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BLT Macaroni Salad

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Imagine your favorite BLT sandwich and summer macaroni salad eloped and had a baby. That’s exactly what this recipe is!

A bowl of macaroni salad with elbow macaroni, baby spinach, diced tomatoes, and crumbled bacon.BLT Macaroni Salad

Dads like bacon so I thought a bacon, lettuce and tomato summer pasta salad would be a perfect side dish for your Father’s Day picnic. The L in this BLT salad should really be an S but I didn’t like the sound of a BST.

If you’re a fan of a good BLT you might also like my Breakfast BLT Sandwich or my Breakfast BLT Salad.

I am really trying to like whole wheat pasta and used it today to give it another chance, but next time I am sticking with what I like for the same amount of points, either Ronzoni Smart Taste or Dreamfields as a lower carb option. You decide which pasta you prefer, you know your family and what they would eat, the points are the same. If you are on a gluten-free diet, the brown rice pasta is pretty good! To avoid having to add too much mayonnaise I think it’s best to make this right before serving as macaroni salads with mayo tend to get dry out if they sit too long therefore requiring more.

As I mentioned on my BLT lettuce wrap recipe, center cut bacon has less fat than regular bacon if you like the taste of real pork bacon, you can use turkey or chicken bacon instead if you don’t eat pork.

More Pasta Salad Recipes You Might Enjoy:

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BLT Macaroni Salad

4.56 from 9 votes
5
Cals:149
Protein:5.5
Carbs:26.5
Fat:4.5
Dads like bacon so I thought a bacon, lettuce and tomato summer pasta salad would be a perfect side dish for your Father's Day picnic. The L in this BLT salad should really be an S but I didn't like the sound of a BST.
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Dads like bacon so I thought a bacon, lettuce and tomato summer pasta salad would be a perfect side dish for your Father's Day picnic. The L in this BLT salad should really be an S but I didn't like the sound of a BST.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Yield: 7 servings
Serving Size: 1 cup

Ingredients

  • 8 oz uncooked elbows, low carb or whole grain (brown rice pasta for gf)
  • 4 slices 25% reduced fat center cut bacon
  • 2 large ripe tomatoes, beefsteak or vine ripe, diced small
  • 4 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise, I used Hellman's
  • salt and fresh pepper to taste
  • 2 cups baby spinach

Instructions

  • In a large skillet cook bacon on medium-low heat until crispy on both sides.
  • In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions.
  • Chop tomatoes and combine it along with any accumulated juice with mayonnaise and pepper in a medium bowl.
  • Drain pasta and rinse with cold water to cool.
  • Combine pasta with tomatoes and spinach mixing well. Toss in bacon right before serving.

Last Step:

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 cup, Calories: 149 kcal, Carbohydrates: 26.5 g, Protein: 5.5 g, Fat: 4.5 g, Sodium: 146.5 mg, Fiber: 4 g

Categories:

Bacon cooking in a skillet
A bowl of elbow macaroni, baby spinach, and diced tomatoes coated with creamy dressing

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113 comments on “BLT Macaroni Salad”

  1. My family LOVED this salad. I will be making it again soon! I did make some changes, so how I made it is here:
    BLT Macaroni Salad
    All can be prepped ahead and put together just before serving.
    8-10 oz uncooked elbow noodles
    6 slices cut bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled into chunky pieces
    1 container grape tomatoes, halved (or quartered if larger, keep the juices with the tomatoes) can also use 2 large ripe tomatoes, beefsteak or vine ripe, diced small
    2-3 cups baby spinach
    Avocado for slicing and garnishing the top before serving

    Dressing:
    3 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise
    3 tbsp full fat mayonnaise
    3-4 tbsp cold water (thins out the mayo & help coat the noodles & spinach)
    1 tsp, fresh or reconstituted lemon juice
    ¾ tsp salt
    1/8 tsp pepper

    Instructions
    In a large skillet cook bacon on medium-low heat until crispy on both sides.
    In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions, cool them in the fridge.
    Chop tomatoes and combine it along with any accumulated juices
    Combine pasta with tomatoes, spinach and dressing to taste, mixing well.
    Toss in bacon right before serving.
    Serves 6-8 people.

  2. Avatar photo
    Diane Stohler

    This is a yummy summer salad! I had never mixed spinach in with macaroni before, & it was really good, plus the bacon made it even more delicious. It’s a keeper!

  3. We loved this recipe. I’ve been making ST recipes for about 4 years now, and somehow this skipped right over my radar. It’s exceptional. I made it tonight with a simple grilled steak and some corn on the cob and it made the meal. Thanks Gina for another hit in this house. Bonus. Lots of leftovers for lunch.

