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Ranch Pasta Salad is a creamy, easy side dish made with pasta, fresh vegetables, crispy bacon and ranch dressing. Perfect for potlucks, barbecues, and make-ahead meals.
Ranch Pasta Salad is the kind of easy, crowd-pleasing dish that works for just about any occasion. Use your favorite pasta and mix with fresh veggies, bacon, and a creamy ranch dressing. It’s a simple side that’s full of flavor and always a hit at potlucks, barbecues, and family dinners.
Table of Contents
Everything comes together quickly, and it’s easy to customize with your favorite add-ins like cheese or even grilled chicken. It holds up well in the fridge, making it perfect for making ahead and serving chilled when you’re ready.
Ingredients You’ll Need
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- Dried Pasta
- Red Onion
- Grape Tomatoes
- Olives
- Bacon – I usually make a batch of air fryer bacon for this, but you can use store bought bacon crumbles as well.
- Ranch Dressing – I include my homemade buttermilk ranch dressing recipe. Feel free to use your favorite homemade or store-bought dressing (or ranch dressing mix).
Ranch Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz dried rotini
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 4 oz sliced black olives
- 5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- 2 Tablespoons milk, optional
Ranch Dressing Recipe
- ½ cup mayo
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried chives
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to chill.12 oz dried rotini
- Meanwhile in a bowl mix together the ranch dressing.½ cup mayo, ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup buttermilk, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon dried dill, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried chives, 1 clove garlic, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Once the pasta is cooked and cooled add tomatoes, red onion, bacon, and black olives, Pour about ¾ cup of ranch dressing and mix until well coated. Add more dressing if desired. If your dressing is thick, you can add a little milk to thin it out so it coats the pasta well.¼ cup chopped red onion, 1 cup grape tomatoes, 4 oz sliced black olives, 5 strips bacon, 1 cup ranch dressing, 2 Tablespoons milk
- Store in fridge until ready to serve. Can toss with more dressing when ready to serve.
Notes
- Any short-cut pasta works.
- Add cubed cheddar cheese or other veggies.
- Use your favorite ranch dressing, homemade or store-bought.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Ranch Pasta Salad
- Cook the pasta. First, boil the pasta according to the package directions. Afterward, drain and then rinse the pasta thoroughly under cold water.
- Make the dressing. In the meantime, whisk the ranch dressing ingredients together.
- Combine the ingredients. Now, combine the cooled pasta, tomatoes, onion, bacon, and olives in a bowl. Pour over the dressing (I usually start with about ¾ cup) and toss to coat. Add more dressing as needed.
- Chill. Refrigerate the pasta salad until it’s time to serve. I like to save the leftover dressing and add a little bit more just before serving.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Rinse the pasta. Immediately drain the cooked pasta and rinse it under cold water. It stops the pasta from overcooking and rinses the excess starch away.
- Dress the salad twice. My trick to the best pasta salad! Assemble the ingredients and toss them with about half the dressing (in this case, that’s about ¾ cup). Then, reserve the rest of the dressing to toss with the salad right before serving. It boosts the flavors and gives the salad the creamiest texture.
- Need a buttermilk substitute? If you find yourself short of buttermilk to make the dressing from scratch, make an easy 2-ingredient buttermilk substitute from whole milk and lemon juice (or white distilled vinegar). It takes about 5 minutes.
- For a lighter ranch dressing, substitute sour cream with Greek yogurt.
- Use fresh herbs. As a general rule, when replacing dried herbs with fresh herbs, you’ll need about 3x the amount of fresh.
- Add more veggies. Go ahead and add more vegetables to your ranch pasta salad, like diced bell peppers, carrots, celery, cucumber, or green peas.
- Add cheese. Stir in cubed cheddar cheese, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Colby, or Pepper Jack cheese. You could also add grated parmesan or crumbled feta.
Storing Leftovers
Store any leftover bacon ranch pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir it well before serving. I like turning leftovers into a meal by adding air fryer chicken breast or steak bites.
