BLT MACARONI SALAD

Oh, macaroni salad. Is there anything more comfort food-y? Is there anything more nostalgic? Is there anything more… beige? But today, we’re not just talking about your grandma’s macaroni salad. Nope. We’re talking about BLT Macaroni Salad, the salad to end all salads. Get ready for a pasta salad experience that’s about as far from beige as you can get.

• Save

BLT Macaroni Salad Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time:  0 minutes

Chill Time: 1 hours

Total Time: 1 hours 30 minutes

Servings: 12 (feeds a ton!)

Ingredients:

• Elbow Macaroni Noodles
• Mayonnaise
• Sugar
• White Vinegar
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Fresh Dill
• Pepper
• Salt
• Thick Cut Bacon
• Tomatoes
• Lettuce, Romaine
• Cheddar Cheese

• Save

Instructions:

1. Cook the Macaroni Pasta. First things first, let’s cook our elbow macaroni noodles. Get a large pot of water boiling. Once boiling, toss in your 16 oz of macaroni. Cook according to the package instructions. When done, drain and rinse under cold water to cool and stop the cooking process. 
2. Make the Dressing: While the pasta is boiling away, mix up your dressing in a very large bowl. Combine the 3 cups of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons of white vinegar, 2 teaspoons of onion powder, 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of fresh dill, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir it all up until it’s nice and smooth.
3. Mix Together: Once the pasta has cooked and mostly cooled, add it to the bowl with the salad dressing and toss together until fully coated. Cover and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour. 
4. Cook and Crumble the Bacon: While the pasta is chilling, cook up that pound of thick-cut bacon. You can use your favorite method, but I like to air fry bacon in my air fryer until it’s crispy and delicious. Once it’s done and cooled, crumble it into bite-sized pieces. Try not to eat all the bacon at this stage. I know it’s hard, but remember, it’s for the salad. Set aside.
5. Chop the Veggies/Shred the Cheese: It’s not a BLT without the “T” and the “L”, so chop up tomatoes and cut the lettuce into bite size pieces. Shred your block of cheddar cheese.
6. If you are serving the macaroni salad right away, take the bowl out of the fridge (add a splash of milk if you want the consistency to be a bit more creamy), toss together, then add the bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and shredded cheese to the bowl and toss together until fully combined. Serve cold.
7. If you are preparing this salad ahead of time, I recommend waiting to chop lettuce, tomatoes, bacon and shred the cheese until you are ready to serve the pasta salad so the veggies, bacon and cheese stay fresh and crunchy – otherwise, they will soften in the pasta mixture over time!

• Save

• Save

• Save

• Save

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

First off, you’ll notice about this BLT Macaroni Salad recipe is that it’s, well, enormous. With 12 servings, it’s definitely going to feed a ton, maybe even a ton and a half if they’re light eaters. But that’s just one reason why it’s so great. Here are a few more:

Second, it’s as easy as pie! There’s no cooking involved besides the bacon. You’ll spend just 25 minutes preparing it and then forget about it in the fridge for a couple hours. This is basically a lazy person’s best friend when it comes to potluck dishes.

Third, it’s just plain delicious. The flavors all meld together in the most magical way, creating a balance of tangy, savory, creamy, and crispy. Trust me, after one bite, you’ll be sighing in blissful satisfaction.

• Save

Storage Information

Here’s the low-down on storing this beauty. Firstly, and I cannot stress this enough, refrigerate this dish. Remember the mayonnaise? Yeah, you don’t want that sitting out too long. But, in the fridge, your BLT Macaroni Salad will stay fresh and yummy for 3-5 days.

Substitutions & Variations

Now, this is your recipe too, you can jazz it up any way you like.

• Not a fan of white vinegar? No problem. Apple cider vinegar works wonderfully.
• Vegetarian? Just ditch the bacon. You can add some smoked paprika for that smoky flavor.
• Looking for a lower fat option? Replace half the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.

Remember, recipes are more like guidelines anyway, right?

