Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

5 from 10 votes
22 Comments

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Bacon ranch pasta salad packs so much flavor into one easy-to-make dish. Perfect for picnics and potlucks!

Colorful bowl of Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.
Featured with this recipe
  1. Ingredients in this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
  2. Instructions for Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
  3. Additional Ingredients
  4. Suggestions for Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
  5. Frequently Asked Questions
  6. Making a Healthier Version
  7. More Perfect Pasta Salads
  8. How to Make Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
  9. Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe

This bacon ranch pasta salad comes together faster than you can make one of those boxed “Suddenly Salad” things. This recipe makes a huge bowl and it tastes so much better with fresh ingredients. Why cut corners when it doesn’t even save you time or money? This is one of my favorite salads to bring to neighborhood picnics, church potlucks, summer BBQs, or just a weeknight family dinner.

This salad is hearty enough to serve as a main dish or serve it anytime you’re barbecuing or grilling out. It’s perfect alongside Easy Smoked Ribs, our Grilled Pork Tenderloin, or this Honey Barbecue Chicken recipe.

Ingredients to make Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.


Ingredients in this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

The beauty of this creamy bacon ranch pasta salad is you can add or subtract ingredients depending on what you have on hand or what your kids will eat. It is the perfect side dish no matter what.

  • Pasta – Get creative with a pasta shape. You can use Cavatappi noodles, macaroni, rotini pasta, penne, bowties, small shells, etc.
  • Ranch seasoning mix – Using a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch mix makes for a deliciously creamy ranch dressing. 
  • Mayonnaise – Miracle Whip if that’s your preference.
  • Sour cream – You can use reduced fat if desired.
  • Milk – For an extra creamy ranch dressing, use whole milk in this recipe.
  • Bacon – Cooked and crumbled or chopped into bite-size pieces. You can also use real bacon bits too.
  • Green peas – Frozen green peas, thawed are the best for this recipe.
  • Cheddar cheese – Use a block to cut into cubes. Try and make the cheese cubes the same size.
  • Carrots – Shred your carrots ahead of time to help save time when making.
  • Cherry tomatoes – Cut the tomatoes in half or use grape tomatoes.

Instructions for Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

It doesn’t take long to make this bacon ranch pasta salad recipe! Follow these step-by-step instructions. Make sure to make it ahead of time and cool off the pasta before combining!

  1. Cook and drain – Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool to room temperature.
  2. Combine – While noodles are cooking/cooling, in a large bowl combine ranch seasoning, mayo, sour cream, and milk. Whisk until smooth.
  3. Stir – Stir in bacon, peas, cheese, carrots, and tomatoes into the ranch dressing.
  4. Mix – Slowly add noodles and stir until noodles are well covered in dressing and all ingredients mixed together.
  5. Chill – Cover and refrigerate until serving. Add a little milk before serving if needed if it seems too dry (just a tablespoon or so). Stir well before serving.
Ingredients in a colorful arrangement for Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.

Additional Ingredients

Now is the time to empty out your produce drawer in the refrigerator! Feel free to add any veggies you like to this salad.

  • Peppers – Red, yellow, or orange pepper adds color and flavor.
  • Onions – A chopped green onion or a pretty red onion cut is a great addition to the pasta salad.
  • Seasonings – Garlic powder and onion powder have that powerful taste.
  • Herbs – Chopped fresh dill and chives add an earthy flavor.
  • Celery – Slice and chop the celery into small pieces.
  • Black olives – Drain a can of black olives and slice them into small pieces.
  • Broccoli – A great addition to this bacon ranch pasta salad recipe.
  • Protien – For added protein, you can include chopped chicken in this recipe.
Bowl with creamy salad mixture of tomatoes, cheddar cubes, peas, carrots and bacon.

Suggestions for Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

  • Prepare – Gather all your ingredients for your dressing and salad while the noodles cook and assemble it in just minutes. Pasta salad recipes like this one are super quick to make and feed a crowd!
  • Two bowls – Assemble the salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then in a small bowl, you can mix up the dressing mixture. 
  • Make ahead – Be sure to make this salad ahead of time so that it has time to cool in the fridge. If I plan ahead, I try to make pasta salads the day before because it gives the flavors time to mix together and settle.
  • Cold water – Rinse the cooked pasta in cold water to stop the cooking process and give the noodles a chance to get cold enough to toss the rest of the salad ingredients.
  • Quick tip – If you are in a time crunch, pop the cooked noodles into the freezer for a few minutes before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. Just make sure the noodles have time to cool completely. 
  • Cooking bacon – When you cook the bacon, chop it up beforehand and then cook it in little pieces so you don’t have to worry about crumbling it afterward. It speeds up the process a little bit.

