Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

The only dish to bring to this year's BBQ or pool party! This Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is so easy to make and a real crowd pleaser! Elbow Macaroni, broccoli, cubed cheddar cheese and cherry tomatoes tossed in a homemade Ranch dressing makes this pasta salad really hearty.

This Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is the perfect side dish and a recipe you are going to want to try asap. it goes great with any summer BBQ.

Full of flavor and simple to make this pasta salad will become a favorite for you to make.

How to make Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad:

This recipe is pretty easy to make. Start by cooking and preparing your bacon and the noodles.

Blanch your broccoli next. In a large mixing bowl, add your noodles first and then everything else finishing off with adding the dressing.

Mix it all together well so that everything is coated in the dressing. Chill in the refrigerator for a couple hours before serving.

Ingredients:

• Elbow Macaroni
• Broccoli - cut and blanched
• Mayonnaise
• Sour Cream
• Milk
• Ranch Seasoning
• Bacon - cooked and crumbled. Try my Perfect Oven Baked Bacon for cooking your bacon for this recipe.
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Cheddar Cheese - cubed

Directions:

Step One - Cook pasta according to directions. Run under cold water and set aside.

Step Two - In a small mixing bowl mix mayonnaise, sour cream, and milk with ranch seasoning until combined.

How to Blanch Broccoli:

Step Three - Blanch cut broccoli then set aside. To blanch your broccoli, bring a pot of water to a boil.

Submerge chopped broccoli florets in water and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes until bright green.

Then use a slotted spoon to remove broccoli and place in a bowl of ice water. Once cooled remove from water.

Step Four - In a large mixing bowl add cooked elbow macaroni, blanched broccoli, cooked and crumbled bacon, cherry tomatoes, cubed cheddar cheese, then ranch dressing.

Toss until evenly coated.

Step Five - Place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours then serve and enjoy.

How can I blanch the broccoli for this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad?

Start by cutting your broccoli and washing it. Fill a pot about ¾ way full of water and bring to a rolling boil.

Slowly and carefully place broccoli in the boiling water. Allow it to cook for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a bowl with ice and water. When the three minutes up add your broccoli to the ice water.

Your broccoli should be bright green and just slightly softened.

Can I make this Pasta Salad ahead of time?

Normally yes, you can make almost any pasta salad ahead of time. With this one, you still can get most of it done in advance.

Go ahead and cook your pasta. Mix that up with the other ingredients and the mayo/sour cream.

Store in the refrigerator. It should last roughly 2-4 days in the refrigerator.

Cooking Tip:

When serving you want your pasta to be cooled. I drain mine and leave it in the colander then run cold water over the pasta to cool quickly.

Typically, you do not want to rinse your pasta, or the sauce will not be absorbed in it.

The only time it is acceptable to rinse pasta is when you are using it for a cold dish, such as pasta salad. Once cooked you can add it to the rest of your salad.

Try some of my other favorite Pasta Salad Recipes:

Easy Taco Salad - Seasoned with taco seasonings this Easy Taco Pasta Salad is the perfect summertime side dish.

Tortellini Pasta Salad - This tasty Tortellini Pasta Salad is super easy to make and full of flavor with a simple to make homemade dressing. Best thing is you can make this in about 20 minutes!

Tuna Macaroni Salad - Tuna Macaroni Salad or Tuna Pasta Salad is a classic side dish recipe that is super easy to make. dish.

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