Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is a creamy pasta salad full of flavor. It’s the perfect salad recipe for a potluck or party.
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Pasta salads are a prime candidate for a party. They’re filling, they feed a lot of people and they’re generally enjoyed by everyone too. Since Ranch dressing is a favorite for many people, it makes sense to try using it in a pasta salad too. The addition of bacon and ranch to this pasta salad makes it really delicious!
🛒 Ingredients Needed:
- tricolor rotini pasta
- bacon
- mayonnaise
- dry ranch salad dressing mix
- cider vinegar
- garlic pepper and garlic powder
- milk
- tomato
- sharp cheddar cheese
- canned sliced black olives
- fresh parsley
✏️ How to make Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad:
*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat, turning halfway through, until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; crumble.
- In a very large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, vinegar, garlic pepper and garlic powder. Stir in the milk until smooth. Add the cooked pasta, crumbled bacon, tomato, cheese and olives to the bowl; toss to coat. Chill, covered, at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld. If the salad seems dry after chilling, toss with a little more milk, as needed. Garnish with parsley.
➡️ Tips and Substitutions:
- Tri-color rotini works for this salad, and it lends a lot of color to the salad. But you can certainly change things up and use a similar pasta such as penne or fusilli.
- If you don’t want to cook your own bacon, it’s okay to use Real Bacon Bits instead.
- Change up the cheese that you use in this salad. Gouda or Jack cheese might be good choices.
✔️ Make Ahead and Storage Tips:
Store the bacon ranch pasta salad in the refrigerator promptly after making it. Mayo-based salads are perishable due to the mayo content, so they should not be left out at room temperature for more than two hours to avoid the risk of foodborne illness. You can store this salad (or make ahead) in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
❤️ What I Love About This Recipe:
- I love the flavor of the Ranch in this pasta salad!
- I love that it’s sort of like a BLT pasta salad since it has bacon and tomato in there. You can serve it on a lettuce leaf for the full BLT!
- It’s a good one for a potluck because most people expect a traditional Italian dressing-type pasta salad instead of this delicious version.
Favorite Pasta Salad Recipes:
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces tricolor rotini pasta
- 10 slices bacon
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 ounce package dry ranch salad dressing mix
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon garlic pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup milk
- 1 large tomato, chopped (1½ cups)
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
- 3.8 ounce can sliced black olives, drained (¾ cup)
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat, turning halfway through, until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; crumble.
- In a very large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, vinegar, garlic pepper and garlic powder. Stir in the milk until smooth. Add the cooked pasta, crumbled bacon, tomato, cheese and olives to the bowl; toss to coat. Chill, covered, at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld. If the salad seems dry after chilling, toss with a little more milk, as needed. Garnish with parsley
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
