This bacon ranch pasta salad is made with tender pasta, veggies, cheddar and smoky bacon coated in a creamy ranch dressing. It will be an instant hit at your next barbeque!
More pasta salads we love include this easy pasta salad with Italian dressing, orzo salad and Caprese pasta salad.
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Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
This bacon ranch pasta salad is quick, easy and one of my favorite recipes to bring to a BBQ. It’s creamy dressing reminds me a macaroni salad recipe but with bacon like BLT pasta salad!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy potluck favorite: Ready in only 15 minutes, this is easily one of the best pasta salad recipes to make ahead anytime you are serving a crowd!
- So much texture and flavor: Bacon ranch dressing pasta salad is creamy with crunchy texture from veggies and bacon. Double this recipe as it disappears fast at picnics and summer barbecues!
Ranch Pasta Salad Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Pasta: I used pasta shells but any short pasta works like elbow macaroni, small bowtie pasta, mini penne or rotini pasta.
- Bacon: Prepare bacon in the oven ahead of time to make prep faster!
- Ranch: A dry ranch seasoning mix adds the best flavor not prepared store-bought ranch dressing.
- Cheese: Cubed cheddar cheese adds the best texture! Use your favorite sharp cheddar cheese or mild cheddar cheese. Colby-jack cheese also is great!
How to Make Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Add cooked pasta, crumbled bacon, cubed cheddar cheese, peas, cherry tomatoes, and red onion to a large serving bowl.
In a small bowl, combine ranch pasta salad dressing ingredients including sour cream, mayo, ranch packet and salt and black pepper. Stir until creamy.
Add dressing to the large bowl of prepared pasta bacon ranch salad and toss gently. Garnish with chives then serve immediately or for best taste chill for at least one hour to let the flavors develop.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- Cook pasta al dente to avoid a soggy salad. Remember to salt the pasta water to add more flavor to the pasta and to drain and rinse pasta in cold water.
- Try a different protein such as leftover baked honey ham. Bacon bits are a nice time-saver but freshly cooked and crumbled bacon will taste best.
- Swap the cheddar for Swiss cheese, pepper jack cheese or Monterey jack.
- Add more veggies like diced red bell pepper!
- Swap the sour cream for Greek yogurt but don’t omit the mayonnaise as it adds the creaminess to this ranch and bacon pasta salad.
More summer side dishes are this easy corn and tomato salad and this Hawaiian fruit salad recipe!
More Easy Pasta Salad Recipes
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Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 16 ounces medium pasta shells, or other pasta of your choice
- 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 8 ounces block of cheddar cheese, cubed
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup red onion, sliced thin
- chopped chives, if desired for garnish
Dressing
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 ounce packet ranch seasoning
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Boil 16 ounces of pasta, as directed on package. Drain. Move to large serving bowl.
- Combine salad ingredients: Add 10 slices cooked and crumbled bacon, 8 ounces cubed cheddar cheese, 1 cup thawed peas, 1 pint halved cherry tomatoes, and 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion. Stir.
- Make dressing: In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 packet ranch seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until creamy.
- Toss all ingredients: Add dressing to pasta salad and gently toss. Add chives to garnish, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, if preparing a day in advance I advise prepping all ingredients including the dressing but storing separately.
If prepping more than 2 hours in advance, combine the ranch pasta salad including the dressing, toss together but plan to measure the sour cream and mayo generously so it is still creamy at serving time. A splash of milk could also be added right before serving.
Store leftover pasta salad with bacon and ranch in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If it becomes dry, add additional mayo or some homemade ranch dressing to bring it back to creamy consistency.
Serve this with any of your grilling recipes from this hamburger recipe to steak kabobs or barbecue chicken. For a large potluck dinner, I love to serve it with crockpot grape jelly & BBQ meatballs, talk about the perfect side dish!
I agree this combination is irresistible! Other favorites include chicken bacon ranch pizza, bacon ranch cheese ball and crockpot crack chicken!
Categorized as: 4th of July, American, Meal Prep, Nut-Free, Pasta Salad, Reader Favorites, Salads
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
This salad is amazing!! Kids to adults love this side dish. We brought it to every potluck this summer!
So glad it was a hit at the summertime BBQs!
Went perfect with grilled burgers. It was really good leftover too!
We loved this so much! Served it with burgers and was a total favorite.
So glad you enjoyed the pasta salad!
Loaded with all the good stuff! This disappeared fast!
So glad you enjoyed it!