Who else is ready for some vibrant color and freshness after the Thanksgiving holiday? I know I am! While I love all things hearty, holiday themed and warm and cozy, sometimes you just need to reset and have a big bowl of a veggie packed pasta salad!
One of my all time favorite pasta salads is this BLT Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing! This pasta salad is perfect for a reset after the holidays; it’s fresh, full of flavor and not to mention very pretty to look at!
A perfect pop of color and flavor is necessary for this salad, so I knew Pure Flavor® SANGRIA® Tomato Medley would be perfect for this recipe! I’ve used these tomatoes in several of my recipes on the blog (check out my Chickpea and Quinoa Tomato Salad and Alaskan Pollock in Tomato and White Wine Sauce recipes), and they’re the perfect last minute ingredient every time! They are so crisp and juicy, they come in a blend of a beautiful colors from bright yellow to a deep ruby red and all sorts of different sizes, so they’re just right for good texture in a pasta salad!
Another plus, this recipe is SO EASY! There aren’t a million steps, there really isn’t a whole lot of prep and all of the ingredients are pretty basic. I’d say this salad is perfect for a cookout, a potluck or even just to have in your fridge for lunch for the week! Try it out!
For this easy recipe you’ll want to grab:
Buttermilk Ranch Ingredients:
- 1 Cup of Mayonnaise
- ½ Cup of Sour Cream
- ½ Cup Buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
- Zest and Juice of 1 Small Lemon
- Dry Ranch Seasonings:
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Coarse Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Dry Mustard Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 3 tablespoon Fresh Curly Italian Parsley, minced
- 4 tablespoon Fresh Dill, minced
- 2 teaspoon Fresh Chives*, minced
BLT Pasta Salad Ingredients:
- 3 Cups Farfalle Pasta (bow tie pasta)
- 1 Pint Pure Flavor® SANGRIA® Tomato Medley, halved
- 5 Strips of Applewood Smoked Bacon, cooked crispy and chopped small
- 2 ½ Cups Green Leaf Lettuce, chopped
- ½ Red Onion, minced
- Optional Add-Ins: Shredded or Cubed Cheddar Cheese, Sliced Avocado
Do I have to make the ranch dressing from scratch?
Absolutely not! Although, I strongly recommend making fresh buttermilk ranch every chance you get! I find that store-bought ranch is often sweeter than homemade ranch, so in a pasta salad for example, it sometimes gives and off or “sugary” taste to the pasta. Sometimes that works, but in a BLT I find that sweet is not really the right taste.
This recipe will make about a cup and a half of buttermilk ranch. You’ll only need to use about half of that during prep. I recommend jarring the rest. I always like to add about a tablespoon or so of fresh ranch each time I serve any leftover pasta salad. It just adds an extra creaminess that makes you feel like you’re eating it for the first time again.
Let’s get started!
Start by prepping your buttermilk ranch. You’ll want it to rest to in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes while you prep the rest of the salad.
- Whisk all of the ranch ingredients together, pour into a jar with a lid and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Start your pasta salad prep:
- Start by cooking the pasta in salted boiling water according to the directions on the box. Remove the pasta to a colander and rinse with cool water.
- While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon and chop the remaining ingredients (the sangria tomatoes, red onion and lettuce).
- When the bacon is crispy, remove it to a paper towel to drain and chop it into small bits.
- Place the pasta in your chosen serving bowl, ensuring to leave several inches for the additional ingredients and tossing.
- Add all chopped ingredients on top of the pasta, add about ¾ cup of the buttermilk ranch dressing and give it a light toss. (Optional: Add shredded or diced cheddar cheese.)
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend and serve. (Optional: Add sliced avocado.)
If you’re an avocado lover, but can’t handle the sight of slightly browning avocado, I recommend adding the avocado slices right before eating the pasta salad.
As mentioned, if you’ll be keeping leftovers, add about a half tablespoon or so of the buttermilk ranch to the pasta each time you eat it for that extra creamy taste!
If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to post a rating and comment!
I’d love to see your pictures on Instagram too! Tag @a_toastedcrumb and @pureflavor!
This post is sponsored by Pure Flavor®. Learn more about Pure Flavor and their commitment to supporting healthier lifestyles by visiting their website.
BLT Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
Buttermilk Ranch Ingredients
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise
- ½ Cup Sour Cream
- ½ Cup Buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon Garlic minced
- Zest and Juice of 1 Small Lemon
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Coarse Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Dry Mustard Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 3 tablespoon Fresh Curly Italian Parsley minced
- 4 tablespoon Fresh Dill minced
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Chives minced
BLT Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 3 Cups Farfalle Pasta (bow tie pasta)
- 1 Pint PureFlavor® SANGRIA®Tomato Medley halved
- 5 Strips Applewood Smoked Bacon cooked crispy and chopped small
- 2 ½ Cups Green Leaf Lettuce chopped
- ½ Red Onion minced
Optional Add-Ins:
- Shredded or Cubed Cheddar Cheese
- Sliced Avocado
Instructions
Prepare the Buttermilk Ranch Dressing:
- Whisk all of the ranch ingredients together, pour into a jar with a lid and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Prepare the BLT Pasta Salad:
- Start by cooking the pasta in salted boiling water according to the directions on the box. Remove the pasta to a colander and rinse with cool water.
- While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon and chop the remaining ingredients (the sangria tomatoes, red onion and lettuce).
- When the bacon is crispy, remove it to a paper towel to drain and chop it into small bits.
- Place the pasta in your chosen serving bowl, ensuring to leave several inches for the additional ingredients and tossing.
- Add all chopped ingredients on top of the pasta, add about ¾ cup of the buttermilk ranch dressing and give it a light toss. (Optional: Add shredded or diced cheddar cheese.)
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend and serve. (Optional: Add sliced avocado.)
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