BLT Pasta Salad

 

Ingredients

• 10 ounces pasta
• 8 pieces center cut bacon chopped
• 2 cups spinach chopped
• 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
• ½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup reduced fat mayonnaise
• ⅛ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ⅛ cup green onions chopped, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

• Bring a stock pot of water to a boil.
• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.
• Place the wire baking rack inside the baking sheet.
• Place the bacon on the wire baking rack.
• Bake the bacon at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes until the desired level of crispiness is achieved.
• While the pasta and bacon are cooking, use a knife and cutting board to chop the spinach, halve the grape tomatoes, and chop the green onions.
• In a small bowl, combine the nonfat plain Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper with a whisk or spoon.
• Once the pasta is done cooking, use a colander to strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Add the pasta to a large bowl.
• When the bacon is done cooking, allow it to cool and then chop.
• To the large bowl with the pasta, add the bacon, spinach, grape tomatoes, and dressing.
• Stir well to combine.
• Garnish with green onions and more chopped bacon if desired

Cook's Notes:

To make a dinner size salad I used four slices of bacon and 4 ounces of pasta and roughly 1/2 cup of mayonnaise.