Creamy Pasta Salad loaded with petite peas and crispy bacon is super quick and easy to make (with hardly any chopping) and smothered in tantalizing Lemon Parmesan dressing!
This Creamy Pasta Salad is destined to become a new favorite dinner side or potluck crowd pleaser and couldn’t be any easier! You can make the salad ahead of time and just add the bacon before serving for the perfect stress side everyone will love. You can customize the ingredients with your favorite veggies or leave it perfect – and extra easy – in its simplicity.
Pasta with Bacon and Peas is the ultimate potluck side dish
Warm weather has been late in coming this spring, but before we know it, it will be everything sandals and sunscreen which means potlucks and barbecues galore – my fav! I love the smorgasbord of baked beans, beef brisket, chicken kebabs, steak kabobs, potato salad, watermelon, corn on the cob, and of course, creamy pasta salad.
Every get together needs a fabulous pasta salad – not just obligatory pasta salad – enter Bacon Pea Creamy Pasta Salad! This creamy pasta salad boasts the winning trifecta of bacon, peas and pasta to create a harmonious blend of bright, fresh crunchy textures. One of my favorite texture combos in the world. It’s so simple, but so perfect.
What we love about this Pasta Salad with Peas
Most pasta salads involve a lot of chopping due to the veggies – but this cool and creamy pasta salad doesn’t have any – aside from crumbling your bacon in two seconds – winning! Of course, you can add whatever veggies you want as long as you stick to the drool worthy, luxurious creamy, Lemon Parmesan Dressing.
The creamy dressing is based off of my BLT Pasta Salad recipe because after I made that salad, I was soooo in love with the dressing (and the whole salad), that I couldn’t get the creamy lemon deliciousness out my mind. And now we don’t have to.
Pea Pasta Salad Dressing
This Parmesan Lemon Dressing enlivens the creamy pasta salad with it’s zippy tangy kiss and cuts through the richness of the dressing. I swapped the chives for Parmesan (from my BLT Dressing version) and made a few other tweaks and now we have a bright and tangy, lusciously creamy dressing infused with oregano, parsley, garlic and most importantly, lemon juice and lemon zest. It’s fresh and vibrant and so addicting you will want to smother it on everything!
Bacon Pea Salad Ingredients
FOR THE PASTA SALAD
- Pasta: Use medium shells or other small pasta of choice such as used rotini pasta.
- Peas: Use petite frozen peas; please NEVER use mature peas – they are mushy!
- Bacon: The more the better! Please use thick cut bacon so the bacon doesn’t get lost and retains its meaty texture when enveloped in the dressing. You can cook the bacon chopped or in slices on the stovetop or bake it in the oven.
FOR THE CREAMY DRESSING
- Mayonnaise: This is the creamy base of the dressing and binds the ingredients together. Even if you don’t like mayo, I don’t suggest skipping because it prevents the dressing ingredients from separating – and your dressing will not taste like mayo! Please use real mayonnaise and not Miracle Whip.
- Sour cream: This adds a delightful tanginess to the dressing and makes it much lighter than using all mayonnaise.
- Olive oil: A splash of olive oil helps thin the dressing while preventing the pasta from soaking up too much of the dressing and becoming dry.
- Parmesan: Use finely freshly grated Parmesan (like powder), don’t use the green lid kind.
- Lemon: Lemon juice and zest beautifully complements the creamy dressing.
- White vinegar: Just a tablespoon enlivens the flavors but won’t make your salad too tangy.
- Dijon mustard: Another tablespoon of Dijon cuts through the richness of the dressing with a subtle depth of flavor without making the dressing taste remotely like mustard.
- Seasonings: Basil, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper create a ranch-like dressing.
How to make Creamy Pasta Salad
- Make Dressing: Whisk together all of the Lemon Parmesan Dressing Ingredients together in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Cook pasta: Cook according to package directions in salted water just until al dente. Rinse with cold water and drain. Drizzle with a little olive oil to keep from sticking.
- If serving immediately: Add cooled pasta, peas, bacon and dressing to a large bowl and toss until evenly combined.
- If not serving immediately: Add the pasta and peas to a large bowl and toss with half of the dressing once the pasta has cooled (so the dressing doesn’t separate). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When ready to serve, add the remaining dressing and the bacon and toss until evenly combined.
How to make Creamy Pasta Salad in advance
- You can make the Lemon Parmesan Dressing up to 24 hours in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you choose to make it this far in advance, you might want to add a little more lemon before tossing as the lemon will mellow over time – just taste first and then make the call.
- To make the Creamy Pasta Salad ahead of time, add the pasta and peas to a large bowl and toss with half of the dressing once the pasta has cooled (so the dressing doesn’t separate). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When ready to serve, add the remaining dressing and the bacon and toss until evenly combined.
