• Home
  • About
    • Terms and Policies
  • Recipes
  • Puerto Rican Recipes
    • Puerto Rican Resources
  • Work With Me
    • Facebook
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Kitchen Gidget

A Girl and Her Kitchen

August 24, 2017 By Rebekah

Bacon Cheddar Ranch Pasta Salad

Pin
Share
Stumble
Tweet
Shares 540

This bacon cheddar ranch pasta salad is perfect for potlucks or a cool summer dinner! It’s cheesy, it has bacon and it’s all drizzled with ranch dressing. There’s even a full serving of vegetables! Plus, it only takes minutes to throw together.

Bacon Cheddar Ranch Pasta Salad is a hit at potlucks! Or add chicken for an easy dinner with veggies!

Bacon Cheddar Ranch Pasta Salad

Every summer gathering needs a pasta salad! I am all about the side dishes (and desserts!) when it comes to food functions, like this bacon cheddar ranch pasta salad.

Everyone else has their eyeballs on that rack of ribs or grilled sausages, but I’m over there loading up my plate with all the wonderful sides.

Bacon Cheddar Ranch Pasta Salad is a hit at potlucks! Or add chicken for an easy dinner with veggies!

From fresh fruit salad to homemade dill dip with veggies to s’mores icebox cake, I don’t even need the BBQ to be happy!

Everyone has their own favorite pasta salad. The beauty is that there’s no baking involved. That’s one of my first rules for summer cooking.

This salad is unique, yet at the same time a popular blend of flavors everyone loves. Bacon…cheddar…ranch.  I don’t know why this trio is so tasty—I just eat it!

Bacon Cheddar Ranch Pasta Salad is a hit at potlucks! Or add chicken for an easy dinner with veggies!

So, to make this bacon cheddar ranch pasta salad you’ll need some pasta. I’ve used rotini, but any short variety will do. Pasta salads have no rules!

BACON. Cook it until it’s nice and crispy, then crumble. Make extra for snacking on.

As for the cheese, I like it cubed so you get large bites of sharp cheddar. You could also shred it so you get a little bit in every bite.

Bacon Cheddar Ranch Pasta Salad is a hit at potlucks! Or add chicken for an easy dinner with veggies!

To zest things up, I’ve added cherry tomatoes. I added them whole to the salad and discovered they’re impossibly slippery to stab with a fork. So definitely slice them in half.

I love adding broccoli florets as well since it punches up the nutrition! Fresh, raw (not frozen) broccoli is what you want to use.

If you want to sneak in more veggies, shredded carrots, fresh peas, chopped cucumber or bell peppers are also great options.

Bacon Cheddar Ranch Pasta Salad is a hit at potlucks! Or add chicken for an easy dinner with veggies!

The whole salad comes together with an easy, creamy ranch dressing. There’s no flavor quite like ranch—tang from buttermilk along with savory herbs.

I use bottled dressing for convenience; you can add more or less to taste. I also mix in freshly ground black pepper for a little spice. For extra heat you can also add hot sauce.

If you happen to have leftovers and you happen to have some cooked chicken, this pasta salad magically transforms into an easy main dish!

Pin this to your salads board!

Bacon Cheddar Ranch Pasta Salad is a hit at potlucks! Or add chicken for an easy dinner with veggies!

More Recipes You Might Like

  • Taco Pasta SaladTaco Pasta Salad
  • Spaghetti Salad with Italian DressingSpaghetti Salad with Italian Dressing
  • Beef and Cheese ManicottiBeef and Cheese Manicotti
  • Watermelon and FetaWatermelon and Feta
Pin
Share
Stumble
Tweet
Shares 540

Filed Under: Entrees & Sides, featured, Recipes Tagged With: bacon, cheese, pasta, salad Leave a Reply: Leave a Comment

Opt In Image
Sign up and receive a free cookbook!
Features exclusive, never before published recipes!

Plus, tasty recipes delivered to your inbox each week!

« No-Bake Pineapple Cheesecake Bars
Pizza Dip »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome, I’m Rebekah!

Hello! When I’m not baking sweet treats and flavorful meals, you’ll find me at the beach with a good book! {Read More…}

Puerto Rican Favorites!

Pizza Empanadas

Pizza Empanadas

Empanada Dough

Empanada Dough

Puerto Rican Fried Pork Chops

Puerto Rican Fried Pork Chops

Easy Flan Cake (Flancocho)

Easy Flan Cake (Flancocho)

Quesitos

Quesitos

Kitchen Gidget is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Copyright © 2018 · Kitchen Gidget by Restored 316