Slimming BLT Pasta Salad Recipe!

Today’s recipe is a fresh and colourful pasta salad, perfect for making in advance and keeping in the fridge for a healthy, satisfying lunch! It’s super quick and easy to make, full of fresh and colourful ingredients that you probably already have in the fridge, and you can make it in advance so you’ve got a meal ready to go whenever you need it. 

Now that the spring is on the way, I’ll be making this recipe on a regular basis! With approximately 373 calories per serving, it’s ideal for sticking to slimming plans or when you just want to keep things a little lighter. 

Ingredients List

You’ll find the full ingredients list with quantities at the bottom of this post in the printable recipe card. 

Here though, I want to take a minute to explain the various components that you’ll need, including potential substitutes. 

Cooked Pasta: I used fusilli to create this recipe, but you can use any of your favourite pasta shapes. It’s also a great way to use up any cooked pasta that you might have left over from another meal. 

Lettuce: Iceberg is perfect for this recipe, as it adds a satisfying crunch, though you could also use Romaine or little gem. 

Bacon Medallions: You’ll remove any visible fat from your medallions to help keep the recipe slimming friendly. You can substitute for any rashers of bacon that you might already have in your fridge. 

Cherry Tomatoes: These are typically sweeter than usual tomatoes and a perfect for adding colour and texture. You can substitute for regular diced tomatoes though if necessary. 

Quark & Natural Yoghurt: A combination of equal parts quark and fat-free natural yoghurt is used in place of the more traditional mayonnaise to make this BLT pasta salad more slimming friendly. You’ll typically find quark in the dairy aisle, near the cottage cheese. If you like, you can use light mayo instead. 

Lemon Juice: Don’t skip this ingredient! A touch of lemon juice adds acidity and brings an element of brightness to the dish, and it really helps all the other ingredients to sing. 

Adding Extra Salad Veggies: If you’re on a mission to use up any leftovers, you can add in any other chopped or diced salad ingredients that you might like. Cucumber, red onion, salad peppers, and sweetcorn would all work well. 

Step-By-Step Guide to Making Slimming BLT Pasta Salad

Cook and Cool the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente, typically about 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool. 

Chop and Cook the Bacon: Chop the bacon into bitesized pieces, removing any visible fat, and cook in a frying pan with a little low calorie cooking spray, until browned and crispy at the edges. 

Prepare the Veggies: Tear the lettuce into bitesized pieces, and cut the cherry tomatoes in half. 

Prepare the Dressing: Add the quark and fat-free natural yoghurt to a bowl, add the lemon juice, season with a little salt and pepper, and mix well. 

Mix Everything Together: Add the bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and pasta to the bowl, mix, and enjoy!

How To Serve With BLT Pasta Salad

This BLT pasta salad makes for a quick and easy lunch, and it’s also perfect for picnics and buffets. 

With pasta, bacon, veggies, and the dressing, it’s a meal in its own right and you really don’t need to add any extras or side dishes. 

If you want to make it a little heartier though and increase the protein, you can add some shredded chicken, grilled halloumi, or roasted chickpeas.