Salad · Sides · vegetable

Corn, Bacon and Pesto Pasta Salad

Colleen

Late summer’s bounty is here! Corn, tomatoes and peppers are in abundance right now. The best way to use up those vegetables? By making a pasta salad, of course.

This Corn, Bacon and Pesto Pasta Salad contains a ton of ingredients, but they all work together well to produce a flavorful bite. You can add or take out any veggies you want to cater to your tastes.

I threw in tomatoes, peppers, onion, corn and fresh herbs. Although there were a lot of competing ingredients, nothing overpowered anything and they all worked merrily together.

RELATED: Cucumber Couscous Salad

Creating the Perfect Pasta Salad

As with most summer salads, pasta salads need TIME to taste good.

Sure, you can make this Corn, Bacon and Pesto Pasta Salad just a few hours before serving it and it will still taste good. But if you refrigerate it overnight, it will taste even better.

RELATED: Pesto Chicken with Corn & White Bean Salsa

I don’t know the science behind it, but pasta (and even potato) salad taste better the next day.

Another pro-tip: always cook your pasta al dente for refrigerated salads. Do not overcook the pasta! You need a noodle that has a good snap back to it, not a floppy noodle. Floppy noodles turn into soggy noodles and nobody likes that.

To Cheese or Not to Cheese

A lot of the great pasta salad recipes out there contain cheese.

Sometimes the pasta salad contains bite-size blocks. Some have shaved parmesan, or feta, or goat cheese.

RELATED: Green Goddess Pasta Salad

I did not include any cheese in this Corn, Bacon and Pesto Pasta Salad. But that doesn’t mean you can’t! Here are some cheeses that might go well with this pasta salad: cubed provolone, mozzarella pearls, and grated parmesan.

Of course, there already is parmesan in the pesto—but you know what I mean.

Customize your Corn, Bacon and Pesto Pasta Salad to your liking. It’s really up to you!

Enjoy!

Corn, Bacon and Pesto Pasta Salad

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

A creamy pasta salad made with pesto, fresh corn, bacon, peppers, and tomatoes.

Ingredients

  • 1 (16 oz) package dried pasta (orrechiete or rotini works best)
  • 1 (7 oz) jar pesto
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Salt and pepper
  • 6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 4 ears fresh corn, shucked
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, tomatoes halved
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

    • Directions

    1. Cook pasta according to package instructions (cooked al dente). Drain and let cool.
    2. In a small bowl, whisk together the pesto, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, salt, pepper and lime juice. Set aside.
    3. In a large bowl, stir together cooled pasta, bacon, pepper, onion, tomatoes, and parsley. Cut corn off cobs and add to pasta mixture.
    4. Drizzle pesto mixture over salad and toss until everything is well coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

    Published by Colleen

    I'm a managing editor for a local television station in Oklahoma City. I love to cook, learn about food lore, and try new restaurants. I have a vast recipe and cookbook collection and I enjoy trying new recipes from it!

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