Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

This Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is full of that classic ranch + bacon flavors that everyone loves! Spiral rotini pasta holds the ultra creamy & rich dressing made with mayo, heavy cream, and ranch dressing mix. Lots of add-ins like peas, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and chunks of cheese that almost make it feel like a complete meal! 

Amazing Pasta Salad Recipe with Bacon & Ranch

I just love pasta salads! My favorite part about them is that they are hearty, full of all sorts of goodness, and they always look so pretty. Pasta salads usually come together easily with a simple boiling of the pasta, chop up the veggies, and mix up the cream dressing. 

The creamy dressing on this bacon ranch pasta salad will blow your mind! It’s so creamy, thick, and rich thanks to the mayo, heavy cream, and sour cream. I really think heavy cream might be the ‘secret ingredient’ in this creamy pasta salad. It’s also full of other really colorful and nutritious ingredients like cucumbers, peas, tomatoes, along with cheese and olives. No meat needed!

If you love that combination of flavors with the ranch + bacon + cheese then you must try this Instant Pot Crack Chicken! 

Ingredients Needed For This Pasta Salad Recipe

• Bacon – You need about 1/2 pound of bacon, or 8-10 bacon strips, cooked and chopped. Cook the bacon your preferred way; oven baked, skillet pan on the stove top, or in the air fryer. 
• Rotini Pasta – This is the best pasta to use for pasta salads because it has a bunch of nooks and crannies for that creamy dressing to settle into. 
• Mayonnaise
• Ranch Seasoning Mix – Don’t prepare according to package instructions. We are just using the dry powder inside the packet. 
• Garlic Powder
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Sour Cream
• Frozen Peas – Let these sit out at room temperature for a bit before adding them into the salad. 
• Sliced Black Olives – You can also use chopped black olives if you prefer the smaller texture.
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Colby Monterey Jack Cubes – Any cheese can be used! Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, or even Pepper Jack cheese are all great options too. 
• Cucumber – Peeled and sliced thinly. 

Step-by-Step Instructions for How To Make It

Learn how to make this recipe with these easy-to-follow steps. Be sure and read to the bottom of the past where there is a detailed recipe card, a printable option, and a pin it button so you can save the recipe for later. 

• Cook Pasta : Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Don’t forget to salt the water. Once cooked, drain it in a colander and rinse it under cold water. Allow the pasta to drain and cool while you prepare the other ingredients. 
• Cook Bacon : Cook the bacon your preferred way and chop it. 
• Make Creamy Dressing : In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, heavy cream, sour cream, ranch seasoning mix, and garlic powder. 
• Chop Add-Ins : Chop the cucumbers, half the cherry tomatoes, and cut the cheese into small chunks. 
• Make The Pasta Salad : Pour the creamy dressing over the pasta and stir. Add the peas, olives, tomatoes, cheese cubes, and sliced cucumber. Stir to combine. 

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad FAQ’s

• How Do I Cook The Bacon?

  • There are lots of ways to cook bacon for a pasta salad. Choose your preferred way!
    • Oven Baked Bacon : Line a cookie sheet with tin foil/parchment paper and lay the strips of bacon on top of it. Try to have them not touching as much as possible. Cook at 400 degrees F for 10-20 minutes. Check for doneness at 10 minutes and add more time from there, depending on how crispy you want the bacon to be. Move the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and allow it rest and cool before chopping. 
    • Air Fryer Bacon : Lay the bacon in an even layer inside the air fryer basket. Cook at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes, based on how crispy you want the bacon. Move the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and allow it rest and cool before chopping. 
    • Skillet Pan Bacon : Cook the bacon in a skillet pan, over medium to medium-high heat, until crispy. 
    • Microwave Bacon : I love the microwave bacon at Costco (it’s the only one I recommend using). It crisps up nicely in the microwave and is not soggy like most of the other other brands. 
    • Use Bacon Bits : Bacon bits actually work just fine in this recipe in a pinch. You need a 1/2 cup of bacon bits if using. 

• Do I Need To Rinse The Cooked Pasta in Cold Water?

  • Yes. The rule of thumb is that if you are making a warm pasta dish (baked ziti, casserole, spaghetti, etc) you should never rinse it under cold water. The starch on the pasta helps the sauce adhere to it and thickens it slightly. Only drain it. If making a cold dish (like pasta salads) you should drain it and rinse the pasta under cold water to help it cool and stop cooking.  You don’t want all that extra starch in pasta salads. It will make it really thick. 

• Storing Leftovers

  • Store any leftover pasta salad inside an airtight Tupperware type container, in the fridge, for up to 2-3 days. 
  • Leftovers will dry out, because the pasta soaks up the dressing while in the fridge, so make sure to stir it back up to remoisten the pasta noodles or try adding a splash of milk to moisten it back up. 

• Can I Use a Different Pasta Shape?

  • Although I only recommend using the rotini spiral pasta in this salad, you can use another similar shaped and similar sized pasta noodle. 
  • Other good options are bowtie, macaroni, and medium shell pasta. I love the rotini pasta because of all it’s nooks and crannies that the creamy dressing soaks into. It also holds all the add-ins really nicely too.

• Can I Prepare Pasta Salad Ahead of Time?

  • I recommend serving this pasta salad within 2-4 hours of making it. I like to refrigerate pasta salad before serving it, to get it chilled, but you should try to serve it within a few hours of making it. 
  • Pasta salad dries out and is not as moist, the longer it sits in the fridge. 
  • You can also serve it right away after preparing the salad with just fine results. I personally prefer a chilled pasta salad so I let it refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving it. 

Recipe Tips & Variation Ideas

Here are a few of my helpful tips so that you can have success recreating this pasta salad in your own kitchen ♥

• Salt Pasta Water : Make sure you add some salt to the boiling water before adding the dry noodles. The salt helps the noodles taste like something and it really does make a difference. I add about a heaping 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
• English Cucumber : These cucumbers have less water and seeds in them compared to regular cucumbers. I prefer using an English cucumber in pasta salads. English cucumbers are longer and not as thick as regular cucumbers.
• Small Chopped Add-Ins : Aim to have all the add-ins cut about the same size. The cheese cubes need to be small so they match the other ingredients. Half the cherry tomatoes and cut the cucumbers into quarters (from a slice of cucumber).
• Black Olives : Sliced or chopped olives can be used.
• Cheese : Use any variety of cheese that you want. Other great options are Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, Muenster Cheese, or White Cheddar cheese.
• Lighten It Up! : Substitute half the mayo for plain Greek yogurt. I only recommend subbing half of the mayo only because Greek yogurt is thicker and has a much different flavor compared to mayo. You can also try using a lower fat milk like half and half or whole milk. Use a lite mayo, olive oil based mayo, or avocado oil mayo.

More Pasta Salads You Need To Try

• Easy Italian Pasta Salad – This pasta salad used Italian salad dressing! Makes it so quick & easy to prepare. 
• Dill Pickle Pasta Salad – The #1 salad recipe on my site since it was first posted years ago. 
• Poppy Seed Chicken Pasta Salad – This is probably my personal favorite. Chunks of chicken, a poppyseed dressing that is semi-homemade, and juicy red grapes. 
• Coleslaw Pasta Salad – A bag of shredded coleslaw mix really makes this pasta salad stand out from the rest. 
• Tri Color Pasta Salad – This salad has a delicious & super easy dressing that is ranch dressing + Italian salad dressing combined. It’s actually really good!