Macaroni Salad Bacon, Peas, and Cream Dijon Dressing
This is officially my first pasta salad blog post and boy is it a good one! My husband and I could not keep out of it, and the best part? It’s healthy!
I love it when I find great tasting, low-fat/low-fat calorie recipes, and this macaroni salad with peas, dijon mustard and bacon from Cooking Light did not disappoint. With only 208 calories and 7 grams of fat, that’s not too shabby for a pasta salad in my opinion.
I will say though, that after a reading a few comments about this recipe, I was a little hesitant to make it. Someone complained about the dressing being too sour from the vinegar and overpowering dijon mustard. I would definitely have to DISAGREE! I thought the slightly tangy dressing contrasted well with the smoky bacon, sweet bell pepper, and red onion. This pasta salad was excellent in my opinion, and I will definitely be making it again soon as a side dish for summer BBQs and backyard grilling parties.
Enjoy!
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| Combine first 9 ingredients and combine in food processor until smooth. |
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| Combine chopped red onion, green onion, bell pepper, green peas, and lemon rind. |
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| Toss with cooked pasta. |
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| Meanwhile, cook bacon. |
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| Add half of the dressing and chill. When ready to serve, add the remaining dressing and top with crumbled bacon. |
Macaroni Salad with Bacon, Peas, and Creamy Dijon Dressing
Nutrition Information
- Serves: 8
- Serving size: 1 cup
- Calories: 208
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated fat: 3.2g
- Carbohydrates: 29.1g
- Sodium: 454mg
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 8.6g
- Cholesterol: 16mg
Ingredients
- DRESSING
- ½ cup (4 ounces) ⅓-less-fat cream cheese
- ¼ cup chopped shallots
- ¼ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp. fat-free sour cream
- 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
- ¾ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- SALAD
- 8 oz. uncooked large elbow macaroni
- ⅔ cup fresh green peas
- ⅔ cup finely diced red bell pepper
- ⅔ cup finely diced red onion
- ½ cup thinly sliced green onions
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ½ tsp. grated lemon rind
- 3 lower-sodium bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- To prepare dressing, combine first 9 ingredients in a food processor, and process until smooth. Cover and chill.
- To prepare salad, cook pasta according to package directions. Add peas during the last 3 minutes of cooking time. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain. Combine pasta mixture, bell pepper, and next 4 ingredients (through rind) in a large bowl.
- Toss pasta mixture with half of dressing. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
- Toss salad with remaining dressing, and sprinkle with crumbled bacon; serve immediately.
Notes
Source: Cooking Light