Italian BLT Pasta Salad ___

Italian BLT Pasta Salad

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces pancetta, cubed
  • 1 heart of romain lettuce, washed, trimmed and torn into bite sized pieces
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 pound mezze penne pasta

For the Dressing:

  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 0.25 teaspoon salt
  • 0.25 teaspoon sugar
  • pinch of black pepper

Directions

To make the salad:

  1. Put a medium sauté pan over a medium-high flame and heat the olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté until crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon making sure to drain off the excess oil.
  2. Drop the pasta into a pot of generously salted boiling water. Cook till about 1 minute under al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking.
  3. In a large bowl toss together the cooked pasta, pancetta, romaine and tomatoes until well combined.

To make the dressing:

  1. In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, heavy cream, salt, sugar and black pepper until smooth.
  2. Pour over the salad and serve.