Creamy Pasta Salad Recipe Tips
- You can make the dressing up to 24 hours in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Whisking the ingredients together is the most time consuming part of the recipe (although super) easy, so if you have this done, then the recipe comes together lightening fast!
- I like to use medium pasta shells in this recipe but any medium or small pasta will work great. Mini Farfalle would be delicious as would macaroni.
- It is important to not overcook your pasta – you want it al dente so it still has a little bite otherwise the pasta salad will be soggy. We want creamy – not soggy.
- To stop your pasta from cooking after it’s removed from the heat, rinse and drain it in cold water then drizzle it with a touch of olive oil to keep it from sticking together.
- It is essential to use thick-cut bacon in this recipe so it retains its meaty texture when covered in the creamy dressing.
- Make sure you are using petite frozen peas as they taste fresh and almost crunchy vs. mushy.
- Unlike vinaigrette dressings, you will want to make sure the pasta is completely cool before mixing in the creamy dressing to ensure the dressing doesn’t separate.
- Feel free to add any other veggies your heart desires! Even chicken would be delicious!
What to pair with this Creamy Pasta Salad Recipe
This creamy pasta salad is a show stopping side dish perfect for any gathering! Here are some dishes you can serve alongside:
- Grilled proteins: BBQ Grilled Pork Chops, Marinated Flank Steak, Sirloin Steak, Grilled Shrimp, Grilled Barbecue Chicken, Barbecue Chicken Kabobs, Steak Kabobs, etc.
- Sandwiches and burgers: BBQ Brisket Sandwiches, BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches, French Dips, Philly Cheesesteaks, Italian Beef Sandwiches, Cubano Sandwiches, Best Burgers, and BBQ Burgers.
- Side dishes: Baked Beans, Potato Salad, Strawberry Spinach Salad, Cucumber Tomato Salad, Corn Salad, Grape Salad and Fruit Salad.
How to store leftover Pea Pasta Salad
Cover with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The longer the pasta salad is refrigerated, the drier it can become. If your leftovers taste too dry, then toss with a drizzle of olive oil, mayo or sour cream. You may also want to perk up the salad with seasonings to taste.
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©Carlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com
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Bacon Pasta Salad with Peas
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Ingredients
Pasta Salad
- 12 oz. medium shells or other small pasta of choice
- 2 cups frozen petite peas thawed
- 8 oz. thick cut bacon cooked and chopped
Lemon Parmesan Dressing
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream (may sub Greek yogurt or mayo)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup freshly finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp EACH dried basil, dried chives
- 1/2 tsp EACH onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the Lemon Parmesan Dressing Ingredients together in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Dressing is much better if it has at least 30 minutes to chill.*
- Cook pasta according to package directions just until al dente. Rinse with cold water and drain. Drizzle with a little olive oil to keep from sticking.
- If serving immediately: Add cooled pasta, peas, bacon and dressing to a large bowl and toss until evenly combined.
- If not serving immediately (preferable so salad can chill): Add the pasta and peas to a large bowl and toss with half of the dressing once the pasta has cooled (so the dressing doesn’t separate). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When ready to serve, add the remaining dressing and the bacon and toss until evenly combined.
Notes
- You can make the dressing up to 24 hours in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you choose to make it this far in advance, you might want to add a little more lemon before tossing as the lemon will mellow over time – just taste first and then make the call.
- I like to use medium pasta shells in this recipe but any medium or small pasta will work great. Mini Farfalle would be delicious as would macaroni.
- It is important to not overcook your pasta – you want it al dente so it still has a little bite otherwise the pasta salad will be soggy. We want creamy – not soggy.
- To stop your pasta from cooking after it’s removed from the heat, rinse and drain it in cold water then drizzle it with a touch of olive oil to keep it from sticking together.
- It is essential to use thick-cut bacon in this recipe so it retains its meaty texture when covered in the creamy dressing.
- Make sure you are using petite frozen peas as they taste fresh and almost crunchy vs. mushy.
- Unlike vinaigrette dressings, you will want to make sure the pasta is completely cool before mixing in the creamy dressing to ensure the dressing doesn’t separate.
- Feel free to add any other veggies your heart desires! Even chicken would be delicious!
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©Carlsbad Cravings Original
A version of this recipe first appeared on The Slow Roasted Italian where I am a contributor.
Catherine says
Good gracious! This is BY FAR the best pasta salad I have ever made. And I’ve made a boatload.
The taste is spot on and has been wildly successful as a side dish for a BBQ and as a potluck offering.
Look no further for a superior pasta salad recipe.
Jen says
Thank you for such high praise! I’m thrilled that this pasta salad has been a total success!