Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Name: Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 12 oz tri-color rotini pasta; 10-12 pieces bacon; 1 cup frozen peas; 10 oz grape tomatoes (sliced); 1 small red onion (diced); 1 cup Ranch dressing; 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded); salt (or to taste)

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is a classic American side dish for summer cookouts, barbecues and potlucks. Or in our case, we’ll take it any time and any day of the week! Rotini pasta is tossed with bacon, peas, red onions, grape tomatoes, cheddar cheese, all coated in a delicious creamy Ranch dressing.

You only need about 30 minutes to make this creamy bacon ranch pasta salad on the stovetop! It can be served chill or in room temperature, perfect all your summer parties and bbqs!

A bowl is filled with Bacon ranch cheddar pasta salad featuring sliced cherry tomatoes, peas, red onions, and bacon.

Looking for more easy pasta sides? Here are some of my other favorites on the blog: Italian Bow Tie Pasta Salad, Potato Mac Salad, French Onion Mac and Cheese, Brown Butter Sage Pasta.

Table of Contents

Creamy Bacon Ranch Cheddar Pasta Salad

When spring and summer rolls around, we get excited for cookouts, barbecues, pool parties, picnics and all the delicious food! Similar to Pesto Pasta Salad and Caesar Pasta Salad, this bacon ranch pasta salad is one of our staples to contribute and make for those occasions.

I also like to make bacon ranch pasta salad ahead of time, store them in the refrigerator, and let my husband pack them to work or have it handy at home for a quick lunch.

The creamy, slightly tangy ranch dressing complements the savory bacon and creamy cheddar perfectly, while juicy grape tomatoes provides bursts of freshness to the palates. Along with that punch from pieces of red onion, every bite is an adventure!

This is such a straightforward and easy creamy pasta salad recipe, and here’s why we love it oh-so-much:

Quick and easy – less than 30 minutes to put this all together!
Delicious flavors and textures – the combination of crunchy bacon, juicy tomatoes, chewy pasta, creamy ranch and sharp spicy bites of red onions makes this dish so special
Served chill or in room temperature – because it doesn’t need to be reheated, and can even be served cold, it’s super versatile!
Great for making ahead and meal prep – we live for leftovers of this creamy bacon ranch pasta salad! It keeps in the refrigerator very well, can be made days ahead of time for parties, and make easy grab-and-go lunches as well. For make-ahead, make sure to check out my tips in the section below!

Ingredients

Here’s an ingredient breakdown for this creamy bacon pasta salad recipe:

Top down shot of a black bowl filled with Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.

tri-color rotini pasta – you can use regular pasta, but I find the spinach and tomato flavors in tri-color pastas brings a fun touch. Other bite-size pasta such as bow tie pasta, penne, macaroni etc works great as well
bacon – when in a pinch, bacon bits or cooked makes life easier, but nothing like crispy bacon done the old-fashioned way. It’s still the tastiest route for this bacon ranch pasta salad! Check out my tips on cooking bacon in the oven.
cheddar cheese – I use shredded cheddar in this recipe, you’ll also often find a blend of cheeses, such as cheddar, monterey jack and colby, which works just as great.
grape tomatoes – slice these into half so they are bite size. You can also use cherry tomatoes.
frozen peas – requires no cooking (just a few minutes to thaw) and can be brought to room temperature simply by mixing it into hot pasta.
red onions – this brings a nice punch to the salad, cutting the creaminess from the Ranch dressing and cheese.
Ranch dressing – I used this ranch dressing, and omg it is amazing, but many store bought ranch dressing works great as well.
Apple cider vinegar – just a splash to open up the flavors and bring another layer of flavor for the ranch dressing.
Salt if needed

How to make it

Our bacon ranch pasta salad recipe can be ready to be serve under 30 minutes! Don’t believe me? See below!

Cook Pasta

The first thing you’ll want to do is boil some pasta (rotini, fusilli, penne, elbow macaroni, farfalle, macaroni etc) and cook it until it is al dente.

Once pasta is done, drain water from the boiled pasta and bring pasta into a large mixing bowl or salad bowl.

If pasta is sitting for a while before being toss in dressing, toss with olive oil to prevent sticking. Let pasta cool for a few minutes before tossing in the dressing.

Prepare Bacon

Just like Broccoli Bacon Salad, this is the secret ingredient that brings a ton of flavor to the dish!