  4. I used turkey bacon, and added garlic powder and chives.  In addition, I took the seeds and core out of the tomatoes before dicing them; then, while the pasta was still hot, I pressed those tomato innards over the pasta, extruding the tomato water so as to give the pasta a little extra flavor.  It was perfect!  I will definitely make this again.  An added benefit was that the salad (with the exception of the spinach and bacon) could be assembled a full day before, and didn’t get slimy since the seeds were gone.

  5. Pingback: Trisha Yearwood Orzo Salad Recipe made Weight Watchers Friendly

  6. Avatar photo
    Alison Smith

    I don't eat mayonnaise. Do you have any suggestions for substitutions that will give it the same consistency? Thanks!

  7. I so love this recipe. I did make one minor change. Tell me if my thinking is wrong. 3 slices of Oscar Mayer center cut bacon is 2 points. This recipe is 7 servings. 2 Points divided by 7 servings would actually add no extra points.So yes, I used 7 slices of bacon instead of 4 for no extra points per serving? Am I delusional?

  8. This was super yummy when I had it at a friend's house! We will be making this minus the spinach and making it warm 🙂 I hope it tastes just as delicious!

  9. Avatar photo
    Danielle Abbruzzesi

    I just made this today for my girl's lunches this week. It is almost the end of the school year and we are all sick of sandwiches! They love it! I hope there is enough left for lunches because they keep picking at it! Thanks for sharing. My whole family loves all your recipes!

  10. Thank you for this delish Labor Day recipe idea! I've included your post in my 15 Delicious Labor Day BBQ Party Recipes round-up.

    Have a great week!

    http://stacymolter.com/2013/08/15-delicious-labor-day-bbq-party-recipes/

  11. My mom and I make this except we add cocktail sauce and lemon juice into the mayo. This is one of my favorite pasta salads.

  12. Avatar photo
    Zamboni's Mama

    Thanks for this Gina – just made up a big batch for my lunches, and it's delicious! Yay! I recommend this for a quick, easy lunch option. And for only 4 points, it's a winner!

  13. Lets see. the ingredients call for 4 slices of bacon. The picture shows 6 slices of bacon. and the last line in the recipe says to toss in the bacon. When do you chop it up, or is it really whole bacon tossed in.?????

    1. Lets see. she explained why there was 6 slices of bacon in an earlier post and do you always need everything in life explained to you? Be a little gracious, she works very hard for us!

  14. If you cool the pasta first in ice water before adding the mayo to the pasta it doesn't absorb the mayo like it does when it's hot.

  15. Just made this for the kids today for lunch. It was a BIG hit for my two teen boys. Thanks for the great recipes!

  16. I joined WW after my 2nd baby was born and although I no longer track and go to the meetings (lost it all!), I still frequent this site all the time. I recently made this for a large group of people and they all LOVED it. My husband told me I must make this numerous times during the summer.

  17. You all talk about the whole wheat pasta……Try Hogdson Mills pasta it's great – no after taste or dryness. Brown box with the grinding mill on the front at your local stores.

  18. Avatar photo
    ContinualKnowledge

    I made this last week and it was sooo good that I'm making it again this week. It's so versatile and since I'm not a big fan of cooking it provides me with light lunches and even dinners without a big fuss.

    I've passed your website on to so many people. Thanks a lot!!!

  19. I think I will make this for my dinner for this week only add the lettuce on the day of so it doesn't wilt. So excited! Has anyone tried to using chopped bacon instead of cooking their own? Not the Bacon Bits type but actual chopped packaged bacon.

  20. My mom taught me that one can mix mayonnaise with water, up to 50/50. This helps to keep your salads from getting "dry" as the pasta soaks up the dressing.

  21. Made this for a potluck! I used extra lean turkey bacon so that I could use more. I also used half arugula and half spinach aaaaaaand I added some scallions 🙂

    Delicious!

  22. I've made four of your recipes this week for me and my sisters who started doing a calorie counting diet a month ago. We all loved every single one. Thank you so much for such an awesome array of recipes (with calorie content!). I had to adapt one or another thing because of ingredient availability (we're in Brazil), but they all came up great anyway. Specially this one, and I usually hate mayo!

  23. This was SUPER tasty! I added grilled chicken to mine and my husband had three servings! 🙂 haha.

  24. Yum! This has quickly become a regular menu item in my household. My husband and I add some mushrooms in with the other veggies. We use the piccolini mini rotini noodles for this recipe which bumps up the fiber count (plus they are so cute because they are tiny).

    Sometimes we mix our mayo with some light ranch dressing or some chipotle peppers to give it a different twist.

  25. We had this salad last night and loved it. Very delicious. My spinach seemed a little soggy and wilted. Maybe my pasta wasn't cooled off enough . . . Anyway, we still loved it. I'm thinking of maybe serving on a bed of romaine, instead of mixing in spinach, next time to change it up.

