This Easy Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is a homemade classic dish perfect for any spread or cookout. This side dish is cheesy thanks to cheddar and is also loaded with plenty of veggies, mayo, Greek yogurt, or sour cream.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword bacon ranch pasta salad, ranch pasta salad recipe, rotini pasta salad
Cook the rotini in accordance with the package instructions.
Rinse the rotini in cold water and pat dry.
Add the rotini to your serving dish along with the remaining ingredients. Taste repeatedly and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Chill for a minimum of 1 hour. 2-3 hours is optimal.
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Notes
Make this pasta salad yours! Load it up with the vegetables that you like.
I’ve always made this dish for a crowd. Feel free to cut the recipe in half. You can cut the recipe in half by using half of the ingredients noted.
You can double the recipe by using double the ingredients.
If you use a seasoning packet, start with 3 tablespoons.
If you like a wet pasta salad, then serving immediately after chilling the dish will work best for you. You may find that you need additional mayo or sour cream (Greek yogurt). Add additional to suit your taste and texture needs.
You can omit the bacon to make the dish vegetarian.
You can use whatever pasta you like. Anything will work, i.e. penne, linguine, etc.
You can use ranch dressing if you wish. I’m not a huge fan of the texture when salad dressing is used. I like for this pasta salad to be thick and creamy. The combination of Greek yogurt and mayo does that for me. Use enough to suit your taste.
Add additional seasoning to suit your taste if necessary.