Bacon and Pea Pasta Salad

I made this pasta salad for our 4th of July BBQ. My MIL doesn't like mayonnaise so I searched for a recipe that didn't include it.  Out of the few I found, I knew this one would be the people pleaser. 

Overall, the recipe was easy. The only thing that takes time is the bacon and cooking the pasta. Once those two ingredients are ready, the rest is easy to throw together. I personally prefer a pasta salad with a heavier dressing, but this is a great alternative and much lighter. My 2 year old ate this up.  She wasn't a huge fan of the corn but ate everything else. I definitely recommend making this a few hours before serving and refrigerated to let the flavors come together. You can also serve this salad warm.  Enjoy! 

Easy Bacon and Pea Pasta Salad 

Courtesy of Simply Stacie 

• 1½ cups bow tie pasta, uncooked
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1⁄2 lb bacon, cooked and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lemon
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp salt
• 1⁄2 tsp black pepper

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot on the stove. Add corn and peas and cook for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Cook pasta and drain into the same colander as the corn and peas. Set aside.

Zest and squeeze juice from lemon into a large bowl. Add in garlic, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Add pasta, corn and peas to the bowl. Then add in butter and bacon and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if desired.