BLT Salad ~ Stretch Your Food Dollar

BLT PASTA SALAD ~ serves 4 as a main meal ($1.83 each) or 6-8 as a side dish ($0.92 each) ~ $6.55 total Every ingredient in this salad was purchased on sale from my local IGA and the salad itself was menu planned around that upcoming sale.

2 cups prepared and chilled pasta (shell macaroni or bowtie looks best) ($0.99)
3/4 pound bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (save out a bit for garnish) ($2.01)
1/2 cup diced red onion($0.42)
2 medium firm tomatoes, chopped($0.89)
1 1/2 - 2 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped**($0.39)
1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese($0.85)
1/2 cup mayonnaise*($0.25)
1 cup bleu cheese dressing*($0.75)

• Whisk the mayonnaise and bleu cheese together.
• Pour over the prepared ingredients.
  
• Toss all together in a large bowl.
• Garnish top with bacon.
• Chill for several hours prior to serving.

*If you're in a hurry, you can substitute 1 1/2 cups Buttermilk Ranch dressing.

**If you plan to have leftovers, toss with lettuce just prior to serving each time.

This post originally ran at 3 Sides of Crazy for these memes:

Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Tuesdays at the Table is normally hosted by Andrea over at My Chihauhau Bites but Andrea is taking a break while she has her baby and is being hosted by Cole for a while. Trista over at Southern Fried Mama hosts Tasty Thursday and Joy of desserts hosts Vintage Recipe Thursday.