BLT+ Pasta Salad
I guess I got the damp winter blues and then I came across some pretty colorful rotini at the store so I came up with this thing. It’s a BLT+ kind of thing I dreamed up to address my winter blahs but it works well at pot lucks and barbecues in the summer just as well.
Ingredients:
1 lbs veggie rotini, cooked and cooled
1/2 cup Olive or Avocado oil Mayo
3/4 cup G Hughes Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
1 1/2 cup of grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup mini cucumbers, sliced thin
3 cups romaine, chopped
1/2 cup each – celery(chopped), tamed Jalapeños, green peppers (diced)
10 pieces crispy bacon, sliced into bite sized pieces with 1 Tbs grease reserved
Salt Substitute and coarse ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Cook pasta al dente and bacon crispy. Set pasta in fridge and set bacon aside to cool.
- In a small mixing bowl whisk mayo, balsamic, and bacon grease together. Set aside
- In a large bowl, assemble the pasta, tomatoes, jalapeños , cucumber, cheese, red onion, lettuce. celery, green pepper and bacon.
- Pour dressing over the mixture and gently toss until everything is coated.
- Taste and add salt substitute and pepper as needed.