When I think about summer barbecues, I’m not usually focused on the main dishes. Sure, I love hamburgers and grilled chicken, but my favorite part of summer is all of the delicious salads that show up at parties all season long! Pasta salads like this one, my Mexican Pasta Salad, and the classic Tuna Pasta Salad are such an iconic and delicious way to round out a grilled meal. You’ll going to love this simple ranch pasta salad with crispy, smoky bacon, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and veggies like peas and tomatoes mixed with tender pasta and ranch dressing.
Bacon Ranch Salad Recipe Highlights
Key Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make the perfect pasta salad: Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Pasta: Colorful tri-color rotini is the perfect pasta choice for this recipe! You can also make it with regular rotini or your favorite short pasta shape. Ranch Dressing: Mix up a batch of my homemade ranch dressing for the best, freshest flavor. In a pinch, this recipe also works fine with bottled ranch dressing as the sauce, such as Hidden Valley Ranch. Bacon: Crispy bacon is key, so I’ll show you how to bake bacon in the oven quickly and easily. You can also cook it in a skillet on the stovetop if that’s easier for you. Veggies: Black olives, cherry tomatoes, and thawed frozen peas all pair wonderfully with the ranch dressing. You can leave out any of these that you don’t enjoy. Cheese: Bacon and ranch go best with cheddar! for the best flavor, shred cheese from a block rather than buying the pre-shredded stuff. Parsley: Adds a beautiful pop of green color and fresh flavor.
How To Make Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Recipe Tips
Cooking the Pasta: Follow the instructions on the package, and cook the pasta until it’s done to your liking. Remember that the pasta will not keep cooking after it’s drained because we will rinse it with cold water. Let it Chill: While you could serve this salad immediately after making it, the flavors will be even better if you let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This will give the pasta time to absorb some of the dressing. Add Other Veggies: I’ve made this with chopped red bell pepper, diced red onion, and shredded carrots stirred in. It’s a great way to use up extra bits of vegetables that are left in the fridge.
Storing Tips
Once made, you can store bacon ranch dressing pasta salad in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. The exact time will depend on the freshness of your ingredients. If the salad seems dry after storing, feel free to stir in a little bit more ranch dressing before serving. It’s important to keep this salad cool to avoid any spoilage. A good rule of thumb is not to let creamy salads sit out at room temperature for any longer than 2 hours.
What To Serve With Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Are you looking for more summer BBQ meal ideas?
For your main dish, make perfectly juicy grilled burgers, or try something a bit more fancy, like my grilled salmon kabobs, huli huli chicken, or marinated and grilled carne asada. Try other easy summer sides, like fruit salad with honey lime dressing, classic creamy broccoli salad, or creamy deviled egg potato salad. For dessert, make a no-bake treat! My lemon icebox cake is a favorite, along with no bake Oreo pie, orange jello salad, and no bake cheesecake.
Why do I need to rinse the pasta?
It’s important to rinse pasta that you’re using for pasta salad under cold running water. This is for a couple of reasons! One, the cold water stops the cooking process so that the pasta doesn’t overcook. Two, water removes starch from the pasta so that it won’t stick together. Finally, rinsing helps to cool the pasta down quickly.
What is the best type of pasta for pasta salad?
I like the color that comes from using tri-color rotini, but any short pasta shape with some texture will work just fine. Try this recipe with medium shells, farfalle, elbows, or fusilli. Curly, twisty pasta shapes like rotini do a great job of holding on to all of the delicious dressing and ingredients.
Can I Make this ahead of time?
Yes! You will want to mix up this salad at least a half hour ahead of time to let the flavors meld in the fridge. If needed, you can make this up to 2 days before you plan to serve it. Happy summer salad making! I know that this easy recipe will make its way into your pasta salad recipe rotation. Make sure to Pin it so you don’t lose it! © Little Sunny Kitchen
