With easy and tasty ingredients, this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is the perfect side for your spring and summer gatherings.

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad in serving bowl with parsley, salt and pepper behind bowl.

I’m a huge pasta salad fan and this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad has to be one of our families favorites.

It might just be because I love anything that consists of ranch and then you add in bacon, you cannot go wrong.

Pasta is one thing that we go crazy for in any for, especially in salad form. So this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is just an all around hit.

This makes the perfect side dish to any of your spring and summer gatherings or just to serve up with some burgers for the family.

You really just cannot go wrong with having a good pasta salad recipe in your menu box and this one just works so well.

Some of our other favorite spring and summer sides we have on our site include: Potato Salad, Fruit Salad and Homemade Baked Beans.

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad close up in white ridged serving bowl.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

The flavors from the ranch mixture and bacon combine so well in this salad.
This goes great with a variety of main dishes.
This comes together in no time and you can make it ahead of time as well.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST):

Spiral pasta
Bacon
Frozen peas
Cheddar cheese
Parsley
Mayonnaise
Sour cream
Lemon juice
Dried ranch seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste

Ingredients needed to make a Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.

HOW TO MAKE BACON RANCH PASTA SALAD, STEP BY STEP:

Cook the pasta according to packet directions. Drain and set aside to cool completely.
To make the creamy ranch dressing, add the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice and ranch seasoning to a small mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place the cooled pasta in a large mixing bowl along with the cooked bacon, thawed peas, grated cheese and chopped parsley. Mix until well combined.
Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and stir through until well combined.
Serve from the mixing bowl or transfer to a large salad bowl to serve.

Step by step photos on how to make a Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.

CAN I USE ANOTHER TYPE OF PASTA?

Yes, if you do not want to use spiral pasta you can use another favorite small pasta.

Some of our favorites include bowtime, penne, shells, elbows, etc. Use what you have on hand.

MY DRESSING IS TOO THICK, WHAT DO I DO?

If you feel like your dressing is too thick you can thin it out by gradually adding some milk or buttermilk until it thins out.

I don’t recommend adding any more of the other ingredients as the milk has been our best way of thinning it out if needed.

WHAT OTHER INGREDIENTS CAN I ADD TO THIS PASTA SALAD?

While this is amazing just the way it is, you can absolutely add some other ingredients if you’d like. Some ideas include:

Tomatoes
Green onions
Cucumbers
Celery
Broccoli
Bell Peppers

Add whatever you think would compliment the flavors that are already in this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.

CAN I USE ANOTHER CHEESE?

We use shredded cheddar cheese for this recipe, we just find it easy and you don’t have to do much work with it.

You can also use block cheese cut into cubes as well. So whether it be shredded or block other cheese can be used.

Some others that you can use include: Mozzarella, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Gouda, Munster, etc.

Wooden spoon holding up some of the salad out of the serving bowl.

HOW TO STORE:

This salad can be stored in an airtight container where it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.

We do not recommend freezing this recipe.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

You can use another type of pasta if desired, see some suggestions above.
We do not recommend freezing this recipe.
This is a great side dish to bring to a gathering or just to have at your own family grill out.
Other ingredients can be added, see above on some ideas.
Use other cheese if you want, cubed works great. I have listed some options above.
To cool your pasta faster, run cold water over it in the strainer.
If the dressing is too thick, gradually add some milk or buttermilk to your dressing until it thins out to your desired consistency.
After storing the pasta may soak up some of the dressing, you can always make more and stir it in to make it creamy again.

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad served on a white plate with white and grey linen and salad behind it in serving bowl.

Love a good pasta salad that you can serve and all your spring and summer gatherings? Then you absolutely need to make this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.

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If you’ve tried this BACON RANCH PASTA SALAD or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad