This delicious homemade ranch pasta salad with bacon will have you saying ‘yum’ at first bite. It’s such an easy and flavourful dish; you’ll be surprised just how quickly it comes together! You’ll only need a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
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This delicious ranch pasta salad is easy to make and perfect for picnics and potlucks. Chunks of Cheddar cheese, sweet peas, bacon, tomatoes, and pasta are all tossed in a creamy ranch dressing for a classic side dish that everyone loves. This salad comes together quickly with minimal fuss.
💖 Why You’ll Like This Recipe
You’ll love this ranch pasta salad with bacon because it’s a quick and easy dish that packs in lots of flavor. The combination of crunchy bacon, creamy ranch dressing, and savory cheese makes for a delicious side dish that’s sure to please. Plus, it can easily be served as a main course when you’re in a pinch! This recipe is the perfect side dish for picnics and potlucks or even just a tasty weeknight dinner.
Let’s take a look at this pasta salad recipe, shall we?
📝 Ingredients
⅔ cup mayonnaise
⅔ cup sour cream
⅓ cup milk
1 package dry ranch dip mix
12 ounces tri-color rotini pasta, cooked and cooled to room temperature
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
9 ounces frozen green peas, thawed
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, diced
👩🏻🍳 Instructions
Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, milk and dry ranch packet ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Place cooked pasta bacon, peas, tomatoes, and Cheddar cheese in a large mixing bowl and toss gently.
Stir in dressing and mix until all ingredients are well coated.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow flavors to combine. Serve cold.
📌 Recipe Notes and Tips
- Peas can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator or thawed in a colander with running cold water.
- You can use any type of small tomato that you like. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and roma tomatoes all work well.
- Be sure to cut cheese into small cubes or you can use shredded Cheddar cheese.
- Feel free to use any type of cheese that you like in this salad. Colby jack, mozzarella, and pepper jack are all great options.
- This salad is best if chilled for at least an hour before serving. This will allow the flavors to combine and the salad to thicken.
- You can substitute Hidden Valley Ranch dressing in place of the mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, and dry ranch dip mix.
🤷🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make this salad up to 24 hours in advance. Be sure to store it in an airtight container and keep it chilled until ready to serve.
Yes, any small or medium-sized pasta shape will work in this recipe. Penne, bow-tie, shells and macaroni all work well.
It can be. For this recipe, be sure to use a gluten-free pasta to make this dish gluten-free.
📖 Recipe
Ranch Pasta Salad With Bacon
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 package dry ranch dip mix
- 12 ounces rotini pasta cooked and cooled to room temperature
- 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 9 oz frozen green peas thawed
- 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
- 1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese diced
Instructions
- Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, milk and dry ranch packet ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Place cooked pasta bacon, peas, tomatoes, and Cheddar cheese in a large mixing bowl and toss gently.
- Stir in dressing and mix until all ingredients are well coated.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow flavors to combine. Serve cold.
Video
Notes
- Peas can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator or thawed in a colander with running cold water.
- You can use any type of small tomato that you like. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and roma tomatoes all work well.
- Be sure to cut cheese into small cubes or you can use shredded Cheddar cheese.
- Feel free to use any type of cheese that you like in this salad. Colby jack, mozzarella, and pepper jack are all great options.
- This salad is best if chilled for at least an hour before serving. This will allow the flavors to combine and the salad to thicken.
- You can substitute Hidden Valley Ranch dressing in place of the mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, and dry ranch dip mix.
Nutrition
Be sure to come back and tell us how your pasta salad turned out!
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