Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
A quick and crowd-pleasing pasta salad featuring crispy bacon, fresh vegetables, and a creamy ranch dressing.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Omnivore
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 ounces pasta (rotini or penne)
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- While the pasta cooks, fry the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and crumble once cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, crumbled bacon, halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, and diced red onion.
- Pour in the ranch dressing and toss until evenly coated.
- Gently fold in the shredded cheddar cheese and season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
For a lighter version, substitute half the ranch dressing with Greek yogurt and reduce the bacon to 4 slices.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
Find it online: https://www.topchoicerecipes.com/creamy-bacon-ranch-pasta-salad/