This delicious summertime pasta salad with lemon dressing is a wonderful combination of taste, tanginess, and bacon. What more could you want? Serve it up all season long for a chilled pasta salad the whole family will enjoy!
This creamy pasta salad with peas is refreshing for a cold summer salad recipe and pretty easy to make too. Made with a nice lemon thyme pasta sauce the flavors really combine to create a burst of flavor you won’t soon forget. Serve it up at BBQs or other get-togethers and watch how fast it disappears. This dish is one you’ll want to make often and all summer long.
Lemon pasta salad recipe ingredients
For the pasta salad, you will need:
-Pasta: You will need 12 ounces of cooked pasta noodles (I like macaroni noodles).
-Peas: 1 cup of frozen petite peas will be plenty.
-Bacon: Use 6 slices of cooked bacon for this recipe.
-Thyme leaves: You will want about 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves for garnish.
For the lemon-thyme dressing, you will need:
-Mayo: You will need 3/4 cups of mayo to be the base of the dressing. This is what makes it creamy.
-Olive oil: Use 1/3 cup of olive oil to help thin the dressing into a good consistency.
-Lemon juice: Adding in 1/4 cup of lemon juice will really help add some freshness and tangy goodness to every bite.
-Lemon zest: You will want to use about 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh lemon zest to make this pasta salad really lemony.
-Sugar: You need 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar to help the dressing to be less acidic but still flavorful.
-Salt: Add in 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt to make the flavors in the pasta salad really stand out.
-Mustard: Use a teaspoon of whole grain dijon mustard.
-Thyme: You need 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves to go into the dressing.
-Pepper: Use 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper to help add some more flavor to the pasta.
How to Make Summertime Pasta Salad with Lemon Dressing
Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the package. Add in your frozen peas just a minute or two before you drain the water to help them thaw and cook.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until well blended.
Add your pasta, please, bacon, and fresh thyme to a large mixing bowl.
Add in your dressing and then toss well to combine.
Serve chilled.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 12 oz salad-size macaroni pasta
- 1 cup frozen petite peas
- 6 slices cooked bacon
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves for garnish*
Creamy Lemon-Thyme Dressing ingredients:
- ¾ cup mayo
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves*
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Add peas to the water a minute or two before you drain the water, to help thaw them out. Let cool.
- In a small bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
- Add your pasta and peas, bacon, and fresh thyme to a large mixing bowl.
- Add in your dressing and toss to combine. Serve chilled.
How long is pasta with bacon and peas good for?
This pasta salad is good for about 2 or 3 days if kept well covered and stored in the fridge. I do not recommend freezing the salad for longer storage or letting it sit out for more than 2 hours as it will spoil.
Can I prepare lemon pasta salad in advance?
Yes, you can prepare this salad up to a day or so in advance and keep the dressing separate from the salad until right before serving.
Check out these other great pasta salad recipes!
- CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
- FIESTA RANCH CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
- PIZZA PASTA SALAD
- GREEK PASTA SALAD
- SPINACH CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
- FRUITY SUMMER PASTA SALAD
Summertime pasta salad with lemon dressing is a wonderful combination of bacon, peas, and tangy goodness in every creamy bite. Serve this chilled pasta salad all summer long and it’s sure to be a hit!
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