“Just wanted to let you know this was a HUGE hit at our fundraiser! We made 8 batches and served close to 250 people. Tons of people asked for the recipie!”

-Beth

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the five mistakes to avoid in pasta salad?

The five mistakes are using the wrong size and shape of pasta, overcooking or even undercooking the pasta, not seasoning the pasta enough, combining the ingredients while the pasta is still warm, and lastly making the pasta salad ahead way too in advance.

What pasta is not recommended for pasta salads?

You can use any type of pasta that is small in size and usually bite-sized. You will want to stay away from spaghetti noodles unless you are making Italian pasta salad. Try this salad with elbow macaroni, tri color rotini pasta, or shell noodles.

When making pasta salad do you rinse the pasta?

Yes! Rinse the pasta in cold water and have it cooled off before adding to the ingredients. This is a cold salad side dish!

How do you keep pasta salad from absorbing dressing?

Before adding the ingredients to the pasta, add a little bit of olive oil to the pasta to help keep the pasta from absorbing the dressing.

What can I serve with pasta salad?

Pasta salads are the best type of side dishes. They are perfect for barbeques, potlucks, gatherings of most, and always great for feeding a crowd. They are simple to make and usually have minimum ingredients with the most flavor.

Close up of Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad on a wooden spoon.

Making a Healthier Version

For a lower-calorie version of this salad, try using Greek yogurt in place of the mayonnaise and sour cream. You can also use low-fat cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Another healthy substitution is turkey bacon instead of regular. My son likes turkey bacon more than regular bacon!

Top view of Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.

More Perfect Pasta Salads

Pasta salads are a perfect summer supper or side dish to grilled chicken, burgers, steak, you name it. Try some of our very favorite recipes!

How to Make Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Top view of Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

5 from 10 votes
Bacon ranch pasta salad packs so much flavor into one easy-to-make dish. Perfect for picnics and potlucks!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Refrigerate 1 hour
Total Time 21 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 10

Video

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool to room temperature.
    Cooked noodles in a colander for Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.
  • While noodles are cooking/cooling, in a large bowl combine ranch seasoning, mayo, sour cream, and milk. Whisk until smooth.
    Bowl of creamy ranch sauce for pasta salad.
  • Stir in bacon, peas, cheese, carrots, and tomatoes into the ranch dressing.
    Bowl with creamy salad mixture of tomatoes, cheddar cubes, peas, carrots and bacon.
  • Slowly add noodles and stir until noodles are well covered in dressing and all ingredients mixed together.
    Top view of Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.
  • Cover and refrigerate until serving.
    Add a little milk before serving if needed if it seems too dry (just a tablespoon or so). Stir well before serving.
    Top close up view of Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad on a wooden spoon.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 449kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 13gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 530mgPotassium: 277mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2515IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 119mgIron: 1.1mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I just made this, and it’s delicious but extremely salty. Any idea on how to remedy that? I think it’s the Ranch dip powder doing it.

    Thank you so an otherwise magnificent pasta salad!

    1. To balance the salt you can add more sour cream or mayo. Alternatively, you could use a little bit less of the ranch packet. Whichever works!

  2. I found that a bit of salt brings out the ranch flavor a bit more. But I was using unsalted bacon, so that might have been the difference.

  3. 5 stars
    This was the perfect side dish with our barbecue cookout last night! It has quickly become a family favorite, indeed!

  4. I was so happy to see this recipe in my Facebook newsfeed today. Finally a macaroni sald that does not use vinegar! I dislike the twangy taste the vinegar adds to the salad. Thank you, I’ll be trying this soon.

  5. How many servings does this make? We are making this for 250 people so we are trying to figure how many batches
    Thanks

    1. Wow that is a lot of people! It depends on if you are going to have a lot of other different dishes or if this is the main side-dish. If it is the main side dish I would plan on it serving 15-20… if there will be lots of side dishes you are probably safe planning on 30-40 depending on how big of eaters you have

      1. Ok. I figured we needed about 7 batches so I am right along your serving size for multiple dishes. We are serving it so the portion will be controlled. Thanks!

          1. 5 stars
            Just wanted to let you know this was a HUGE hit at our fundraiser! We made 8 batches and served close to 250 people. Tons of people asked for the recipie!