Quirky Inspired

A Minnesota Blogger passionate about making life rock, sharing amazing food, and real life tips.

Hidden Valley Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe With Bacon + Cheese Super Powers

by 37 Comments

Sharing is caring!

easy pasta salad recipes

This Hidden Valley Ranch bacon ranch pasta salad is the best way to have an awesome Super Bowl party or summer picnic or just an awesome party! Heck, it’s even great just on Saturdays!

This Hidden Valley Ranch Pasta salad recipe is amazeballs. Four easy ingredients, and ready in not time flat!

This girl is not a huge fan of mayonnaise, so I wanted to come up with a creamy pasta salad that had a little bit more flare to it than other easy pasta salad recipes. Now, ranch dressing, on the other hand, is something that this girl gets behind 110%!

Throw in a dash of bacon, cheddar and some other awesome ingredients to come up with this Hidden Valley ranch pasta salad recipe. (Bacon and cheddar cheese make it extra amazeballs)

Hidden Valley Ranch Pasta Salad with Super Powers of BACON

easypastasalad2

 

One of my favorite memories of summer is all the ranch dressing that I used as a kid to devour my vegetables. This girl could eat carrots with ranch for days. There was just something about the smooth creamy taste of ranch with the crisp sweet carrots. Yeah, that love still hasn’t changed.

Sometimes I feel like the Bubba Gump of ranch dressing. Bacon cheddar ranch pasta salad; bacon cheddar ranch salad dressing; bacon cheddar ranch macaroni and cheese (oh this one is coming soon!); ranch dressing on salad; ranch dressing on chicken; ranch dressing on rice casserole. There’s really not a single thing I wouldn’t douse in ranch. (Ok, maybe there’s a few things but you get the point!)

EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR THIS BACON PASTA RANCH SALAD

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad Cooking Tips

This bacon and cheese ranch pasta salad is easy, peasy lemon squeezy to make, but there are a few tips I’m gonna share with you to help you make it EXTRA awesome.

  1. Cook your pasta just a tad past al dente: You don’t want to crunch your pasta salad, but you don’t want it to be mushy either…EWWW….. If you cook it just a tad past al dente, and let it dry a little while you cook the bacon it will be perfect.
  2. Cook your bacon and pat dry: Cooking your bacon extra crispy (not burnt….that’s TOOO CRISPY), and then putting it on a paper towel, let it set for a little while and pat the top with another paper towel. This will make sure your bacon is nice and crunchy and doesn’t sog down the salad.
  3. Save the dressing for later: Ideally, you want to add the Ranch dressing less than an hour from when you are serving it. If you’re going to a party, bring the dressing with you in a separate container ( I LOVE these bowls and containers). At the beginning of the party add your dressing and top with the crispy fried onions. Then it’s PARTY TIME!

Other Great Recipes for a Large Party

If you are planning a party, you need to check out these other super awesome dishes!

  • Crockpot queso dip: Great for a Super Bowl Party or any other get together!
  • Easy Italian Pasta Salad Recipe:  This easy pasta salad recipe is much like it’s ranch cousin, but it’s punched with flavor thanks to homemade Italian salad dressing and other goodies!
  • Easy Dip Recipes:  Cheesy Bacon Ranch Dip: Another of my favorite cheese, bacon and ranch combos!

 

Looking for an easy pasta salad recipe? This creamy bacon cheddar ranch pasta salad is amazing! q

When we made this recipe, we thought it was going to be good, but I didn’t realize just HOW good. (Sometimes I surprise myself)

could. not. stop. eating. it. It’s right up there with my crack dip. (which by the way I can’t stop eating either)

This will definitely be an easy side dish that you won’t have leftovers from, plus it’s super crazy easy to make multiple batches.

We made this easy pasta salad of awesomeness using Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, but here’s the top secret tip. You can use ANY of the new Hidden Valley Ranch flavors. We tried them all, and they are all fabulous in this recipe. Ready to get to cookin’?

 

easypastasaladpicture

 

easypastasaladrecipes

Other great

pasta salad recipes

 

FOLLOW ME:

  • Want more kick ass food porn? Make sure to sign up for our once weekly foodie newsletter. Simple, delicious recipes straight to your inbox!
  • Make sure to also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to keep up with all the Quirky Inspired shenanigans

 

Looking for an easy pasta salad recipe? This creamy bacon cheddar ranch pasta salad is amazing!

Creamy Bacon Cheddar Ranch Pasta Salad

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

This delicious bacon cheddar ranch pasta salad is so good you won't be able to stop eating it!

Ingredients

  • 1 Box Rotini Pasta
  • 1/2 Cup Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
  • 1 Pound of Applewood Smoked Bacon
  • 1/2 Pound Sharp Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
  • Cripsy Fried Onions (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large stock pot, boil the pasta per the directions and strain.
  2. While the pasta is boiling, cook the bacon. Allow it to cool and cut into bits.
  3. After you have strained the pasta, rinse it with cold water to bring the temperature down. Make sure it's not warm at all or things will get all mushy.
  4. Drain the pasta and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  5. Combine all the ingredients, but leave some cheese and bacon for garnish.
  6. When ready to serve, top with additional bacon bits, cheddar, and crispy fried onions (optional)

Notes

Want to make this bacon ranch pasta salad for a crowd? Just double or triple this recipe. Just remember to add the ranch dressing last minute.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 473Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 1284mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 27g
© Ash Sears
Cuisine: American / Category: Awesome Eats
Love cold picnic food recipes? Then read and drool over these 30+ cold picnic food recipes for the perfect picnic!

 

 

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Diane Roark says

    We love pasta and ranch dressing. This looks like a super quick and easy recipe. YUM!

    Thanks for sharing!
    Diane Roark

    Reply

  4. Nancy @ Whispered Inspirations says

    OMG, this looks amazing! Especially the crispy onions and the creamy dressing. Yum.

    Reply

  6. Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert says

    Bacon, cheese, and pasta are my daughter’s favorite foods! She would love a dish that combined all of them!

    Reply

  7. Tammileetips says

    I love to make salads for bbqs. This sounds amazing, I had no idea you could get roasted garlic ranch like this.

    Reply

  9. Dawn says

    I have to be honest. I decided I was going to make this and also give it five stars as soon as I read the words “creamy bacon ranch”. =D

    Reply

  11. Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says

    What I need to do is get all of that deliciousness into this belly right here. This weekend is gonna be a tasty one.

    Reply

  14. Lindsey @ Redhead Baby Mama says

    I love that you say you couldn’t stop eating it. I have a BLT pasta salad that I eat WHILE I make… so good!

    Reply

  22. Toni | BoulderLocavore says

    This salad has everything I love in it. A perfect combination of flavors and great for upcoming tailgate parties.

    Reply

  24. Crystal says

    That sounds like a great recipe. I mean you can’t go wrong with ranch or bacon. I hope to have a BBQ over the long weekend.

    Reply

  25. Jeanine says

    Pasta is one of our favorites in this house. This looks delicious, I’m sure even my kiddos would agree and eat this right up. It looks amazing.

    Reply

  26. Ora Lee Gurr says

    Awesome! You just solved the question of what’s for lunch. I’m going to head over to the store for the bacon, sharp cheddar, and crispy fried onions in a bit. This pasta salad looks scrumptious!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

shares