Creamy Ranch Pasta Salad
This Creamy Ranch Pasta Salad is quick, easy and so delicious! It’s loaded with noodles, chunks of cheddar cheese, bacon, fresh peas, celery, onions, peppers, tomatoes and broccoli, all mixed with a creamy ranch dressing.
If there’s one dish that is always welcome at our table, it’s a pasta salad! They’re perfect for summer barbeques, picnics, as a side dish or served as lunch. Pasta salads are simple, quick and so versatile, and this Creamy Ranch Pasta Salad is no exception.
Ranch Dressing + Pasta = A Delicious Salad!
If you love the flavours of ranch salad dressing, then you’ll love this pasta salad. The creamy ranch dressing is perfect mixed with noodles and fresh vegetables…oh and don’t forget the cheddar cheese or bacon! SO good.
A perfect side dish or meal!
You can serve this salad as side dish to any meal…it’s especially delicious served alongside roasted or barbequed chicken, burgers or grilled steak! And if you want to make this salad a complete meal you can added cooked chicken right into the salad…I love doing this for camping trips, picnics, potlucks and sometimes dinner on the run.
Delicious, easy and a crowd pleaser.
Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe Tips:
- NOODLES: Use any kind of noodle you like: I used rotini pasta but you can use shells, macaroni, spirals, bowties, penne, cavatappi…
- MAKE IT A MEAL: Add some grilled chicken and you’ve got dinner!
- Tailor it to your tastebuds! Add your favourite vegetables: broccoli, tomatoes, peas, onions, cauliflower, cucumber, black olives…the possibilities are endless.
- PEAS: You don’t need to let the peas thaw before adding them to the salad. They will thaw just fine as the salad rests before serving.
- LET IT REST: Let this salad rest for 1 to 2 hours. This will allow the dressing to soak into the noodles and vegetables. Just make sure to give this salad a good stir before you serve it.
- DRESSING TOO THICK? If you find the dressing to be a bit thick, feel free to add a tsp more of milk at a time until it’s the consistency you prefer.
- CAN I MAKE THIS AHEAD OF TIME? I wouldn’t recommend making this a day ahead of time as the dressing will soak too much into the noodles, it’s best served the same day as you made it. However, if you would like to make it ahead, stir in extra ranch dressing right before serving.
- LEFTOVERS: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir in extra ranch dressing if required.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Creamy Ranch Pasta Salad
This Creamy Ranch Pasta Salad is quick, easy and so delicious! It’s loaded with noodles, chunks of cheddar cheese, bacon, fresh peas, celery, onions, peppers, tomatoes and broccoli, all mixed with a creamy ranch dressing.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Resting Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
Ingredients
Ranch Dressing:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup ranch salad dressing (we like Hidden Valley Ranch)
- 1 tbsp or more as needed of milk
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Salad:
- 6 cups cooked noodles (about 3 1/2 cups dried pasta)
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup chopped broccoli florets
- 1 stalk of celery (chopped into small pieces)
- 1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes
- 1/4 cup finely minced bell pepper (I used red and yellow)
- 2 tbsp minced green onion or chives
- 1 cup cubed cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water, drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare your salad dressing and ingredients.
- To make the dressing, cream together the mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch dressing, milk and salt and pepper. I like to use a hand blender to do this.
- Chop the cooked bacon, cheese, broccoli, tomatoes, onions, celery and bell pepper.
- In a large bowl mix together the noodles, bacon, cheese, vegetables, and frozen peas with the dressing.
- Let the salad rest for 1 to 2 hours. Make sure to stir it before serving.
- Then serve and enjoy!
Keywords: pasta salad, ranch pasta salad
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Have a delicious day!
