Addictive Crack Pasta Salad (Printable)
Creamy ranch-bacon pasta salad with crunchy veggies and bold cheesy flavor, ready in 25 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz rotini or penne pasta
→ Dressing
02 - 3/4 cup mayonnaise
03 - 1/2 cup sour cream
04 - 1 packet (30 g) ranch seasoning mix
05 - 1–2 tbsp milk, as needed to loosen
→ Veggies & Add-ins
06 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
07 - 1 cup yellow or red bell pepper, diced
08 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
09 - 1/2 cup cooked bacon bits (or vegetarian alternative)
10 - 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
11 - 3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
# Directions:
01 - Boil pasta in generously salted water until al dente according to package directions. Drain, rinse under cold running water, and spread out to cool completely.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch seasoning packet, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add remaining milk gradually if a thinner consistency is preferred.
03 - Add the cooled pasta to the dressing and toss thoroughly until every piece is evenly coated.
04 - Gently fold in the cherry tomatoes, diced bell pepper, shredded cheddar, bacon bits, sliced green onions, and thawed peas until uniformly distributed.
05 - Taste the salad and adjust salt, pepper, or additional dressing as needed to balance flavors.
06 - Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the dressing to fully penetrate the pasta.
# Cooking Tips:
01 -
- It comes together faster than you can set the table for a barbecue
- The dressing clings to every spiral of pasta so no bite is bland
02 -
- Skip the rinsing step and your pasta will keep cooking in its own heat turning gummy by the time you add the dressing
- Chilling for at least thirty minutes is not optional it is the difference between a bowl of tossed ingredients and an actual salad with unified flavor
03 -
- Pat the rinsed pasta dry with a clean towel before adding the dressing so the creaminess stays concentrated rather than watered down
- Toasting the bacon bits in a dry skillet for a minute brings back their crunch even if they were cooked earlier in the day