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Ranch Pasta Salad

Categories Appetizer/Snacks, Easy Recipes, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

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:

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

  1. Cook and drain your pasta, rinse in cold water and add to a bowl.
  2. 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.
  3. If adding croutons add at the end.
  4. Serve cold and enjoy.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Ranch Pasta Salad

Easy and delicious pasta salad with a ranch dressing based sauce.
Servings: 6 people

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.