Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
If you’re bringing pasta salad to the party, it needs to taste like somebody cared. This bacon ranch pasta salad is creamy, smoky, cheesy, and loaded with all the good stuff, because bland side dishes are not welcome over here. I grew up around Southern-style gatherings where the sides mattered just as much as the meat, and this recipe delivers that same energy, easy, flavorful, and guaranteed to have folks going back for another scoop.
Servings 10 servings
Calories 305kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 oz rotini pasta
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- ½ cup mayo
- 8 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1 cup chopped cucumbers
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup cherry tomatoes Sliced in half. You can use any tomatoes.
- ¼ cup sliced black olives
Homemade Ranch Seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons chives
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried dill
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- 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.
Video
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 18g