#519: BLT Pasta Salad

I made this recipe to take with for Easter/Annie's Birthday Party.  I found this recipe on a blog called a bird and a bean, but it is originally a Food Network Recipe.  It got very mixed reviews, not because of the taste, but because of the nutritional information.  I'm not as concerned with that because I used a lot of low fat products and I don't plan to eat the entire bowl!

Personally I really liked this.  You definitely don't want to add the lettuce until you are ready to eat it though because it gets soggy if it sits too long.  Doesn't make good leftovers because of that, unless you want to pick out/around the lettuce (which I did). 

I would make this again, but I didn't love it.  It was very good though.

12 ounce corkscrew shaped pasta (I used tri-color)

1/2 cup milk (I used skim)

12 ounces lean bacon (I used turkey bacon)

3 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (I used dried basil instead)

1 clove garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup mayo (I used light mayo)

1/4 cup sour cream (I used low fat sour cream)

4 tablespoons chopped chives

5 cups chopped romaine hearts

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water as the label directs. Drain and toss with the milk in a large bowl; set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels.

(I omitted this step to make it a little healthier, and just added the tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, pepper and cooked turkey bacon to the pasta). Discard all but 3 tablespoons drippings from the pan. Add the tomatoes, thyme and garlic to the pan and toss until warmed through; season with salt and pepper. Crumble the bacon into bite-size pieces; set aside 1/4 cup for garnish. Toss the remaining bacon and the tomato mixture with the pasta.

Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and 3 tablespoons chives with the pasta until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper.  If you are not serving this right away, stop after this step.  Do not add the lettuce until ready to serve or it will get wilty and soft.

Add the lettuce; toss again to coat. Garnish with the reserved bacon and the remaining 1 tablespoon chives. Serve at room temperature.