perfect, but not everyone in my family agreed. I also would cut the amount of bacon in half next time, as it seemed a little overpowering to me, who am not used to a lot of bacon. I noticed in the comments that there are several other good ideas for modifications (such as using potatoes instead of pasta), so as with everything, modify this to your family's tastes. So many possibilities!


Creamy Bacon, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad

Yield: 4 servings

6 slices bacon, chopped into one-inch pieces
1/2 pound dried rotini pasta (I used whole wheat)
1/2 c. mayonnaise
juice of 1 lemon (or about 2 Tb. lemon concentrate)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. white pepper (didn't have on hand, for some reason, but it was still excellent without it)
1 tsp. dried dill weed
1 c. halved cherry tomatoes
1 avocado, pitted and sliced

Cook bacon until crisp. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Strain. Run cold water over the top until pasta is cooled.

Whisk mayonnaise, lemon, salt, garlic powder, pepper and dill together in a bowl.

Stir cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado and reserved bacon into dressing (particularly avocados, so they don't turn brown). Toss to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Serve.
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