A rich mix of crowd-pleasing ingredients – whip up this ranch pasta salad for your next meal!

Looking for your next savory side dish? Read on!

Maybe it’s a Midwestern thing, but we seriously can’t get enough of a good ranch, bacon, and cheese pairing. What’s even better is mixing it with other hearty ingredients that make this bacon ranch pasta salad a side dish we are proud to bring along to cookouts. And even happier to eat!

You say you’re looking for a main dish to pair this with? Even more motivation to get this recipe onto your kitchen table – I told you I have you covered!

• Buttery Marinated Ham
• Juicy and Delicious Roast Beef
• Homemade Sloppy Joes

Ingredient Breakdown

It’s easy to get inspired making pasta salad – figuring out which veggies will compliment the pasta and the creamy dressing. If I see pasta salad kids in the grocery store, I will use that as inspiration for ingredients too.

• Pasta: Fusilli, Fusilloni, or Rotoni also work just as well. All fittingly translate to “little twists” or “little spindles” :))

• Mayo and sour cream: Some recipes will use just mayo, but using both earns the word “creamy” at the front of the name!

• Parsley, dill, and ranch seasoning: These seasonings bring the distinct “tangy” flavor in a pasta salad

• Veggies: tomatoes, peppers, whatever we have fresh that will make a nice crunch. And let’s not forget that ranch is a welcome addition to pretty much any vegetable.

• Cubed cheese – cheddar pairs best with the other rich flavors in this dish

• Bacon crumbles – measure with your heart. They are an inexpensive at Walmart. For more of a crunch and a homemade taste you can also make your own bacon and crumble it up.

Steps to make your Homemade Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 16 oz pasta
• 10 oz packet of ranch mix
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 16 oz container of sour cream
• 2 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp dill
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Cut up veggies
• Cubed cheese
• Bacon crumbles

Steps

1. Cook pasta per instructions on the box.
2. Drain pasta and let it cool for a few minutes
3. Once cooled, mix in your choice veggies.
4. Combine the ranch seasoning, mayo, sour cream, parsley, dill, and salt/pepper until smooth.
5. Pour dressing over the pasta and veggies and mix until evenly coated
6. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving
7. Add in bacon crumbles and cubed cheese before eating

Printable Recipe Card

Why you’ll love this Ranch Pasta Salad

• This recipe packs enough ingredients to act as a main dish or a filling snack during the day. I am known to scrape by with just a pack of crackers on busy field days, but I am much more fueled by grabbing a bowl of something hearty like this!

• Sometimes pasta salads can be an acquired taste, which is why we turn to this specific recipe. The ranch, cheese, and bacon are a common crowd-pleasing combination and the case is no different in this dish

• Storing this salad overnight allows the ingredients more time to combine. I’ll admit that I sometimes prefer this pasta salad after a day or two in the ‘fridge – the ingredients marinate together nicely! That being said, I wouldn’t recommend letting it sit in the ‘fridge for more than 3 or 4 days.