Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
This is a simple recipe for a creamy, crowd-pleasing pasta salad featuring bacon and ranch dressing. It is perfect for potlucks, BBQs, or as a make-ahead side dish for grilling.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 30 min
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: No Cook (Assembly)
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound rotini or elbow macaroni pasta
- 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup buttermilk ranch dressing
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse immediately with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to cool completely.
- While the pasta cools, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels and crumble it.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, ranch dressing, white vinegar, sugar, black pepper, and salt until smooth. This is your dressing base.
- Add the cooled pasta, crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese (if using), chopped celery, and chopped red onion to the bowl with the dressing.
- Gently toss all ingredients together until the pasta and mix-ins are evenly coated with the creamy ranch dressing.
- Cover the bowl and chill the pasta salad in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. This allows the flavors to blend.
- Before serving, check the consistency. If the salad seems too thick after chilling, stir in a tablespoon or two of extra ranch dressing or a splash of milk.
Notes
- For the best flavor, make this make ahead pasta salad the day before your event.
- If you skip the celery and onion, this becomes a very simple ranch dressing pasta salad.
- To make this a high protein ranch pasta salad, add 1 cup of cooked, diced chicken breast.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 650
- Fat: 30
- Saturated Fat: 8
- Unsaturated Fat: 22
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 35
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 14
- Cholesterol: 45