Bacon, Corn, and Tomato Pasta Salad

By Maria Lichty

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Bacon, Corn, and Tomato Pasta Salad-this easy pasta salad is the perfect summer side dish. 

Bacon Corn Tomato Pasta Salad is the perfect summer pasta salad. Great for potlucks, picnics, and BBQ's.

Pasta salad with bacon, who’s in? All of my boys have their hands raised, including Josh. They LOVE this easy pasta salad. They think this Bacon, Corn, and Tomato Pasta Salad is the best pasta salad recipe ever. I’ve made it for them a few times this summer and every time I do, they vote me mommy and wife of the year. I need all of the votes I can get so I guess I better keep making this pasta salad:)

Bacon Corn Tomato Pasta Salad Recipe is the perfect summer side dish.

So what makes this the world’s best pasta salad, according to my boys? Obviously, the bacon. That is their favorite part. That is why they beg for this salad all summer long. But, there is more to this salad than just bacon. It also has:

  • pasta
  • sweet corn
  • tomatoes
  • arugula
  • geen onion
  • white cheddar cheese
Bacon Corn Tomato Pasta Salad is a summer favorite! Everyone loves this easy pasta salad.

Our family isn’t big on pasta salads with mayonnaise so this is a no mayo pasta salad. Don’t worry, the pasta doesn’t need the mayo, it is delicious without mayonnaise. Instead of a mayo dressing, I whisk up a simple Dijon mustard dressing. It only takes minutes to make and really makes the flavors of the pasta salad POP!

Easy Pasta Salad recipe with bacon, corn, tomatoes, cheese, and arugula. This pasta salad recipe is a family favorite!

Tips for making this easy pasta salad:

  • You can cook the bacon in advance. We like to cook the bacon in the oven or smoke it on our Traeger Grill. Once cooked, place it on a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess grease. Place in a Ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  • We like to use orecchiette pasta for this recipe. It is a nice size for pasta salad and the boys call the pasta “Mickey Mouse” ears.
  • You don’t have to cook the sweet corn for this recipe. Just remove the corn kernels from the cob with a sharp knife and add them to the salad. If you don’t have fresh sweet corn, you can use thawed frozen corn.
  • We use grape tomatoes for this pasta salad. Cherry tomatoes also work well. If you have a lot of large garden tomatoes to use up during the summer, you can chop them up and throw them in the pasta salad.
  • We like to use white cheddar cheese, but regular cheddar or Gouda cheese is also fine.
  • If you want to make the pasta salad vegetarian, you can leave out the bacon. I know, gasp!! My boys think I am crazy..ha! I mix all of the ingredients together, except the bacon, take my portion out, and then add in the bacon for the boys! I promise it is still delicious:)

The next time you need to make an easy pasta salad, make this Bacon, Corn, and Tomato Pasta Salad. It is great for picnics, potlucks, parties, or an easy weeknight meal. Enjoy!

If you like this recipe for pasta salad, you might also like:

Bacon Pasta Salad with corn and tomatoes is a summer favorite! Everyone loves this easy pasta salad!
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Bacon Corn Tomato Pasta Salad

Everyone loves this easy pasta salad recipe with BACON! It is the perfect pasta salad for summer picnics, potlucks, and BBQ’s!
4.77 from 21 votes

Ingredients
  

For the pasta salad:

  • 12 ounces pasta we use orecchiette
  • 8 strips cooked bacon chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes cut in half
  • 1 cup fresh sweet corn kernels can use frozen corn
  • 3 cups arugula
  • 1 cup white cheddar cheese cubes
  • 3 green onions chopped
  • Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

For the dressing:

Instructions
 

  • Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, and garlic. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
  • When the pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse with cold water. Put the pasta in a large bowl. Add the chopped cooked bacon, tomatoes, corn, arugula, cheese, and green onions.
  • Drizzle the dressing over the pasta salad and toss well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve.
  • Note-the pasta salad will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Have you tried this recipe?

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Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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4.77 from 21 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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  1. This looks simple yet delicious! Looking forward to trying this…without the bacon since I too am vegetarian 😉

  2. You had me at bacon and corn! I cannot wait to try this! The flavor combinations look so good! Such a perfect Summer side dish!

  3. 5 stars
    Sorry,, I’m really bad about commenting. Just wanted to say that this recipe made a great lunch yesterday. I used what I had on hand. Omitted the bacon. Used mixed greens. No onion and used small amount of shredded cheddar cheese. Dressing is nice and light,  compliments it perfectly.  Thanks for another great recipe. 

  4. 5 stars
    Delicious! I made this exactly as stated except half the bacon and rotisserie chicken in its place.  I will definitely be making this again soon.  Thanks!

  5. Hi! So I made everything, except adding the arugula, I thought it would be better to do before serving.  Should I heat  it up after I pull it out of the fridge add the arugula before I serve this? Or do you serve it cold? 

    Thanks!!

    1. Remember, when you rinse the pasta in cool water, it won’t wilt the arugula. So go ahead and put it in as the recipe states. You can serve it cold or room temperature. Warm will melt the cheese chunks.

  6. 4 stars
    Just WOW! So tasty and light for a summer salad! There are endless variations! Ate it for lunch again today!

  7. 5 stars
    Msde this one night and we ate the leftovers the next day! I had some hot/sour mustard and used that…what a nice kick it had!

  8. 5 stars
    This is absolutely amazing! Sooo fresh and I used all my fresh garden produce for this!

    I didn’t have green onion, so substituted diced red onion. I also used a bag of salad blend mix and omitted the cheese (forgot to buy it). I will be making this again and again!

  9. 5 stars
    I just found this recipe. I didn’t have any arugula so I used some fresh chopped basil – wonderful. The dressing is so good!

  10. 5 stars
    BOTH of us LOVED this salad. Dressing was light and tasted fantastic. We used unexpected cheddar from Trader Joe’s. Yum! Can’t wait to make it again! Thank you!

  11. 5 stars
    I made this in September for my daughters birthday party- one of the best pasta salads I’ve ever made! The flavor combos are amazing- great recipe!!

  12. 5 stars
    I wanted a lighter pasta salad today (to go with burgers) so left out the bacon and the cheese and otherwise made it as suggested. I used a tortolle pasta. Big huge fat fabulous hit! Thanks.