BLT Pasta Salad with Smart KD

I found this BLT Pasta Salad recipe last summer on Pinterest, and made it quite a few times.  Given the remarkably hot and humid weather we've had this week (it's still only May!  Come on!), I've been wracking my brain for those easy to prepare, low energy, minimal cooking recipes that I dig out every summer.  I remembered the BLT Pasta Salad, and decided that this needed to be made.  Today.

The recipe is pretty straight forward.  I used Smart KD (with the cauliflower noodles) instead of regular pasta in order to minimize the wheat content for the little man (we're trying to stick to a wheat-free diet, but every once in a while a little bit makes its way into his diet).

Ingredients

• 1 box Smart KD
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 tbsp butter, 2 for the KD, 2 for tomatoes
• 1/2 pack chicken bacon
• 3 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup mayo 
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 tablespoons chopped chives
• 5 cups chopped romaine hearts

Directions

Prepare the Smart KD according to the directions on the box; set aside.

Meanwhile, line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay out the strips of chicken bacon.  Place in the oven, and set the temperature for 425 degrees F.  Set the timer for 20 minutes.  

 Melt remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the tomatoes, thyme and garlic to the pan and toss until warmed through; season with salt and pepper.  

Crumble the bacon into bite-size pieces; set aside 1/4 cup for garnish. Toss the remaining bacon and the tomato mixture with the pasta.

Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, shredded cheese, and 3 tablespoons chives with the pasta until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lettuce; toss again to coat. Garnish with the reserved bacon and the remaining 1 tablespoon chives. Serve at room temperature. 

This dish is so tasty that we all ate more of it than we should have.  It could definitely be adapted to be a bit....healthier.  However, we don't eat BLTs because they're super healthy, do we?  ;)