My daughter LOVES this macaroni salad! It was a staple lunch for her at college, and she made it often for her roommates. Full of tomatoes, spinach, and BACON, then covered in a creamy dressing that is just perfect..... you will also fall in love. It's fast to put together, great for lunch, and even better as a side at a BBQ. You will always leave with an empty bowl and friends and family asking for the recipe.
BLT Macaroni Salad
Serves 3-4
8 ounces gluten free elbow macaroni
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
5 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup roughly chopped baby spinach
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pour over the pasta and stir to combine. Stir in the bacon, tomatoes and spinach. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. You will need gluten free elbow macaroni (we love Barilla), mayonnaise, sour cream, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, salt and pepper, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and fresh baby spinach. This is when I love precooked bacon, or you can also just cook some in the microwave.
Cook 2 cups dry pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
To make the creamy dressing, combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Pour the dressing over the cooked pasta and stir to combine.
Prepare your other ingredients by chopping or crumbling 5 slices of cooked bacon, slicing 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, and roughly chopping 1/2 cup of baby spinach.
Add all to the macaroni and stir until all is equally covered in the dressing.
We love to eat it right away because it's the creamiest. You can also serve it within a few hours and keep it refrigerated until ready. Gluten free pasta tends to get chewy after too long in the refrigerator, so it's not the best pasta to make a huge batch of and eat throughout the week.
The flavors of the dressing mixed with the BLT part of the salad is stupendous!
It really is an amazing option for lunch, or for a side to take to a BBQ. Your friends and family will LOVE IT!
Recipe Source: Shanna's recipe box