Bacon and Basil Pasta Salad Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my Disclosure and Privacy Policy.
Happy Memorial Day! We celebrated yesterday with what would have been a great barbecue. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. That didn’t stop us from enjoy some great food, including this wonderful Bacon and Basil Pasta Salad from Pillsbury that my mother discovered in their Sensational Salads cookbook. If you are looking for a great salad that has mild flavors and feeds a large crowd this one is perfect!
This recipe has a whopping 22 servings so it literally feels like a never ending bowl of pasta salad.
Bacon and Basil Pasta Salad
This bacon pasta salad is the ultimate side dish for your next summer cookout, potluck, or holiday party! Always a crowd favorite, this salad is loaded with bacon, basil, grape tomatoes, bell peppers and green onion. This salad pairs well with a wide variety of dishes including grilled chicken, fish or pork!
Ingredients
- 1 box (16oz) penne pasta
- 1/2 lb sliced bacon
- 1 pint grape tomatoes cut in half
- 2 medium red or green bell peppers (or one of each) chopped ( approximately 2 cups)
- 4 green onions sliced
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
-
Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Rinse with cold water to cool and then drain.
-
Meanwhile, cook bacon over medium heat approximately 8 minutes or until crisp. Crumble bacon. Refrigerate until serving.
-
In large bowl, mix pasta, tomatoes, bell peppers and onions.
-
In small bowl beat vinegar and mustard with whisk before adding oil. Beat again until blended.
-
Stir in basil, salt and pepper.
-
Pour dressing over pasta mixture and combine. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
-
Sprinkle with bacon and toss to combine just before serving.
This salad is a great way to use up fresh basil and vegetables from your garden. It works perfect for cookouts and picnics. To save on time, consider pre-cooked bacon versus frying up your own. I do think this salad tastes best the first day or two when the bacon is still crispy.
Enjoy!
That sounds good – thanks for the recipe!
Is it bad that I skipped over the pasta to stare at those ribs? I really could go for some ribs right now. LOL
No, not at all! It is hard not to focus on those for sure. They were delicious!
Yum! I might use a little less olive oil so I can eat more servings 🙂
This looks delicious. I’m always looking for a new salad to try, with it being bbq season you get tired of the same usual salads
This looks and sounds so delicious. What a great recipe for the 4th of July.
Thank you so much for posting this! I am a pasta salad fiend!
Can’t wait to try this next time I see fresh basil at my local farmer’s market.
This sounds absolutely awesome and what a great recipe for the summer months. I need to do something different and we all love pasta. I think with the tomatoes, pepper and green onions, this just has to be so good. Thanks for sharing! I love getting new recipes like this
pinned also to share with others
Wow this sounds great. three of my favorite things, pasta, bacon and basil.
This recipe looks very tasty. Thanks for sharing!