Made with creamy avocado and crispy bacon, this high protein BLT pasta salad will be your go-to recipe of the summer! It's ready in just 20 minutes and is the perfect dish to bring to summer BBQs or just to meal prep. This protein pasta salad is dressed with a mayo vinaigrette to keep it dairy free and uses gluten free pasta so all can enjoy it!
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high protein BLT pasta salad highlights
- It just gets better with time. I mean, that's the beauty of pasta salads with vinaigrettes!
- It's high in protein thanks to not only protein pasta but bacon AND shredded chicken!
- Toddler approved (my toddler that is), so I'm 99% sure your whole family will love it!
The original version of this protein pasta salad recipe has been on the site from the beginning. But as times change, I wanted to refresh it to perfect it so you could feel totally confident bringing it to any get-together or having it for lunch!
I tested this BLT salad many ways and finally settled on this one with a mayo vinegarette for a few reasons. These types of dressings are already dairy-free - great for all and they get better with time, unlike creamy ranch-style dressings.
Needless to say, I'm stoked to share this new and improved recipe with you! And if you want more pasta salad love, try my lemon ricotta protein pasta salad, dill pickle tuna pasta salad, or this red pesto pasta salad.
ingredients & substitutions
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See recipe card for quantities.
- The protein: To amp up this pasta salad, you'll need a pack of cooked bacon, chopped, shredded chicken (or canned), and protein pasta of choice. I love Goodles but Banza works too! Turkey bacon works too but just isn't as crispy.
- Veggies: For freshness, grab cherry tomatoes, avocado, and red onion. Green onions with work too!
- The dressing: This dressing is just a mixture of mayonnaise, white vinegar, avocado oil, salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
how to make it
Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full protein pasta salad recipe!
- Cook the bacon, chicken, and pasta.
- Dice the veggies and mix up the dressing.
- Mix everything together in a super large bowl - then enjoy cold!
quick recipe video
helpful tips
- If traveling: Wait to add the avocado until right before serving or leave it out all together to prevent brown clumps.
- Use a bigger bowl than you might think: No seriously, whatever bowl you grabbed, go grab a bigger one. Or even a stock pot.
- Dice everything nice and small so you can have a little bit of everything in every bite. With the exception of the tomatoes because those are too much work to cut smaller.
- To quickly cool the pasta, strain it and run cold water around it. Use a spoon to stir as you spray cold water so it all stops cooking asap.
common questions
It should be kept on ice because of the chicken. It can be on ice for 1 hour in the shade. If not on ice, I would leave the chicken out and then it's fine just in a cooler for up to 2 hours or 1 hour in the sun.
Sure! Any vinegar based dressing or even a creamy ranch dressing will work. An avocado or chipotle ranch would be tasty!
Ok, I'm very passionate about this so buckle up! The best pasta shape depends on if you're trying to retain more sauce on the noodles or if you want the noodle to scoop up small veggies. For this pasta salad, I like to use squiggly ones with ridges or a bow tie or farfalle.
how to store & meal prep it
fridge
This protein pasta salad will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. However, the avocados will start to brown as the time goes on.
frozen
I don't recommend freezing this. You can freeze the pasta seperate but I wouldn't freeze the whole pasta salad.
meal prep
I love prepping this for lunch! You can store in it a seperate container to simply grab it on the way out the door or keep it in one big bowl. Sometimes I will put it on top of crunchy lettuce for a full BLT experience too!
more high protein lunch recipes you'll love
Recipe
High Protein BLT Pasta Salad with Avocado
Ingredients
- 16 oz banza farfalle pasta (or your favorite protein pasta)
- 2 c shredded chicken (or 2 12.5 oz cans)
- 1 avocado (diced)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes (sliced)
- 1 red onion (small or ½ of a large)
- 12 slices bacon (1 pack of bacon)
- 2 tablespoon mayo
- ¼ c white vinegar
- ¼ c avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoon dijon mustard
Before you start!
If you make this recipe, please take a moment to leave us a review. We love to hear from you!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Bake the 12 slices bacon for about 15 minutes until crispy. You can also use the air fryer. When done, remove from the oven and pat dry with a paper towel. Chop or crunch the bacon into small pieces and set aside.Cook the 2 c shredded chicken if needed or use canned or rotisserie.
- Cook 16 oz banza farfalle pasta as directed, strain, and run under cold water to cool immediately.
- While the pasta and bacon is cooking, dice the 1 avocado and 1 red onion and halve the 2 cups cherry tomatoes.
- Mix the 2 tablespoon mayo, ¼ c white vinegar, ¼ c avocado oil, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and 2 tablespoon dijon mustard in a bowl or jar.
- Combine everything in the large bowl with the dressing and gently mix to coat in sauce. Enjoy right away or leave in the fridge until ready to eat. This can be kept in the fridge for 5 days.
Video
Notes
helpful tips
- If traveling: Wait to add the avocado until right before serving or leave it out all together to prevent brown clumps.
- Use a bigger bowl than you might think: No seriously, whatever bowl you grabbed, go grab a bigger one. Or even a stock pot.
- Dice everything nice and small so you can have a little bit of everything in every bite. With the exception of the tomatoes because those are too much work to cut smaller.
- To quickly cool the pasta, strain it and run cold water around it. Use a spoon to stir as you spray cold water so it all stops cooking asap.
how to store & meal prep it
fridge
This protein pasta salad will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. However, the avocados will start to brown as the time goes on.frozen
I don't recommend freezing this. You can freeze the pasta seperate but I wouldn't freeze the whole pasta salad.meal prep
I love prepping this for lunch! You can store in it a seperate container to simply grab it on the way out the door or keep it in one big bowl. Sometimes I will put it on top of crunchy lettuce for a full BLT experience too!Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
It’s summer and I’m craving all things BLT- this hits the spot!!
That's amazing!
Loved this recipe, was a nice refreshing lunch option for my meal prep for the week. Highly recommend!