BLT Pasta Salad recipe

BLT Pasta Salad

• 1/2 Cup light mayonnaise
• 1 to 1 1/2 Cups grape tomatoes, small diced, juices included
• 4-5 green onions, white and light green parts, thin sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced (you can use dried if you prefer)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6-8 slices cooked bacon
• 2 Cups chopped or thin-sliced spinach
• 12 ounces corkscrew pasta, or your favorite shape, cooked al dente

Mix together the mayonnaise, chopped tomatoes, sliced green onions, minced thyme, salt and pepper. This can be done up to two or so hours ahead of time. It tastes better if it’s had time to mingle, but if you don’t have time to do this ahead, it’s OK, just go on to the next step. Refrigerate till ready to use.
Cook bacon – whichever way is best for you is fine. We cooked ours in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, turning once halfway through. Cook until crunchy but not burned.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt boiling water and add pasta, cooking till just al dente. Drain and rinse pasta with cool water, drain again. Set aside.
While pasta is cooking, prepare your spinach. If you want the slender strips we used, layer several leaves of spinach, roll them up and slice from either end with a knife about one quarter inch thick. Do this till you have two or so cups of spinach. Do this part last since cut spinach will begin to wilt faster than whole leaves.
In a large bowl, gently toss the dressing with the pasta and spinach to combine, being sure to evenly coat all the pasta. Serve it up and enjoy!