Quick, easy & filling – this pasta salad is a transformation of your favorite avocado and bacon sandwich! Ready in just 20 minutes, it’s creamy, fresh, and punchy, with lots of contrasting crunchy and silky textures. Plus, as a bonus, it’s vegan-friendly!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Trust me, this creamy BLT-style pasta salad comes together way easier than it looks. Everything you need, including exact steps and measurements, is down in the recipe card.
- Your favorite short pasta (like bowties or spirals)
- Ripe avocado
- Fresh baby spinach
- Fresh dill
- Plant-based natural yogurt
- Plant-based mayo
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Onion powder
- Salt & pepper
- Tempeh
- Soy sauce
- Maple syrup
- Olive oil
- Smoked paprika
- Canned chickpeas
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Ground cumin
- Turmeric
- Smoked paprika
- Cherry tomatoes
- Red onion
- More fresh dill
Instructions
Making this dreamy pasta salad is easier than you think. Just follow along with the steps below—and when you’re ready I’ve got all the exact details waiting for you in the recipe card below.
Step one: Marinate your sliced tempeh in soy sauce, maple syrup, olive oil, and smoked paprika. While it soaks, cook your pasta and set it aside to cool completely.
Step two: Toss chickpeas with oil and spices. Arrange them and the marinated tempeh in a single layer in the oven or air fryer. Cook until golden and crispy, flipping or shaking halfway through.
Step three: While that’s roasting, blend your avocado dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.
Step four: Toss pasta, tomatoes, red onion, and dill in a large bowl. Add the avocado dressing and mix gently. Top with crispy chickpeas and tempeh bacon before serving.
Creamy Avocado BLT Pasta Salad with Tempeh Bacon
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
Pasta
- 14 oz pasta bow tie or pasta shape of choice (400g)
Tempeh Bacon
- 10.5 oz tempeh sliced into ¼-inch strips (300g)
- ¼ cup soy sauce 60ml
- 2 tbsp maple syrup 42g
- ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil 7g
- ½ tbsp smoked paprika
Crispy Chickpeas
- 2 15 oz cans chickpeas drained and rinsed (approx. 800g total)
- ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil 7g
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
Avocado Dressing
- 1 large ripe avocado pit removed
- 3 cups baby spinach packed (80g)
- ½ bunch fresh dill about ½ cup chopped, optional
- ¼ cup plain plant-based yogurt about 60g
- ¼ cup plant-based mayonnaise about 60g
- 3 tbsp lemon juice from 1 lemon (45g)
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper cracked
Salad Add-Ins
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes halved (250g)
- ½ red onion thinly sliced (about 60g)
- ½ bunch fresh dill finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
Cook the Pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside to cool completely.
Marinate and Cook the Tempeh Bacon
- In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, maple syrup, olive oil, and smoked paprika. Add the sliced tempeh and toss to coat. Let sit for 10–15 minutes.
- If using an oven, preheat to 400°F (200°C).
- Oven method: Spread tempeh on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, flip the pieces, brush with any remaining marinade, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until golden and crisp.
- Air fryer method: Place tempeh in one half of the basket. Air fry at 400°F for 15–20 minutes, shaking halfway through.
Prepare the Crispy Chickpeas
- In a bowl, toss drained chickpeas with olive oil, salt, cumin, turmeric, and smoked paprika.
- Oven method: Spread chickpeas on a lined baking sheet and roast at 400°F alongside the tempeh, shaking the pan after 10 minutes. Bake for a total of 20 minutes, or until crispy.
- Air fryer method: Place chickpeas in the other half of the air fryer basket (next to the tempeh). Air fry at 400°F for 15–20 minutes, shaking halfway through.
Make the Avocado Dressing
- Add the avocado, spinach, dill (if using), yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper to a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Assemble the Salad
- In a large bowl, toss the cooled pasta with the avocado dressing until evenly coated. Fold in cherry tomatoes, red onion, and dill (if using). Top with crispy chickpeas and tempeh bacon just before serving.
Janet k. says
Nailed it, so satisfying.
Hong Nguyen says
So filling and works really well as a vegan version!