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Ranch Pasta Salad

Ranch pasta salad with creamy ranch-coated rotini, bacon, cheddar, and blanched broccoli. Chilled for at least 2 hours so every bite is tangy, creamy, and evenly coated.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 610
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ranch pasta salad components
  • 1 lb rotini pasta
  • 1 cup ranch dressing
  • 0.5 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.25 cup milk
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup broccoli florets, blanched
  • 0.5 cup red onion, diced
  • 0.01 salt to taste
  • 0.01 pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook rotini pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water so the pasta stops cooking and stays firm.
  2. Blanch broccoli florets in the boiling pasta water until bright green, then drain and cool briefly. This keeps the vegetables crisp for the salad.
Make the ranch dressing
  1. Whisk ranch dressing, mayonnaise, and milk until smooth and creamy. Keep whisking until no streaks remain so the coating clings to pasta.
Assemble and season
  1. In a large bowl, combine pasta, cheddar cheese, bacon, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and red onion. Toss just to distribute ingredients evenly.
  2. Pour ranch dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly. Scrape the bowl as needed so every piece of pasta gets dressing.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss once more to ensure seasoning is distributed throughout.
Chill before serving
  1. Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 2 hours before serving. Chill until cold and set so the ranch coating thickens and the flavors meld.

Notes

For best texture, rinse pasta thoroughly with cold water so it doesn’t clump when chilled. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze is not recommended because the dairy dressing can separate. If you want a lighter option, use reduced-fat mayonnaise and ranch dressing for a similar creamy result.