Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
A chilled rotini salad with bacon, tomato, olives, cheddar, and a mayo-sour cream ranch dressing. Milk and garlic powder complete the dressing.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 12 ounces tri-color rotini pasta Cook until al dente.
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 ounce dry ranch dressing mix
- 8 slices cooked bacon, chopped
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 4.25 ounces can sliced black olives, drained
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Dressing Additions
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup milk plus a small splash if needed after chilling
Instructions
- Cook the dry rotini using its package time, generally 8–12 minutes. Drain, cool under running cold water, and allow excess water to leave the pasta completely.
- Blend mayonnaise, sour cream, dry ranch seasoning, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ cup milk in a large salad bowl.
- Fold in the rotini, chopped cooked bacon, diced tomato, drained olives, and cheddar until evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate a minimum of 2 hours. Stir at serving time and loosen with a small additional milk splash only if needed.
Notes
Use already cooked and cooled bacon. The total includes 120 minutes of refrigerator chilling. If cooking bacon from raw, budget that extra preparation separately. Keep the finished salad at 40°F or below.