Ranch Pasta Salad

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This bacon ranch pasta salad is creamy, cheesy, and loaded with flavor! Made with crispy bacon, tender pasta, fresh veggies, and a creamy ranch dressing, it’s the perfect easy side dish for potlucks, BBQs, and summer parties.

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon ranch pasta salad, ranch pasta salad

Servings:

Author: Heather Seeley

Ingredients

16 ounce mini shell pasta
12 ounce bacon, cooked and crumbled (I like using center cut bacon.)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, diced
½ cup red onion, diced
8 ounce colby jack cheese, cubed

Dressing

1 cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup milk
1 ounce ranch seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
½ tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

Instructions

Boil the pasta in a large pot of water according to the package directions. Make sure to boil until the pasta is al dente.
Drain the pasta in a colander. Rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Add the drained pasta to a large bowl or 9 x 13 casserole dish. Stir in the diced cucumbers, tomatoes, diced red onions, cubed cheese, and cooked and crumbled bacon.
To make the dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch seasonings, salt, pepper, and milk until combined. Stir in the fresh dill and parsley.
Pour the dressing over the pasta salad. Stir to coat the pasta salad completely with the dressing.
Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

Cook the pasta until al dente. This will help the pasta keep it's shape and stand up to the dressing.
Rinse the pasta with cold water. Once you drain the pasta, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Dice the vegetables into small pieces. You want everything to be in small, bite sized pieces.
Chill before serving. If you have time, cover and let the pasta salad chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.

Nutrition