  26. This was delicious! I omitted the tomato and added chicken and half of a lime's juice. My dog was BEGGING for more! It made enough for a weeks worth of lunch! Thanks again Gina for the fabulous recipe! Tomorrow night we are having Kalua Pig!

  27. Had this for dinner tonight. Added chives from the garden, an extra slice of bacon & some avocado on top. So I could have the leftovers tomorrow, I just had the spinach on the bottom with the macaroni salad on top. Very light, refreshing dinner!

  28. I'm a newbie to weight watchers and I was so excited to see something BLT. It looks fantastic and I can't wait til my pasta boils so I can mix it all together!

  29. I made this for the 4th of July and it was a hit. I added some cubed avocado to the top and it was great. Thanks for the recipe.

  30. I just made this for tonight and it tastes delicious already! I threw in onions and lemon juice as well. Thanks!!

  31. Yum! This sounds wonderful. If only I had found this recipe earlier, I am going to a 4th of July party tonight and I've already bought the ingredients for a different dish to take. I will have to try this soon though. Thanks for the recipe!

  32. My family and I get together once a week for a dinner night and I needed a side dish that was light in calories, since some of us are on calorie restricted diets. This was PERFECT! I used Miracle Whip Light and turkey bacon and roma tomatoes. Everyone loved it, even those who are not concerned about eating lighter fare. Thanks so much and keep up the great work!!

  33. i made this today and it is delish!! thanks for posting-your recipes are great!! I love the spinach in here!

  34. I made this salad for our company picnic. I was a little disappointed with it, as it was pretty bland and adding salt and pepper didn't quite do the job. But, I took it to the picnic tonight anyway. Needless to say, I brought 3/4 of the bowl home with me. This recipe, while I really WANTED it to be as good as it sounded, it wasn't. Sorry guys, I can't recommend this one and I'll throw the recipe away. 🙁

  35. I made this yesterday. Loved it! I think the above suggestion of adding chicken breast to make it a meal is a great idea.

    I love Miracle Whip Light, which has half the calories of mayo, so the next time I may use that and double the amount. I love it saucy! 🙂

    Great idea. Thanks so much, Gina!

  36. This is delicious and easy too! I added some diced sun-dried tomatoes with the fresh tomatoes, just because I had them on hand!

  37. This was fantastic. I made a double batch for me and my husband tonight (we have a super busy week, and wanted something we could eat for a couple days). I splurged and ate two bowls. I used a can of diced tomatoes (no fresh), added about a tablespoon each of garlic and onion powders and a squirt or two of Dijon mustard to the dressing. Really hit the spot!

  38. Sounds good to me! I have no issues with using FF mayo, so maybe i could lower the point value?I also sometimes replace with FF sour cream, and a packet of Splenda.Adds just a touch of yum! I think I would try with Canadian bacon as well as what someone else had said. It certainly does take time to get used to whole wheat pasta though! I am ALMOST there with it.thanks! Suzan

  39. I'm not a fan of low fat mayo so i take regular mayo and cut in in half with greek yogurt. works like a charm. you still get the good flavor of regular mayo and you've cut the fat. it also makes for a great sandwich spread…1/2 mayo, 1/2 greek yogurt, with a squirt of spicy brown mustard. i use that mixture for my sandwiches and my pasta and potato salads. works nicely in tuna too!

  40. If your mayo based pasta salads dry out you can add a splash of skim milk to the salad, it will moisten it up and keep it creamy at the same time

  41. Gina—-I live in Staten Island and I get the whole wheat Pasta Riscossa in Top Tomato and other smaller salumerias. I have never seen it in supermarkets.

  42. This looks great and very easy to make! I noticed you said to add the mayo right before serving, so I was wondering how it holds up when you pack it in lunches? Do you find that you need to change any part of the recipe/prep when you take the salad to-go?

    Can't wait to try it!

  43. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    I'm happy you all liked it!

    gael, that sounds yummy!

    Meredith, aww 🙂 Thanks Judy!

    Kristie – any pasta shape works here.

  44. I made this tonight. Sort of. I didn't have macaroni so used the tri-color spiral pasta. I added scallions and used grape tomatoes cut in half. I added a little vinegar and garlic powder too. I always have baby spinach and center cut bacon too. Thanks for the inpiration. I really liked it.

  45. I made this tonite…terrific and so easy to do! This is a great addition to the "summer" menus. Gina…you are fabulous!

  46. Gina, help! I went to the store to buy the macaroni but forgot the spinach. I have swiss chard growing in my garden…do you think that will work ok?

