BLT Pasta Salad

Another one of Kristin Cavallari's recipes coming in hot!!  But it's actually served cold.  And delicious.  This BLT pasta salad is super easy & I'm excited to share the recipe!  I think I might start making it regularly...  Yeah, I definitely will.  

This recipe comes from her cookbook True Roots & after browsing the recipes it was a stand out!  Partially because of the easy prep & simple ingredients but also because it's a good mix of carbs & veggies.  And it's easy to alter & make vegan!  The cookbook has a ton of AMAZING recipes that I can't wait to share!  Snacks + juices + meals + sides + desserts + salad dressings.  Stay tuned for more recipes but today is BLT PASTA SALAD!  

INGREDIENTS

The veggies -- 

The recipe calls for cherry tomatoes & spinach.  I added the avocado.  Because who the F doesn't love avocado!??  Haha.  

-Roughly chop 3 cups of spinach

-Halve 1 cup of cherry tomatoes 

-1 avocado diced - if your heart desires 

The condiments/spices --

The recipe calls for regular mayonnaise but we swapped it for Avo mayo.  We made a few changes because we altered the recipe to be vegan.  And let me tell ya, the avo mayo is amazing!!!  We also didn't have any garlic powder so it's MIA from the photo.

-1 cup mayo (or avo mayo)

-1 teaspoon paprika

-1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

-Pink Himalayan salt

-Ground black pepper

The main ingredients --

Again, we mixed it up and changed a few things.  We swapped 1/2 package brown rice macaroni for the pasta we already had in the house which was bowtie & penne.  We also used facon bacon instead of the thick-cut bacon slices in the recipe as well as boca chicken patties instead of the 2 cooked chicken breasts.  

-1/2 package brown rice macaroni (or regular pasta)

-10 thick-cut bacon slices (or facon bacon)

-2 cooked chicken breasts, diced (or 4 boca chicken patties)

***** Disclaimer -- I'm sharing this recipe the way we made it, vegan.  But also sharing the original recipe!  Follow either or make your own up as you go! *****

HOW TO

After you boil your pasta it's going to be hot.  In case you weren't aware.  And this recipe is CHILLED pasta salad.  KC recommends chilling the final product in the fridge for 35-40 minutes.  But we were hangry & we didn't have time to wait!!!  If you do, good for you.  But not us.  We want our food & we want it now!!!  So we filled a bowl with ice cold water & chilled the pasta quickly.  You're welcome.  

Once chilled it is simple AF!  

Add the bacon & chicken.  In our case facon bacon & boca patties.

Add the tomatoes + spinach + avocado. 

Add the mayo & spices!  

MIX WELL.  

BOOM!

There ya have it, BLT pasta salad!  How easy was that?!!  I loved it.  My boyfriend loved it.  And we made extra for lunch the next day which was yummy leftover!  So good.  Especially while watching the Bachelorette.  We love Garrett!!!  

I hope you'll make the recipe sometime!  I have a couple personal tips if you do....

-Definitely add avocado!  Goes perfectly with the pasta salad & good healthy fats. 

-I personally don't love tomatoes and these were a little too big of bites of tomato for me.  If you're like me I'd recommend either slicing them in smaller pieces or maybe using sun dried tomatoes.  For some reason I like those way better!

-Make double the amount the recipe calls for.  Because the leftovers are BOMB & perfect for lunch or dinner the next day!  

Let me know your thoughts ya'll!!!  Thank you for checking out this recipe!

Xx, Han