This broccoli BLT pasta salad is the perfect summer side dish! Made with my asiago ranch, it tastes like a fabulous BLT with broccoli. SO much flavor and texture! Huge party hit! We’re making a salad today! A BLT salad. But a pasta salad too! This broccoli BLT pasta salad is incredible – super flavorful, […]
The post Broccoli BLT Pasta Salad with Asiago Ranch. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
This broccoli BLT pasta salad is the perfect summer side dish! Made with my asiago ranch, it tastes like a fabulous BLT with broccoli. SO much flavor and texture! Huge party hit!
We’re making a salad today!
A BLT salad. But a pasta salad too!
This broccoli BLT pasta salad is incredible – super flavorful, filled with crunchy texture, mixed in an asiago ranch dressing (!!!!) and tastes divine.
This is a party pasta salad.
There is no other way to describe it. The recipe will make a TON. It feeds a giant crowd. It’s perfect for a summer BBQ or a potluck any time of year.
And this is a pretty huge deal because if you search for pasta salad here on the site, you will know that I don’t love creamy dressings or pasta salad with creamy dressings. I am very much in the vinaigrette camp when it comes to pasta salads.
But I make an exception for this one.
I know that BLT pasta salads have been around for years. In fact, I had a terrible experience with one about a decade ago that turned me off of them completely. I swore I would NEVER make one and serve it, let alone share it with a ton of people on the internet.
But here we are!
Something about bacon and broccoli, and turning that into a pasta salad, just spoke to me.
And let me interject and interrupt myself. One of you mentioned in my weekend post, after you saw this photo, that it looked like a “wedge salad pasta salad.”
Um, hello. Why didn’t I think of that?!
Here’s the good news: this totally CAN be a wedge pasta salad. Just swap out the ranch for blue cheese dressing! And boom. A classic wedge salad pasta salad.
Anyhoo. Back to my rambles.
This pasta salad does take some prep work. However, you can prepare everything ahead of time and combine it before serving.
First things first! I cook the pasta and set it aside to cool. This is a cold pasta salad, so you want cold pasta.
I also fry the bacon. I chop it and then fry it, making it easier and quicker. Then, I remove it with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel to drain the excess grease.
And I blanch the broccoli! This is not required, but I prefer it this way. You can chop raw broccoli into florets and use it that way, just like a classic broccoli salad. I prefer to blanch it so it’s slightly softer but also retains that gorgeous shade of green. (more…)
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