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Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is the only pasta salad you need! Loaded with bacon, olives, tomatoes, and more, this creamy salad is easy to make, and everyone always loves it!
I love the herby flavor in this easy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad recipe, and the fresh pop from the tomatoes paired with the salty olives is the perfect touch! There’s so much going on in this salad, but it all works together and tastes delicious! If you’re made our Summer Italian Pasta Salad, then you’ll love this recipe!
Table of Contents
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
This is a great salad whenever you need to take a dish to a BBQ, potluck, or event of any kind. But I also serve it at home. It goes splendidly with anything grilled, and because you can make the salad ahead of time, it’s an easy win when making dinner without a lot of last-minute prep work.
I make this easy pasta salad recipe with rotini because the ranch dressing gets into all the little grooves and tastes so good. No rotini? No problem! Any other kind of pasta will work well as long as you don’t overcook it. Pasta for salads should be cooked a wee bit al dente so that they hold up to the dressing and other ingredients in the salad.
Why I love this recipe
- Everyone loves the flavor!
- I almost always have a packet of dry ranch dressing powder in my pantry so it’s an easy salad to make.
- It’s so easy to customize! See all my suggestions below.
Gather these ingredients
- Rotini pasta – You’ll need about 12 ounces of dried pasta.
- Mayonnaise – Any kind will work.
- Sour cream – Low fat or full fat.
- Dry ranch dressing powder – 1 1-ounce package.
- Garlic powder
- Milk
- Lemon juice
- Cooked bacon – Crumbled.
- Fresh tomato – Diced small.
- Sliced black olives – Drained.
- Cooked peas – Drained.
- Cheddar cheese – Shredded.
- Dill pickles – Optional; chopped.
How to make Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Boil a large pot of salted water and add the rotini pasta. Cook until al dente, then drain it and rinse with cold tap water to cool it down. Set the pasta aside.
- Whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, dry ranch mix, garlic powder, milk, and lemon juice in a bowl large enough to hold all the pasta.
- Add the pasta, cooked bacon pieces, tomatoes, olives, peas, and cheese to the bowl and toss gently to combine.
- Cover and chill for about 2 hours before serving.
