This recipe for bacon & green onion pasta salad makes a quick and delicious lunch or is perfectly prepared ahead for a picnic or barbecue. Why not serve with Moroccan spiced vegetable cous cous for the perfect picnic partner?
Today was my son’s last day of school (finally). They finish quite late in the UK and I start itching to have my son home with me in mid-June when friends back home start to post on Facebook that school’s out.
They have a family picnic on the last day of school. It’s a really nice day for the kids and parents alike. I made a huge batch of this salad for it and it was the only thing that was eaten without a trace of anything left in the container (except my chocolate chip cookies)!
Why this recipe works:
- The vinegar and mayonnaise are a creamy and tangy base for the pasta.
- Bacon and cucumbers make for a salty and crunchy texture everyone will love.
- It’s perfect for making it into a lunch to take to work and eat at your desk.
This bacon & green onion pasta salad is really amazing! The bacon & green onions add a different spin on your everyday macaroni salad.
It’s one of my favorite things to make in the summertime because you can eat however much you like and it’s a very fresh and light meal to eat in the hot weather when you don’t feel like cooking or heating up the kitchen.
If you’re a fan of pasta salad, check out some of my other recipes…
Recipe variations:
- Have leftover chicken? Chop it up into cubes and add to make this a main meal.
- For a lower fat option, use low-fat mayonnaise.
Food Safety For Warmer Weather:
- To prevent rapidly growing bacteria from forming, Food shouldn’t be unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours or limit the time to one hour if the outdoor temperature is higher than 90° F.
Never Miss A Single Recipe!
Join the free Erren's Kitchen mailing list & get the latest tasty goodness straight to your inbox!
★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Ingredients
- 12 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped
- 2 cups dried pasta, cooked, rinsed, and drained
- 3 green onions, sliced into rounds
- ½ cup cucumber, chopped
- ½ teaspoon mustard
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup mayonnaise, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the bacon, pasta, cucumber and green onions. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt & pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. Store covered in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in July of 2014, but was republished with tips, FAQs, and variations in July of 2018.
Carmelita Puno says
Just by the look of it, I already love it. This will be my 2nd best in the pasta salad family. My first is the Chicken Macaroni salad. Thank you very much…
Erren's Kitchen says
Glad I could help Carmelita!
Martha says
hello thank you but i have a question like we dont have red wine vingar or balsmic vingar should i try just vingar ?
CWoods says
This is so good!!! I just made it and had a bit for lunch. I can’t wait until it’s chilled and I have it for dinner.
Linda Powell says
Awesome! Had an overload of spring onions, so I found this recipe. I didn’t have any cucumber so I substituted with tomato. This recipe will be passed down as a family favorite! Thank you for this great twist on pasta salad! Can’t wait to try it with cucumber! The Balsamic is the bomb! Shared it on Facebook…hope you don’t mind!
Erren says
Hi Linda, so glad you liked it! 🙂 I don’t mind at all if you share on FB, but I do ask that you link to my site rather than list the recipe. Thanks so much!
Linda Powell says
Absolutely! Making this again today!
Linda Powell says
I have made this at least 5 times now…I just can not get enough!
Erren says
Hi Linda, That’s so great to hear! So Happy you are enjoying it! 🙂
Ann says
Hi Erren. This looks so good. I can’t wait to make it. Your measurements for pasta, is it 2 cups cooked pasta or 2 cups before it’s cooked? Also your salad looks so creamy but balsamic and red wine vinegars are dark. How do you keep yours so creamy? Did you use regular yellow mustard or brown mustard or a French mustard? So sorry for all of the questions, I just want to make it correctly. Thank you again! Ann
Erren says
Hi Ann, it’s 2 cups dry pasta before being cooked. For the photos I used red wine vinegar, so the balsamic will give it a brown tone (but it tastes great). I used yellow mustard. I hope you like it!
Ann says
Hi Erren,
Thanks so much for responding so quickly! I can’t wait to make it. It looks soooo good! I know I’ll love it. I will let you know how good it is after I make it! :)…Ann
Karen says
Did you use a white balsamic vinegar? My salad, though delicious, had a brown tone from using balsamic vinegar.
Kristin says
I just wanted to know if you have a mistake in the recipe. Do you really use 12 strips of bacon? I had 5 strips and for the quantity of pasta, it was still quite a bit (and I am a fan of bacon!) However — We loved this pasta salad and I’m so glad I found it on Pinterest!
Erren says
Hi Kistin, It’s not a mistake. It’s what I use, but it is a matter of taste. I’m so glad you liked it!
Linda Powell says
I LOVE the bacon!
Sandra says
Hi Erren, I am making this now and wanted to know how your mayo mixture is cream coloured when you have used balsamic vinegar, my mixture is like a coffee latte colour, tastes fine though and what mustard type, I only had french mustard…..
Sandra says
I am making this to take to a BBQ tomorrow, nice and simple and looks great. thank you for sharing..
Erren says
So sorry for the late reply. I haven’t been well for some time and the app on my phone doesn’t allow me to reply to comments. I don’t like posts to go unanswered though so just wanted to say thanks for the feedback and I am so glad you like the recipe. I hope it worked out well for you!
Karen says
This salad is wonderful After I made it a couple times my son suggested that I add tomato. It is a great addition and I will be doing that every time I make it. As of right now it is a weekly addition to our menu.
Erren says
Hi Karen, I’m so glad you and your family like it! I’m not that keen on raw tomatoes, but I can see how it would work really well with it. Thanks so much for letting me know!
kim says
Erren,
Did you use mustard powder or the mustard out of a bottle? I am assuming the latter, but I want to make sure.
Kim
Erren says
Hi Kim,
Mustard out of the bottle. Hope you like it!