• Save

Helpful Cooking Notes

Alright, my aspiring home chefs, let’s talk some handy dandy cooking notes for this BLT Macaroni Salad.

First, when cooking your pasta, don’t forget to salt the water. It’s not just to add flavor — it actually helps keep the pasta from sticking together.

Secondly, make sure you let your pasta cool before adding the mayo mixture. Unless you want a macaroni soup, then by all means, go ahead (little joke there!).

Lastly, don’t forget the chill time. This isn’t just to cool the salad but to let the flavors really meld together. It’s the secret step that takes this from good to “Oh, wow. Can I have the recipe?”

So, there you have it. Your new go-to potluck dish, BLT Macaroni Salad. It’s like a regular macaroni salad, only it went to college, studied abroad, and came home a better version!

• Save

BLT Macaroni Salad

---

2.80 from 34 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Chill Time 2 minutes mins

Total Time 27 minutes mins

Servings 9

Calories 1059 kcal

EQUIPMENT

• Large Bowl
• Large Serving Spoon
• Oven/Air Fryer/Stovetop, for cooking bacon
• Cheese Grater

INGREDIENTS

  

1x2x3x

• 16 oz Macaroni Noodles
• 3 cups Mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 3 tbsp White Vinegar
• 2 tsp Onion Powder
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Dill, fresh, chopped
• 1 tsp Pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp Salt, to taste
• 1 lb Bacon
• 4 Tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup Romaine Lettuce, chopped
• 2 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

INSTRUCTIONS

• Cook the Macaroni Pasta. First things first, let's cook our elbow macaroni noodles. Get a large pot of water boiling. Once boiling, toss in your 16 oz of macaroni. Cook according to the package instructions. When done, drain and rinse under cold water to cool and stop the cooking process.
• Make the Dressing: While the pasta is boiling away, mix up your dressing in a very large bowl. Combine the 3 cups of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons of white vinegar, 2 teaspoons of onion powder, 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of fresh dill, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir it all up until it's nice and smooth.
• Mix Together: Once the pasta has cooked and mostly cooled, add it to the bowl with the salad dressing and toss together until fully coated. Cover and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
• Cook and Crumble the Bacon: While the pasta is chilling, cook up that pound of thick-cut bacon. You can use your favorite method, but I like to air fry bacon in my air fryer until it's crispy and delicious. Once it's done and cooled, crumble it into bite-sized pieces. Try not to eat all the bacon at this stage. I know it's hard, but remember, it's for the salad. Set aside.
• Chop the Veggies/Shred the Cheese: Chop up tomatoes and cut the lettuce into bite size pieces. Shred your block of cheddar cheese.
• If you are serving the macaroni salad right away, take the bowl out of the fridge (add a splash of milk if you want the consistency to be a bit more creamy), toss together, then add the bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and shredded cheese to the bowl and toss together until fully combined. Serve cold.
• If you are preparing this salad ahead of time, I recommend waiting to chop lettuce, tomatoes, bacon and shred the cheese until you are ready to serve the pasta salad so the veggies, bacon and cheese stay fresh and crunchy – otherwise, they will soften in the pasta mixture over time!

NOTES

Storage Information

Here’s the low-down on storing this beauty. Firstly, and I cannot stress this enough, refrigerate this dish. Remember the mayonnaise? Yeah, you don’t want that sitting out too long. But, in the fridge, your BLT Macaroni Salad will stay fresh and yummy for 3-5 days.

Substitutions & Variations

Now, this is your recipe too, you can jazz it up any way you like.

• Not a fan of white vinegar? No problem. Apple cider vinegar works wonderfully.
• Vegetarian? Just ditch the bacon. You can add some smoked paprika for that smoky flavor.
• Looking for a lower fat option? Replace half the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.

NUTRITION

Calories: 1059kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 31gFat: 83gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 37gMonounsaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 1755mgPotassium: 559mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1231IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 211mgIron: 2mg

Course Cookout, Side Dish

Tried this recipe?Mention @sweettea_and_sprinkles or tag #sweetteaandsprinkles