Buttermilk BLT Pasta Sauce
Bacon, lettuce, and tomato, oh my! Is there anything more American than a BLT sandwich… give this Buttermilk BLT Pasta Sauce a try!
The salty sweet flavors of bacon mingled with the crisp and fresh taste of lettuce, and all the earthy fresh aromas a tomato offers an amazing flavor combination now enters this SAUCE…
And it’s these flavors that inspired me to throw them together in a pasta dish that is perfect for lunch, a picnic, or the perfect summer dinner on a hot day. I replaced the lettuce with Kale, but you could use spinach or another green easily.
All of this being said, I do get a lot of questions about bacon. Which type of bacon, precooked, crumbled, raw. I often select precooked bacon as it only takes a minute to heat up in the microwave and crisp well and it’s great for making the meal quickly. You can cook any bacon of your choice for this recipe. Take a look at my post on Baking Bacon in the oven here.
I love bacon and you can find more of my recipes with bacon below:
- Jalapeno Bacon Mac and Cheese my most requested recipe from my kids
- Maple Bacon Bourbon Chicken Legs Oh yea!
- Crack Chicken, a really fun hearty meal
- Cold BLT Pasta Salad with a homemade tomato mayo dressing
- BLT Cole Slaw perfect for a BBQ
- Baked Beans just about the BEST recipe ever, make on the stove, oven, or Instant Pot.
The first step is preparing your pasta. Use the package instructions and cook accordingly. While the pasta cooks prepare your other ingredients
Saute your kale down in a little oil over medium heat. Set aside. Saute your bacon as well, set aside.
Now we’ll begin the sauce. It’s really quite simple. I’ll walk you through step by step. And if you want some alternative sauce recipes to mix it up, check out my blog on How to Make a Sauce!
For the sauce:
In a separate skillet, heat the butter with flour until the butter is melted. You’ll want to stir continuously and I find a whisk is the best instrument for this.
Pour in the buttermilk slowly while whisking until the sauce is creamy and there are no lumps.
Add in the tomato sauce and garlic, incorporating the buttermilk mixture. Once heated through, remove from heat.
Serve the sauce over drained pasta, topped with bacon, tomato, and cooked kale.
Add salt and pepper to taste!
Add some pre-cooked grilled chicken to this dish for a great meal!
How do I know when my pasta is done?
I’m a big fan of setting a timer as soon as I put the pasta in the pot and stir it I set the timer, I do not wait until it returns to a boil as the pasta would be really well done for my taste. I like my pasta al dente. Another way is to fish a piece out of the water and eat it. This is a foolproof way to tell if it’s ready to be drained.
Can this dish be made ahead of time?
You could make the sauce ahead of time if it gets too thick when reheating just add a little more buttermilk or milk and stir while heating until it’s smooth.
Would shrimp be good in this dish?
Shrimp would be a natural fit with this dish. You could even throw in shrimp and chicken for the meat lovers in your family!
Note: if you don’t prefer buttermilk, use heavy cream instead.
If you’re looking for more pasta recipes check these out!
Buttermilk BLT Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cups buttermilk add more if you want it saucier
- 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup cooked chopped bacon
- 1 cup chopped kale
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes sliced in half
- Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic if desired
- 8 oz pasta prepared according to package directions or serve over vegetables like zucchini noodles squash, or broccoli
Instructions
- While you prepare the pasta, begin making the sauce.
- In a skillet heat the butter with flour until the butter is melted.
- Pour in the buttermilk slowly while whisking until the sauce is creamy.
- Add in the tomato sauce and garlic.
- saute the kale in a separate pan.
- Serve the sauce over drained pasta, top with bacon, tomato, and cooked kale. Alternatively, you can saute the bacon and tomato in with the make if you prefer them all hot.,
- Add salt and pepper to taste, grilled chicken will go nicely with this dish.