Summer is here, and that means fast lunches! You will want to make a big batch of this bacon cheddar pasta salad to keep in the fridge to make lunch time as easy as possible. This bacon cheddar pasta salad with ranch is easy to prepare ahead of time, making for an easy summer entertaining dish, as well!
We love a good pasta salad! In fact, one of the most popular recipes here on our website is our angel hair pasta salad – which you can find linked at the bottom of this post! Pasta salads are great to make on the weekend and “lunch on” all week long!
What is a BLT Ranch Pasta Salad?
If you are a fan of the classic BLT – a toasted sandwich filled with bacon, lettuce, and tomato – then you will probably love this ranch BLT pasta salad! A BLT pasta salad brings bacon, lettuce, and tomato to the comfort of cooked pasta rather than bread. This particular BLT ranch pasta salad also pulls in the tangy flavor of ranch seasoning and the creamy cheddar.
Best Types of Pasta for Bacon Cheddar Pasta Salad with Ranch
Three common pasta salad noodles are short noodles which are easy to eat.
Farfalle
Sometimes referred to as bowtie pasta, farfalle adds a fun shape to a pasta dish. The bow-tie shape holds dressing well although the pasta is known to tear a bit when tossed with other ingredients.
Penne
Penne pasta is a common staple in many pantries. With its tubular shape, it holds onto dressing well.
Fusilli
A fun spiral shape, this pasta is also called rotini pasta. I have made this pasta salad with both the regular (tan) pasta and the colorful pasta. It is delicious both ways though I prefer the pop of color of tri-color rotini!
Why You’ll Love Bacon Cheddar Pasta Salad
- This pasta salad is made for easy transport! Be careful to keep your bowl chilled since the base of the dressing includes mayonnaise and sour cream. You will need to cover the pasta salad with a lid or wrap to ensure it does not dry out.
- As we mentioned above, this is a make ahead dish. Anyone who entertains often knows the fewer dishes to prepare on the day of, the better!
- You can easily change out ingredients. If you don’t have bacon, prepare a vegetarian pasta salad instead. Not a fan of tomatoes? No worries! Although the classic BLT pasta salad includes bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes, there is no hard rule that you can’t make some changes to suit your needs.
Cooking and Rinsing Pasta for Pasta Salad
Use the instructions on your pasta package for this BLT ranch pasta salad. Once the pasta is cooked al dente, pour it into a colander and rinse with cold water. This will help stop the cooking process so the pasta does not continue with the cooking process. This will also prevent too much starch from building up which sometimes causes the pasta to clump together.
Veggies for Bacon Cheddar Pasta Salad
The more vibrant and fresh the veggies, the better! The BLT ranch pasta salad shines with ripe cherry tomatoes and crisp romaine lettuce. The green and the red also bring a nice pop of color.
If using regular-sized tomatoes rather than cherry or grape tomatoes, dice the tomatoes into small pieces for better distribution throughout the pasta. You will also need to chop the lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
Ingredients for BLT Ranch Pasta Salad
This is an easy bacon cheddar ranch pasta salad with classic ingredients.
- Tri-color rotini (fusilli), cooked and rinsed)
- Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
- Sour cream
- Ranch dressing mix (dry seasoning)
- Diced tomatoes
- Cheese cubes (Cheddar or Colby Jack)
- Cooked bacon, chopped
- Romaine lettuce, chopped
You might be tempted to use store-bought bacon bits for this recipe. But real cooked bacon makes this bacon ranch cheddar pasta salad so much better!
Instructions for Bacon Cheddar Pasta Salad with Ranch
The prep time for this BLT ranch pasta salad takes about 20 minutes, and the recipe yields about 10 servings.
While the pasta cooks, chop the lettuce, the tomatoes, and the bacon. If the bacon you are using has not yet been cooked, you can also cook the bacon using your preferred method while the pasta cooks. Then, you simply mix everything together in a large bowl.
- Place the Miracle Whip or mayo with the sour cream and the ranch seasoning into a large mixing bowl.
- Mix until well combined.
- In the same bowl, stir in the cooked and drained pasta, tomatoes, cheddar cheese cubes, chopped bacon, and chopped lettuce.
- Mix until well combined.
- Cover, chill, and serve.
Bacon Cheddar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 16 oz Rotini Tri-colored
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 cup Sour cream
- 1.1 oz Ranch seasoning dry mix
- 1 cup Tomatoes diced
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese cubes
- 1 cup Bacon cooked and chopped
- 1 cup Romaine lettuce chopped
Instructions
- Cook rotini according to package directions.
- Place the Miracle Whip or mayo with the sour cream and the ranch seasoning into a large mixing bowl.
- Mix until well combined.
- In the same bowl, stir in the cooked and drained pasta, tomatoes, cheddar cheese cubes, chopped bacon, and chopped lettuce.
- Mix until well combined.
- Cover, chill, and serve.
Nutrition
More Tasty Side Dishes
Spicy Corn on the Cob Grilled in Foil
Elevated Jiffy Cornbread Muffins
Leave a Reply