  47. So I recently discovered your blog and I'm mildly obsessed and my mildly I mean fanatically. Love this recipe so much, I served it up with turkey burgers and sliced watermelon.

  48. Gina- thanks so much for all these great recipes!!! I'm eating SO MUCH healthier now!! So many of these are great to make in advance and freeze for easy meals later. My favorite right now is a version of your carne bistec. I add yellow, orange and red pepper slices with the onions. soooo good!! freezes well, too.

  49. Avatar photo
    Renee @ MyKitchenAdventures

    Yum Gina! this looks wonderful! I bet you could sub some chopped romaine for the spinach if you wanted to stay true with the whole B L T thing! I need to make this soooooon!

  50. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    I'm not sure if you can print one photo? Maybe if you set it to print with photo on but only tell it to print page 1.

    Use the ripest tomatoes you can find for the best taste!

  51. I had used Canadian bacon because it's what I had on hand and added extra spinach. It was yummy. I think I'll be making this f and or Father's Day but I'll probably add scallions like someone suggested.

    Thanks Gina for all of your creativity and hardwork!

  52. This sounds delicious! Is there a way to print the recipe with just the finished product photo but not the process photos? It's always nice to see what it should look like going to the table!! 🙂

  53. Avatar photo
    Tammy @ Skinny Mom's Kitchen

    This looks AMAZING! My hubs loves bacon and I was browsing around for recipes to make this weekend. This is definetly going to make the short list. I love your recipes Gina!!

  54. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    I've tried Barilla Plus, no one in my house likes it so yes, I always wind up back to Ronzoni Smart Taste and Dreamfields. Oh well, points are the same for all so use what you prefer!

    fran- where do you find that? I'll have to look in my nearest Salumeria, have one 2 blocks away 🙂

  55. Can't wait to try this recipe–mac salad kicked up a nothch! I've tried ALL of the whole wheat pastas out there (NYC area) and I found Pasta Riscossa (available in Italian food shops) to be the BEST–tastes and cooks just like regular pasta. Second best to me is Rienzi, available in supermarkets.

  56. Gina…
    You always gravitate toward Ronzoni Smart Taste and Dreamfields. Have you also tried Barilla Plus? That's my favorite tasting and a 2 oz serving has the same number of points as the Smart Taste. Can't wait to try this one for sure! Keep them coming!

    Susan

  57. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    melanie – I bet it was great with chicken!

    heather – curious how that turned out.

    Anonymous – chopped scallions, yum!

    1. Avatar photo
      ajeepandmydogs

      I made this tonight replacing the mayo with fat free greek yogurt, added chives and garlic – and I also used a vegetarian bacon replacement. It turned out great, I did also add red pepper flakes in the end for a kick.

  58. Thanks so much for saving dinner! I had all of these ingredients on hand and was able to whip this up quickly. I added some chopped scallions and a bit of fresh basil. Delish!

  59. Avatar photo
    Heather (runningtowardthefinishline)

    I'm going to make this for dinner tonight! I'm going to try and use greek yogurt in place of the mayo and add a little garlic and onion powder to the mix! Thanks for the recipe!

  60. just made this for dinner but added grilled chicken breast seasoned with a little salt/pepper/garlic….super yummy and made a ton

  61. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    I didn't like barilla plus so I'll stick with smart taste fir now but since the points are the same use whatever you like.

    Amgonzales- I was waiting for someone to ask! I cooked extra for my daughters lunch, going to surprise her on her last day of school with a blt for lunch tommorow.

  62. I see you cooked 6 slices of bacon…did you only use 4 in the recipe? I can't wait to give it a try!

  63. I make something similar, but instead of spinach I use broccoli slaw, and for the dressing I add 1 T each of dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar. Very yummy!!

  64. Sounds good! I don't like whole wheat pasta, but have you tried Barilla Plus. That's the favorite in our house and it has a good amount of protein, so I don't feel as guilty about eating pasta.

  65. Thanks for sharing, this looks great and would be an awesome light lunch with the ease of advance preparation.

  66. Avatar photo
    countrygirlcouture

    This sounds like it would be really good. Thanks!

    I've found the trick for whole wheat pasta is to cook it a little longer than you would the regular kind. But the other options work well too. 🙂

  67. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Leeks would be great in here, I usually add chives but had some yard work done and they destroyed my chives.

  68. OMG I can't wait to make this. I make your regular macaroni salad every weekend and pretty much eat it every day for lunch. This will be a nice change. Yummy!!!

  69. Avatar photo
    Mindy@500 calories or less

    I love BLT flavors, this may be on my summer potluck go to list! Would Greek yogurt work in place for the mayo maybe?

  70. Avatar photo
    Keelie Sheridan

    Looks delicious! Any thoughts on something that might make a good mayo substitute in this recipe?