This Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad recipe is full of our favorite summer veggies plus ranch, fun noodles, and crispy bacon. It’s the perfect mixture of fresh, savory, and creamy.
The Best Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Pasta salads are our go-to when we’re looking for something that’ll feed a crowd, that tastes great, and that’s easily transportable. This ranch and bacon pasta salad achieves all three and is a great option to add to your list of summer sides!
Looking for More Delicious Pasta Salad Recipes?
Then you’ve got to try our Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad or our Dill Pickle Pasta Salad. Both have the freshest flavors and are great to bring to summer barbecues.
Substitutions
- ranch dressing – Try our dairy free ranch dressing or a dairy-free store-bought ranch would work too.
- gemeli noodles – Can’t find it at the grocery store? Pick up a box of bowtie (aka farfalle) noodles instead.
- more protein – Make this a chicken bacon ranch pasta salad by adding some cooked chicken breasts and make it a full meal.
How To Make Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Start by gathering and measuring out all of your ingredients.
Time Saver
This is a perfect recipe to prep in advance and make later. Prep all of the ingredients ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble.
Next, cook up the pasta and be sure to rinse it with cool water. This allows the cooked pasta to cool off prior to being mixed into the pasta salad. Then combine the ranch seasoning mix, mayo, and ranch dressing in a small bowl and give it all a good mix.
Now dump the creamy ranch sauce, smoky bacon, juicy tomatoes, al dente pasta, romaine, onion, corn, salt, and lemon zest into a large mixing bowl and toss everything together! And you’ve got yourself a flavorful side dish.
What To Serve With Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
This recipe is a great one to bring to summer bbqs, a potluck dinner, or the next family reunion as it pairs great with so many other dishes. Make it a complete meal by pairing it with grilled hot dogs, smoked pork shoulder, or grilled chicken wings.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- Should I rinse pasta for cold pasta salad? Yes! This cools the pasta, keeps it from over cooking, and prevents clumping.
- make ahead – If you’re making this pasta salad in advance, be sure to save some of the dressing to add right before serving. The noodles will soak up some of the sauciness while it sits in the fridge, so adding a little bit more creamy dressing helps keep this pasta salad’s texture and flavor.
- pasta shapes – There are a ton of options out there, but we chose gemeli to switch things up. Any small shaped pasta salad would be the perfect vehicle for all of these yummy flavors.
Made this bacon ranch dressing pasta salad and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Cold Pasta Salad Recipes You Might Like
- Tuna Macaroni Salad
- Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
- Balsamic Pasta Salad
- Crab Pasta Salad
- Caesar Pasta Salad
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our creamy and flavorful Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad recipe is the perfect side dish to serve up this summer at a cookout or potluck!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup ranch dressing (regular or dairy-free)
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1 packet (1oz) ranch seasoning
- 1 box (1 pound) gemeli noodles (or bow tie noodles)
- 1 pound bacon, cooked and chopped
- 3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced or chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 ears of corn, grilled and cut off the cob
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- optional: crushed croutons and/or cubed avocado
Instructions
- Make Sauce: 1 1/4 cup ranch dressing, 1/3 cup mayo, and packet of ranch seasoning in a small bowl. Mix to fully combine and set aside.
- Cook Noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add noodles of choice, and cook to al dente according to the package directions. Drain and run cold water over them to cool.
- Combine: Put the cooked noodles in a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients (note: if making ahead wait and add lettuce before serving). Toss to combine and then pour the sauce on top. Give it another good mix!
- Taste & Serve: Taste and add any additional seasoning or ingredients, as desired. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for later.
Notes
- Lettuce: for best results, add the chopped lettuce to the pasta salad right before serving to prevent any sogginess.
- Gluten Free: simply use gluten free noodles.
- Prep Ahead of Time: this is a great recipe to prep ahead of time, but you may want to reserve some of the sauce or keep some extra ranch dressing on hand to mix into the pasta salad right before serving. As it sits, the noodles will soak up some of that creaminess.
- Storage: keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days and be sure to revive with that splash of ranch before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 oz
- Calories: 347
- Sugar: 5.1 g
- Sodium: 600.5 mg
- Fat: 25.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.2 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6.1 g
- Cholesterol: 20.3 mg
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