BLT Salad

When summer arrives, it seems like salads are the go-to meal accompaniment. This salad is a great side dish to burgers, brats, and hot dogs, and is filling enough to even be a meal in itself. 

The first thing you want to do is prep your pasta. I used radiatori because the ridges are perfect for holding the dressing and the pieces are big enough to be bite-size. Any sturdy, ridged pasta would be fine.

I used half a box. It boiled in well-salted water until just cooked; then I drained it and rinsed it with cold water.

After the pasta's done and cool, you can start the dressing.

A big ol' spoonful of mayo and another big ol' spoonful of sour cream are the base for the salad dressing.

Add enough buttermilk to thin the mayo and sour cream into a dressinglike consistency.

See?

Now grab yourself some bacon. Because without the B, a BLT is nothing.

Well, it's an LT. But who wants to eat a lettuce and tomato sandwich? I think most of us can agree that the B is the best part. The bread, lettuce, and tomato are just there to make it look like we're not just having bacon for a meal.

Cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces. Cook until nice and crispy.

While the bacon is cooking, dice up an onion and throw it in with the dressing.

Halve your tomatoes and throw them in too. Gosh, I love little tomatoes. All sweet and delicious, and they pop in your mouth...mmm.

For some color (and because my chive plants are out of control), I added some fresh chives.

Throw in the now-cooled pasta and toss together.

Now you can add the bacon.
















Serve the pasta on a bed of lettuce, to complete the L in BLT. The creaminess of the dressing, the saltiness of the bacon, the sweetness of the tomatoes, and the crisp of the lettuce makes this salad something else.

Recipe: BLT Salad

1/2 lb. (1/2 box) pasta
salt, for boiling

1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 c. buttermilk
salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 onion
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp. fresh chives, minced

6 slices bacon
1 bag prewashed lettuce


Boil pasta until just cooked. Drain and rinse under cold water.

In a large bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, and salt and pepper. Add onion, cherry tomatoes, and chives.

Cut bacon into bite-sized pieces. Cook until crisp. Add to the dressing. Toss well. Serve salad over a bed of lettuce.