Ranch Pasta Salad With Bacon is a rich and creamy side dish that pairs super well with all your summertime favorites. Prep this 30-minute, one-bowl salad, and it will be a welcome addition to your next pool party, potluck, or neighborhood barbeque. It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
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Alright, listen up! I’ve got the perfect dish for all your summer parties, potlucks and BBQ sides. I’m talking about my favorite pasta and bacon salad! This is delicious and ridiculously easy to make. Plus, it’s easy to customize with additional fresh ingredients!
This recipe features a creamy and flavorful dressing combined with a variety of textures and flavors from pasta, bacon, vegetables, and cheese. With only thirty minutes needed to prepare this dish, you can easily toss it together at the start of your day and then put it in your fridge until you’re ready to enjoy! And you know what? This pasta salad is just as good the next day.
Want to know what I like to serve with this salad? BBQ Chicken Sliders, serve a big platter of these teeny tiny sandwiches with a big bowl of salad and you have DINNER!
Ingredient Notes
- Rotini—Cooked and cooled to room temperature. I like the multi-colored pasta.
- Bacon—Lean. Cooked to desired crispness and crumbled. You can even use turkey bacon.
- Grape Tomatoes—Or cherry tomatoes. Halved.
- Green Peas—Thawed frozen, canned, or fresh sweet peas
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese— Diced into bite-sized cubes.
- Mayonnaise—The flavorful and creamy base for your pasta salad dressing.
- Sour Cream—Adds tanginess to this rich and hearty salad.
- Ranch Dressing Mix — like Hidden Valley, Or your own homemade ranch dressing.
- Milk—Any kind of cow or plant milk. Used to thin out the dressing.
- Salt and Pepper – Optional
Equipment You’ll Need
- Two mixing bowls: one to combine the dressing ingredients and a large mixing bowl to toss it all together.
- Cutting board and knife: To chop your tomatoes and dice your cheddar cheese.
- Whisk or fork: To mix the dressing ingredients together.
- A medium-sized skillet for the bacon and a medium-sized saucepan for the pasta.
- Lid or plastic wrap: You should cover your pasta salad while it cools in the fridge. Choose a mixing bowl with a lid, or consider using plastic wrap.
How to Make Ranch Pasta Salad with Bacon
Step 1. Stack the bacon and cut it into 1/4-inch slices. Fry in a hot skillet until crispy, then drain on a paper towel.
Step 2. While the bacon is cooking, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the hot pasta and let it cool to room temperature.
Step 3. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, and dry ranch powder in a small bowl and set aside.
Step 4. Combine the cooled pasta, bacon, grape tomatoes, green peas, and cheddar cheese in a large bowl. Toss gently to mix.
Step 5. Pour the ranch dressing over the pasta mixture and toss to coat.
Step 6. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to get this salad nice and cold, then serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Peas can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator or place the frozen peas in a colander and run cold water over them until thawed.
- You can add toppings to your pasta salad to enhance its flavor and texture. We recommend adding crumbled feta or goat cheese, chopped fresh herbs, or toasted nuts.
- This tip is very important – Don’t let your pasta salad sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Bacteria can multiply rapidly at room temperature and can cause foodborne illness.
- This is a great salad for on the go by serving it in mason jars! Perfect for picnics or packed lunches.
- I think this is the best pasta salad for meal preps as it doesn’t get mushy.
- Another salad we love that is super crunchy and easy to make is this Wedge Ceasar Salad. Yes, it has bacon on it too!
- Rainbow Veggie Salad – Yes, you can eat the rainbow in a nutrient-rich salad.
- Bake a batch of these crispy, savory Cheddar Cheese Crackers to go with these salads; they are super easy to make.
- We love peas in salads, and this English Pea Salad is creamy and delicious with lots of flavorful vegetables.
- For the corn lover, try this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad; it’s tossed in a deliciously tangy dressing.
Pasta Salad FAQ’s
Of course not! You can use whatever pasta pleases you. However, we suggest you use a shorter noodle. Other noodles that might meet your fancy could be elbow pasta, penne pasta, or bow-tie pasta.
It’s all in how long you cook your pasta. Make sure to cook your pasta al dente, which means it’s cooked but still firm to the bite. Overcooked pasta will become mushy when mixed with the dressing and other ingredients.
If you are having trouble with pasta sticking together, you can do a couple of things. First, add salt and oil to the water when it boils. While your pasta cooks, stir it frequently and avoid overcooking it. Once the pasta is finished cooking, rinse it with cold water and toss the noodles with some olive oil.
Store your pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge. It can be stored for up to five days in this container.
This pasta salad is best served cold. It can be left out of the fridge for up to two hours before it is returned to the fridge.
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Ranch Pasta Salad with Bacon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Dry rotini pasta cooked and cooled to room temperature
- ⅔ cup Mayonnaise
- ⅔ cup Sour cream
- ⅓ cup Milk
- 1 ounce Packet of dry ranch dip such as Hidden Valley Ranch
- 6 slices Bacon
- 9 ounces Frozen green peas
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Grape tomatoes sliced
Instructions
- Fry the bacon first. Stack the bacon and cut it into small slices and then fry in a medium-sized skillet until crispy. Drain the bacon on a paper towel.
- In a medium-sized saucepan cook the rotini according to the package directions. When done drain the pasta and let it cool to room temperature.
- Set the cheese on a cutting board and cut it into small cubes with a chef's knife. Set aside.
- On the same cutting board, cut the grape tomatoes in half.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, sour cream, the dry ranch mix, and milk. Stir or whisk until you have a creamy dressing.
- In a large mixing bowl add the cooled pasta, cubed cheese, sliced tomatoes, thawed peas, and cooked bacon. Toss this mixture to combine.
- Pour the ranch dressing over the pasta and toss to combine.
- Cover the bowl and chill for at least 30 minutes. For the best flavor serve the pasta cold. Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Notes
- Red onion
- Different types of cheeses
- Olives
- Other types of pasta or elbow macaroni
- Herbs and spices
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Nutrition
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About Jere’
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory family-friendly recipes for your cooking and baking inspiration.
LOVE the flavor from the ranch. One of my all time favorite pasta salads, everyone begs me to bring to parties and picnics.
I made this for a neighborhood bbq and it was fabulous. I needed something easy and was intrigued by the packet of ranch seasoning. 10/10. I will be making this on repeat all Summer long
Made this for a family cookout and everyone loved it.
I love this simple ranch pasta salad. I pack it in lunch boxes and my kids just love it.
This was really good!!!
The grated cheese made so much difference. I have never added that to a cold pasta before and we loved it!
I used a homemade ranch seasoning that my SIL had made me and the flavor of everything was AMAZING.
Going to make it again at the weekend and add some cooked chicken. YUM!
Brought this pasta recipe on our potluck, and it was a hit! it was so rich and bursting with flavors. Glad I got to share the recipe with them.
I’m going to make this Sunday for lunch.
It looks so delicious.