Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is an easy-to-make summer side dish combing tri-color pasta, crisp bacon, shredded cheddar, veggies and creamy ranch dressing.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Refrigerate2 hourshrs
Total Time40 minutesmins
Course: Salad
Keyword: Bacon, cheddar, Pasta Salad, ranch, side dish, summer
Servings: 8
Author: Life-in-the-Lofthouse
Ingredients
12oz.tri-color rotini pasta
1/2c.mayo
1/2c.sour cream
1package1 oz. dry ranch dressing mix
1/2c.milk
8slicescooked baconchopped
1large tomatochopped
1can4.25 oz. sliced black olives, drained
1c.shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add rotini and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain in strainer. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, dry ranch mix, garlic powder and milk (it works best to add milk gradually while whisking.)
Add pasta, cooked chopped bacon, tomatoes, olives and cheese to bowl. Gently toss to combine. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Note - I prefer to let the salad sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving so that the dressing gets creamy again. If salad seems dry, stir in a little extra milk before serving. Enjoy!