Give Your BLT A New Lease On Life By Turning It Into Pasta Salad

When deciding what to eat for lunch, you can't go wrong with a classic, crunchy BLT. It's hard to believe just three main ingredients can pull together for a sandwich almost everyone loves, but what if we said there was a new way to enjoy that iconic bacon, lettuce, and tomato combo? Enter the BLT pasta salad.

Pasta salad, whether mixed with a mayonnaise-based sauce or a vinaigrette, offers a hearty take on traditional salad. In the case of the BLT pasta salad, bacon, lettuce, and tomato all serve as the dish's main flavor elements, but don't be afraid to get creative with the mayonnaise. You can opt for traditional mayo and keep it simple, or create your own flavored mayo to reach a new level of deliciousness. Noodles should be short and ideally in spirals (think rotini, fusilli, and cavatappi), though farfalle will also work. Once you trade in toasted bread for cooked pasta, you'll wonder where this tasty take has been all your life.

At its core, this pasta salad only requires three basic add-ons, and there's a good chance that you already know what they are. But the opportunity to get creative comes in the form of the mayonnaise-based dressing. (For a healthier alternative, you can use half mayonnaise and half plain Greek yogurt). While there's no harm in just adding straight mayo to the dish, turning up the flavor with other ingredients will make this the perfect work-week lunch or side dish at your next barbecue.

For a smokier, spicier take, try adding a chopped chipotle in adobo, plus some lime juice, garlic powder, and a bit of sea salt to the mayonnaise before stirring it into the dish. It's the perfect hint of heat, but you can adjust the number of chipotle peppers to make the dish more or less spicy.

If you prefer to avoid chili peppers, roast garlic in the oven, then crush the cloves into the mayonnaise with sea salt and a bit of lemon juice. It creates the perfect garlic undertone and takes the whole salad up a notch.

Outside of the BLT aspect, don't be afraid to add flavor with additional toppings. Avocado is a popular add-on to a typical BLT sandwich, and it fits in just as well with the pasta salad version — especially if you go with that chipotle mayonnaise. If you want just a touch of spice sprinkled throughout rather than within the mayo, you can add sliced jalapeño to the pasta salad.

A bit of red onion adds some depth and acidity on top of the bacon's savory flavor, but if you're looking for another hearty flavor element, grate some sharp cheddar and mix it in. Other cheeses, cotija or queso fresco, might be better choices for a dish made with chipotle mayo.

Seasonings matter, too, and sea salt will help bring out any flavor that's hiding within the salad. Onion powder and garlic powder also work well here, or a bit of crushed red pepper if you're not ready to commit to chipotles or jalapeños.