BBQ Pasta Salad

Kick off cookout season with this easy BBQ Pasta Salad! It starts with a creamy BBQ dressing made with greek yogurt, then it's tossed with protein pasta, black beans, sweet corn, crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes & sharp cheddar cheese. It's loaded with bold, tangy, sweet & smoky BBQ flavor and 19g of protein and 7g of fiber in each serving! Equally as delicious as a side dish as it is a main meal, and perfect for hosting and meal prep alike.

Servings side servings

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Equipment

baking sheet
parchment paper
paper towels
large plate
medium pot
colander
cutting board
knife
can opener
large salad bowl + tongs
whisk

Ingredients

6 strips of bacon
12 oz dry cavatappi pasta (I like using a protein pasta)*
½ cup BBQ sauce
⅓ cup full-fat plain greek yogurt or skyr
1 can black beans (15oz), drained & rinsed
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese grated
2 ears of corn shucked & kernels cut off
½ pint of cherry or grape tomatoes quartered if large, or halved if small
½ cup finely diced red onion **
chopped parsley or green onion (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

First, preheat your oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bacon strips onto prepared baking sheet and bake until crispy, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate and blot off excess grease before crumbling or chopping up into small pieces.
6 strips of bacon
While the bacon is cooking, cook pasta in heavily salted water according to package instructions. Once done, drain and rinse with cold water to cool it down and stop it from cooking. Set aside.
12 oz dry cavatappi pasta
To a large salad bowl, add the BBQ sauce and greek yogurt and whisk until smooth and combined. Then, add in the cooked & cooled pasta, crumbled bacon & the remaining ingredients. Toss until coated. Taste and add more BBQ sauce, kosher salt & black pepper as desired. Garnish with chopped green onion or parsley and enjoy!
½ cup BBQ sauce, ⅓ cup full-fat plain greek yogurt or skyr, 1 can black beans, 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, 2 ears of corn, ½ pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, ½ cup finely diced red onion

Notes

*NOTE: I used Brami pasta here which is made with lupini beans so it's high in protein & fiber. However, this is NOT gluten free, so if you need a gluten free option, I recommend Banza (either their chickpea pasta or brown rice pasta) or Jovial Foods brown rice pasta (they don't make cavatappi but feel free to use a different shape)

**NOTE: If you are sensitive to that sharp red onion taste, there are a few options to make it milder. Option 1) Reduce the amount of red onion to 1/3 cup. Option 2) Quickly rinse, or soak in ice water for 10 minutes, then drain. Option 3) Use diced shallots instead which have a milder, sweeter flavor.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: The nutrition information listed below is an estimate per serving, assuming that you use Brami pasta & Primal Kitchen BBQ sauce, therefore it will vary greatly depending upon what brands of pasta and BBQ sauce you actually use.

Calories: 323kcal

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: Bacon, BBQ Sauce, Black Beans, Cheddar, Greek Yogurt, High Fiber, High Protein, Pasta Salad, Red Onion, Side Dish, Summer Recipes, Tomatoes

Nutrition