While pasta cooks, cook bacon using the air fryer, oven or on the stovetop:

Air fryer: Place bacon on the air fryer without overlapping. Air fry at 400℉ for 7 minutes, or until it reaches desired crispness.
Oven: Place bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper without overlapping. Bake bacon in the oven at 400℉ for 12-20 minutes, or until desired crispness, flipping once half way through
Stovetop: Pan fry them on a skillet under medium heat. Flip a couple of times until they are done to desired crispness.

After bacon is cooked, cut them into smaller pieces.

Crispy bacon is chopped into smaller pieces.

Alternatively, bacon bits of cooked bacon can be used as well as a short cut.

Make the Sauce

Bacon ranch pasta salad is tossed in a simple Ranch dressing but I like to also add a bit of apple cider vinegar to brighten up the sauce. Bring dressing together with the apple cider vinegar, then whisk to combine.

If you can, try to use good quality Ranch dressing for this!

Prepare Ingredients

Get the rest of the ingredients ready by chopping up tomatoes and red onions.

Bring pasta, chopped bacon, tomatoes, red onions, and peas into a large mixing bowl

Add the ranch dressing mixture to mixing bowl.

Ranch dressing is poured into a mixing bowl filled with cooked pasta, peas, diced red onions, sliced cherry tomatoes, and chopped bacon.

Toss to coat and then add shredded cheese.

Shredded cheddar cheese is added to a mixing bowl filled with pasta, peas, cherry tomatoes, bacon, and red onions tossed in Ranch dressing.

Toss again to fold cheddar cheese into the bacon ranch pasta salad.

Pasta salad can be served in room temperature or cold, and they stay out for a few hours really well, which make them the best summer party food.

At this point, you will find me eating off the bowl as I stand by the kitchen counter because it is SO DANG GOOD.

A serving bowl is filled with creamy bacon ranch pasta salad.

Make it for your next picnic, cookout or barbecue. Trust me, everyone will love you for it!

Variations and Substitutions

Here are some variations you can make to this bacon ranch pasta salad recipe:

Protein swap or add-in’s: turkey bacon, pancetta, or prosciutto
Veggies to add: bell peppers, olives, green onions, cucumber, celery, carrots
Make dressing creamier: use more ranch, or add sour cream, cream cheese or mayonnaise
Cheese variations: other soft cheeses like Colby jack, Swiss, Mozzarella; stronger cheese such as parmesan, feta etc.
Adding more texture: nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds are yummy adds as well!

Make Ahead Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Making ahead this creamy bacon ranch cheddar pasta salad? Easy peasy!

Make this recipe ahead of time and store pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

If you want to, you can also store dressing and cheese separately and only toss everything in the dressing and cheese when you are ready to serve. Save dressing and cheese separately in a airtight containers and store in the refrigerator as well.

How to Serve it

We can’t talk about pasta salad without talking about all the other good stuff that goes with it. Here are some of my favorite summer dishes to serve this pasta salad with:

Tips and Tricks

Cook pasta to al dente: Be sure to cook the pasta until it is al dente when making this bacon ranch pasta salad. Avoid overcooking so pasta won’t become mushy.
Don’t rinse cooked pasta: once they have been drained, immediately toss in Olive oil to keep them from sticking together. Rinsing pasta in ice cold water will wash away the starch on the pasta, and sauce will not cling onto pasta surface as well.
Incorporate extra protein: Add grilled chicken, shrimp, ham, or any other meat to this dish for added protein!
Bring in cheese at the end: Only toss shredded cheese into the pasta salad at the very end to prevent cheese from melting in the warm pasta. Once pasta is combined with the cold dressing and other ingredients, the temperature usually drops.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make a healthier bacon ranch pasta salad?

1. Use high protein or whole wheat pasta.
2. Use turkey Bacon instead of regular Bacon.
3. Use low fat or fat free Ranch Dressing.

How long does it last in the fridge?

Before mixing in the dressing, it lasts a few days in the fridge in an airtight container. Make sure to store the dressing separately until it is ready to serve for maximum freshness!

How to avoid soggy or sticky pasta?

1. Do not over cook pasta for pasta salads. Cook the pasta for the minimal time on the time range, or until it is al dente. When al dente, it is a little firmer and that will keep it from turning mushy when tossed with dressing.
2. Only toss pasta in dressing when ready to serve.

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Other sides you will enjoy

Check out some of my favorites on the blog!