BLT Pasta Salad with Avocado

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large pot for pasta
• •12-inch skillet for bacon
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Sheet pan for cooling pasta
• •Wide serving bowl or platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the pasta

   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously. It should taste like the sea. Add the rotini and cook until al dente, about one minute less than the package suggests. The pasta will absorb some dressing and soften slightly as it sits. Drain thoroughly and spread on a sheet pan to cool. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking.

   Rotini's spirals trap dressing better than any other shape. Fusilli works as a substitute, but avoid smooth pastas like penne.
2. 2

   Render the bacon

   Lay the bacon strips in a single layer in a large cold skillet. Place over medium heat and cook slowly, turning occasionally, until the fat renders and the bacon crisps evenly. This takes 12 to 15 minutes. Patience here matters. Rushing produces chewy bacon with unrendered fat. When the strips are deeply golden and shatter when bent, transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 1/4 cup of the rendered fat in a heatproof bowl.

   Starting bacon in a cold pan allows the fat to render gradually, producing crispier results than dropping it into hot oil.
3. 3

   Build the warm dressing

   While the bacon fat is still warm (not smoking hot, but liquid), whisk in the red wine vinegar. It will sputter briefly. Add the Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Whisk vigorously until emulsified and creamy. The dressing should coat a spoon but still flow easily. Taste it. Adjust the vinegar if it needs more brightness, or add a pinch of sugar if your tomatoes run acidic.

4. 4

   Dress the pasta

   Transfer the cooled pasta to your largest mixing bowl. Pour the warm dressing over it and toss thoroughly with tongs or two large spoons. Every spiral should glisten. The residual warmth helps the pasta absorb flavor. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, tossing once more halfway through.

   Dressing warm pasta with warm dressing creates better flavor penetration than cold on cold. This is non-negotiable.
5. 5

   Prepare the fresh components

   Cut your tomatoes into generous one-inch pieces, capturing any juice that escapes on the cutting board. That juice goes into the salad. Halve the avocados, remove the pits, and cut the flesh into similar-sized cubes. Crumble the cooled bacon into rough pieces, some large enough to identify, others in smaller bits that will distribute throughout.

6. 6

   Assemble the salad

   Add the tomatoes with their juice and three-quarters of the bacon to the dressed pasta. Fold gently. Transfer to a wide serving bowl or platter. Scatter the avocado cubes across the top, followed by the chopped romaine, remaining bacon, and sliced green onions. Finish with a generous snipping of fresh chives. Do not toss again. The layers create visual appeal and textural contrast.

7. 7

   Serve

   Present immediately for optimal texture, or cover and refrigerate for up to two hours. If serving later, add the avocado, lettuce, and final bacon just before bringing to the table. Provide a large serving spoon and encourage guests to dig deep, getting pasta from the bottom and fresh toppings from the surface in each portion.

Chef Tips

• •Seek out thick-cut bacon from a butcher or specialty grocer. The mass-market strips render too quickly and turn brittle rather than shattery-crisp. Applewood-smoked or peppered bacon both work beautifully here.
• •If transporting to a picnic, pack the dressed pasta in one container and the avocado, lettuce, and reserved bacon in separate containers. Assemble on arrival. The salad will still be delicious after three hours in a cooler, but those fresh elements suffer from early assembly.
• •A chilled rosé or a crisp pilsner complements this salad perfectly. The acidity and carbonation cut through the bacon fat richness.
• •Leftover salad keeps overnight but the lettuce will wilt and the avocado will brown. Remove any remaining fresh toppings before storing, and add fresh ones when you serve the leftovers.

Advance Preparation

• •Bacon can be cooked up to 2 days ahead and stored refrigerated. Crisp briefly in a skillet before crumbling.
• •Dressing can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Let it come to room temperature and whisk well before using, as the bacon fat will solidify when cold.
• •Pasta can be cooked, dressed, and refrigerated up to 24 hours ahead. Add tomatoes just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 425g)