Go Back
rotini pasta salad on fork
Print Recipe
5 stars from 2 reviews

Rotini Pasta Salad with Avocado (Bacon Avocado Club)

This Pasta Salad with Avocado combines the flavors of a bacon avocado club with a fully loaded pasta salad.
Author: Donna Elick
Servings: 8
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time22 minutes

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces tri-color rotini See Note #6 if using white rotini
  • 1 avocado
  • 1/2 large lemon
  • 8 ounces colby jack cheese cut into cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup chopped pepperoncini
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives drained
  • 1 pound bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley
  • 16 ounces Italian dressing store bought or homemade

Instructions

  • In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the rotini noodles until they are soft. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water until they have cooled completely. Place rotini in a large mixing bowl.
  • Pit, peel and dice the avocado and immediately squeeze lemon over the pieces. Toss them to coat with the lemon juice - this prevents browning on the avocado.
  • Add avocado, diced cheese, tomatoes, pepperoncini, olives, and bacon to the bowl of pasta. Toss to distribute the ingredients evenly.
  • Pour half of the dressing over the salad and toss again, adding in the chopped parsley and stirring gently (the avocado will get smashed up if you toss the salad too vigorously.)
  • Refrigerate salad until ready to serve. Just before serving, toss with remaining salad dressing, to taste.

Notes

  1. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
  2. For the Italian dressing, you can use homemade or store bought. We like Newman’s Own and Berenstein’s Italian dressings. They both make a cheese and garlic version that would be perfect with this recipe.
  3. Substitute diced salami or grilled chicken for the bacon (or use all three!) Fresh parmesan cheese would be another great addition.
  4. The pasta absorbs the salad dressing as it sits. This salad is especially great chilled. I recommend tossing with half of the dressing and then let it sit. Then add the remaining dressing (or enough to suit your personal taste) just before serving.
  5. We like the tang and crunch from the pepperoncinis, but you can omit them if you don’t care for them. Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Pepper Jack are all great cheese options.
  6. The tri-color rotini comes in a 12 ounce box, while the all white rotini box is 16 ounces. Either one will work with this recipe but you may need additional dressing if using an entire box of white rotini.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 608cal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 77g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 677mg | Sugar: 6g | Fiber: 4g | Calcium: 219mg | Iron: 1mg