Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Pasta Salad

Today for our dinner I made a pasta salad based on Rachael Ray's BLT Farfalle recipe. It turned out great and I want to share it.

Diane's Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 pound whole wheat shell pasta (The shells are the same size as half of a cherry/grape tomato)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 container cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
3 cups mixed baby arugala and spinach
1/2 pound low sodium bacon, diced before cooking
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups fat free peppercorn ranch dressing

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions. Undercook by about 2 minutes. Drain and toss with the olive oil. Add the garlic.

Cook bacon over medium heat. Do not crisp, but cook long enough to dry out the pieces and melt much of the fat off of the bacon pieces. Remove from the fat with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to absorb the residual fat.

Slice cherry tomatoes, and place in a bowl with the arugala/spinach mixture. Add bacon to the bowl.

Pour still warm pasta over the bacon,tomato and lettuce mixture. Toss with fat free Peppercorn Ranch Dressing. (Kraft makes a good one.)

Enjoy!

****