Description
This Ranch Pasta Salad recipe is a delightful blend of flavors and textures, combining creamy dressing with crisp vegetables, pasta, and savory bacon. Perfect for picnics, potlucks, or a satisfying side dish.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Main Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 (1-ounce) packet ranch dressing mix, or scant 1/4 cup homemade
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh soft herbs, such as chives, parsley leaves, dill, or a combination, plus more for garnish if desired
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
- 6 ounces bacon (about 6 slices), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 ounces dry short pasta, such as fusilli
- 1 medium head broccoli (about 12 ounces), cut into small bite-sized florets (about 3 cups)
- 2 medium radishes, thinly sliced
- 2 medium scallions, finely chopped
- 1 (4-ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater (about 1 cup)
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated on the large holes of a box grater (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Main Dressing: Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch dressing mix, herbs, and black pepper in a bowl. Refrigerate.
- Salad: Cook bacon until crisp. Toss tomatoes with salt. Cook pasta, adding broccoli in the last minute. Drain, rinse, and cool.
- Combine radishes, scallions, olives, carrots, cheddar, and sunflower seeds with tomatoes. Add pasta, broccoli, and dressing. Toss to combine.
- Garnish with herbs. Serve or refrigerate.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: Approx. 400 kcal
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 40mg