Crispy Bacon Pasta Salad with Fresh Herbs.
How much do you LOVE summer salads?
Here’s the sitch: I have NEVER loved pasta salads. Like, never. Like, never ever ever Taylor Swift style.
Sometimes I find myself at a cookout or picnic or barbecue where there aren’t a ton of options aside from a burger, hot dog, pasta salad and fruit, so I cave and take some pasta salad and then… eat it. And I’m just like, no no no no no. I don’t want cold meat cubes. I don’t want cold cheese cubes covered in vinegar.
I mean I always want cold cheese cubes covered in vinegar but I want to be a total snob about it and use the cheese I want with the vinegar I want and add lots of crackers or something plus about thirty pickles.
This lack of pasta salad love also probably stems from my lack of pasta love. But that’s neither here nor there.
So I took it upon myself to make a pasta salad that I actually wanted to eat. And BONUS! You can eat it hot or cold. I like it cold. But hot works too because bacon grease.
FYI: I’m warning you that I’m in a bacon-heavy mood at the moment.
This salad is loaded with so many of my favorite things!
Bacon, and lots of it, obviously.
Sweet corn, because the obsession lives on.
Zucchini chunks, because I needed something else to do besides bread and fry them.
Tomatoes, feta and garlic, because summer flavor.
TONS of herbs. You can use the herbs you’re crushing on at the moment. Can we talk about my purple basil in the photo up there? My herbs are going wild and I just want a bunch of them to be purple now. Too much to ask?
Now we can totally eat pasta salad together. No more complaints from me. Just give me alllll the bacon.
Crispy Bacon and Grilled Corn Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bacon, chopped
- 1 cup sweet corn
- 1 cup chopped zucchini squash
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 4 cups cooked pasta, I used mini shells
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 4 ounces feta, crumbled
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the chopped bacon. Cook until crispy and all the fat is rendered, then remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel to drain any excess grease.
- Add the corn and zucchini to the skillet and turn the heat up to medium. Stir to coat in the bacon grease, then cook until the corn is slightly golden and the zucchini just starts to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer the corn and zucchini to a large bowl. Keep the bacon grease in the skillet.
- Add the tomatoes and cooked pasta into the bowl with the zucchini and corn. Season the mixture with the salt and pepper, tossing well. Drizzle in 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved bacon grease, tossing the pasta well to coat.
- In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil with 1 tablespoon each of the basil and oregano and all of the rosemary. Pour the mixture over the pasta and toss, toss, toss! Stir in the feta and toss well again. Top with the crispy bacon and toss.
- You can serve this hot or cold! Add anything else you’d like. I added a bit of sliced grilled corn from the cob on top of mine – had it left in the fridge.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Seriously that bacon though.
95 Comments on “Crispy Bacon Pasta Salad with Fresh Herbs.”
Oh my, oh my, OH MY!!!!! This pasta salad sounds beyond incredible and looks even better! You’ve done it again, Girl!
thank you tori!
Oh my goodness, this looks and sounds so lovely! Love the idea of bacon AND corn in a pasta salad. I’m with you: cold meat cubes don’t usually cut it for me either.
thanks molly!
meat cubes covered in vinegar is a crime.
PREACH.
any feta replacement suggestion? This looks beyond amazing except….feta haha
Cotija (I can never spell it right) cheese works great as a feta replacement – similar texture, but a bit more mild :)
I bet goat cheese would be amazing as well if you’re a fan!
agree with both of these! you could also always do small fresh mozzarella balls?
Ooohhh….this is right up my alley! I’m not a big pasta salad or potato salad fan either, because mayonnaise scares me. But your version is so fresh. And HELLO bacon!
thank you liz!
same. but i love all the fresh veggies (i’ve eaten out so much that i’m actively craving salad) involved! and also glad bc there’s no mayo (which always freaks me out when left out all day).
thanks heather!
Flawless!! Such a fan of fresh herbs in salads!
thanks todd!
I’ve just recently started cooking with fresh herbs more and it is SUCH a game changer! Loving this salad idea and can’t wait to try it but with some veggie shiitake mushroom bacon instead :)
http://www.sprinklesandsaturdays.com
thank you julia!
This looks delicious! Perfect recipe x
http://jessicawoods.fr/blog/
thanks jessica!
Summer salads that look that good are just killing my GLANDS! Girl, this looks to DIE FOR! :)
thanks taylor!
LOVE this bowl of summer!! I have bacon in my fridge and was planning on making your most recent blt’s, but doing this instead. I should do both. I’m going to top mine with avocado slices. Obsessed with the avocado, corn and bacon combo. The only thing that can make that combination better is lobster chunks. Oh and also, cold meat cubes cannot!! Cringing just thinking about it.
i also love that combo too! sounds so good right now.
I feel the same way about the “classic” version of a pasta salad, and same goes for the “classic” potatoes salad. Disgusting! Besides, I hate mayo in salad unless I make it myself, with actual eggs and olive oil. Anyhow your pasta salad looks gorgeous! Just like everything in here!
:)
Now I have a say about purple basil, I loved the idea of vivifying my very “green” fine herbs with purple, so I planted it about a month ago and it died… and I tried again more recently… and again was a fail! So, sadly, there is no more purple in my fine herbs, all green.
:( PS : about bacon, you must try to put bacon on trout with miso and panko and parsley, it’s seriously amazing.
oh that sounds delicious. trying it!
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ugh, my browser is just not letting me comment on this post.
3rd time’s a charm, maybe?
I love bacon, my nickname is bacon girl, I was head chef at Bacon Bacon, ergo- we should be best friends! :P
I love this pasta salad that you came up with, because usually I’m just like NO on pasta salads, I mean why on god’s earth do you want soggy cold noodles? Ewww….
Have a great day!
yes, i could not agree with you more!
You had me at 1/2 lb of bacon…. Also, where can I see more of that beautiful fushia colored top on whomever is holding that bowl above?!?! #lovethatcolor
it’s a dress, from target! ;) trying to find it online but i can’t – it’s mossimo though!
Yeah that color is gorgeous!!! Want!
I am in complete agreement with you, I cannot stomach the traditional pasta salad. But this!! This looks so good! I cannot wait to try!
thanks ashlyn!
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I love pasta salads! You always post the best recipes. My sister is having a bbq tomorrow; I know what I’m bringing. Thank you for sharing!
thank you so much camille!
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You don’t like pasta?!?!? WHAAT!! Actually, I wish I didn’t either LOL because I maybe eat too much of it… #YOLO. This is STUNNING and perfect for Summer cookouts!!
I don’t like feta- any other cheese ideas?
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Any pasta replacement ideas? Maybe more veggies? I am just so tired of pasta!
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