This ranch pasta salad makes the perfect summer meal. The flavors of the ranch dressing and sour cream compliment the ingredients in the salad nicely and it makes for a delicious combination.
I love this meal on a summer night when you want something cool and not too heavy but filling and satisfying.
This pasta salad has lettuce, cheddar, tomatoes, ham and bacon with a ranch based sauce and optional croutons. The leftovers taste great too.
This will serve 4-6 people or more if served as a side dish.
Growing up I loved going to picnics and trying everyone’s pasta salads. This dish reminds me of a fun summer night picnic with family and friends.
My mom used to make pasta salad all the time growing up, her standard pasta salad was an Italian pasta salad. It definitely instilled my love of pasta salad’s in all their varieties. Here are a few I have recipes for on my website:
- Summer Orzo Pasta Salad
- Garden Rotini Pasta Salad
- Mediterranean chickpea pasta salad
- Spring Roll Salad
- Easy Italian Pasta Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
What you need to make ranch pasta salad:
Serves 4-6
- 8 ounces dry pasta – cooked, rinsed and drained, bowtie, penne or rotini
- 1/2 head of iceberg lettuce – chopped
- 1 cup cheddar – cubed
- 1 large cucumber – diced
- 3 tomatoes – chopped
- 8 ounces ham – diced
- 1/4 cup bacon bits
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup ranch dressing
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- generous pinch salt
- generous pinch black pepper
- dash cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 cup croutons – optional
Instructions
- Cook and drain your pasta, rinse in cold water and add to a bowl.
- Add lettuce, cheddar, cucumber, tomatoes, ham, bacon bits, sour cream, ranch dressing, vinegar, milk, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and parsley and mix together well.
- If adding croutons add at the end.
- Serve cold and enjoy.
Ranch Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dry pasta – cooked rinsed and drained, bowtie, penne or rotini
- 1/2 head of iceberg lettuce – chopped
- 1 cup cheddar – cubed
- 1 large cucumber – diced
- 3 to matoes – chopped
- 8 ounces ham – diced
- 1/4 cup bacon bits
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup ranch dressing
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- generous pinch salt
- generous pinch black pepper
- dash cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Cook and drain your pasta, rinse in cold water and add to a bowl.
- Add lettuce, cheddar, cucumber, tomatoes, ham, bacon bits, sour cream, ranch dressing, vinegar, milk, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and parsley and mix together well.
- If adding croutons add at the end.
- Serve cold and enjoy.