Everyone needs a good pasta salad in their repertoire, the one you’re famous for and asked to bring to every barbecue. The dressing has to be creamy but not too rich, the vegetables have to have a crunch and, let’s face it, everything’s better with bacon! So here it is, the tastiest creamy bacon pasta salad that is sure to become your signature dish.
How to make a creamy bacon pasta salad: key tips
It’s always best to cook pasta for a salad until it is just al dente. This way the fusilli (corkscrew pasta) will still be firm when you are mixing it with the other ingredients and is less likely to break apart.
Cook the bacon pieces until they are well browned so that you bring out the flavour and you also get that lovely crispiness throughout the salad.
Tossing three-quarters of the dressing into the pasta mix ensures that everything is well-coated, then drizzling the remaining dressing over the pasta salad when serving gives it the best presentation.
Key ingredients in this creamy bacon pasta salad recipe
The cook has used fusilli pasta as its spiral shape provides lots of surface area for the dressing to cling to. Plus, she’s added tangy sour cream and lemon juice to the whole egg mayonnaise to cut back on the richness.
Capsicum, corn and spring onion are there for taste and texture, and bacon for salty smokiness. Feel free to play around and use your favourite vegetables and proteins to make this pasta salad yours (see below for some ideas).
Build on your pasta salad repertoire with our top 10 pasta salads, as well as another 16 pasta salads to feed a crowd.
Introduction and additional recipe notes by Alison Adams and Natasha Shaw.
Ingredients
- 250g dried fusilli pasta
- 1/2 cup whole egg mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 200g rindless bacon, chopped
- 1 red capsicum, deseeded, chopped
- 420g can Woolworths Corn Kernels
- 2 green spring onions, trimmed, sliced, plus exra to serve
- A pinch of pepper
Method
-
Step 1Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water following packet directions or until cooked to your liking. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
-
Step 2Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice in a bowl. Season well with pepper.
-
Step 3Cook the bacon in a non-stick frying pan over medium - high heat for 5 - 7 minutes or until crisp. Drain on a paper towel.
-
Step 4Toss 3/4 of the dressing through the pasta. Add the bacon, capsicum, corn and spring onions. Toss to combine. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and sprinkle with extra spring onions.
Recipe Notes
This recipe was created by Ali Adams for Australia's Best Recipes.
What is the best pasta for pasta salads?
Surprisingly, pastas can’t always be used interchangeably in recipes. 500g of a larger pasta like rigatoni will need more dressing than 500g of macaroni. Sounds strange but I learnt the hard way! You can still swap the fusilli for another pasta, just make sure it’s about the same size. Try penne, farfalle or orecchiette. Pasta is the star of this dish, so it’s important that it's cooked just right. When cooking pasta for dinner and tossing it with a hot sauce, you undercook the pasta slightly as it will continue to cook in the sauce. Because this pasta will be dressed in a cold dressing, cook it all the way through – not too much though, you want it to have a good bite and not be waterlogged.
Why is my pasta salad dry?
If your pasta salad is a bit dry it probably has to do with the relationship of the pasta to the dressing. Make sure everything is measured properly. While you can pour the pasta into the water straight from a 500g packet, you need to carefully measure out your dressing ingredients. Make sure you don’t rinse the cooked pasta. Rinsing removes the starch from the surface and we need this starch to help the dressing cling to the pasta. Also, adding the dressing in two stages is an important step. The first step just coats the pasta enough so it stays moisturised while cooling, preventing it from sticking together. The second dressing provides the creaminess. Adding the dressing all at once makes the pasta soak it up too quickly and may leave your pasta salad dry.
Can I make this salad ahead of time?
The great thing about a pasta salad (as opposed to a green one) is that it can be made the night before and stored in the fridge. In fact, it can benefit from a good rest to allow the dressing to soak into the pasta. Just make sure it’s covered properly as sometimes the fridge can dry food out.
What are some twists on this creamy pasta salad?
Once you have the ratio of dressing to pasta the sky's the limit! Stir a couple of tablespoons of pesto or chopped fresh herbs into the dressing. Change up your vegie game and use cooked broccoli, peas or asparagus. Grated carrot works a treat as do cherry tomatoes. Play around with the proteins as well, add chopped barbecued chicken, even cooked prawns and swap out the bacon for chunks of ham, prosciutto or salami.
Recipe Reviews (2)
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Log in Register