Creamy Ranch Pasta Salad

ranch pasta salad being served with salad tongs.

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Creamy Ranch Pasta Salad is my go-to pasta salad recipe! It's loaded with tender noodles, salty, smoky bacon bits, and fresh veggies, and finished with a creamy Ranch dressing.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Servings: Servings

Calories: 312kcal

Ingredients

For the pasta salad

1 pound pasta I used rotini
1 heart of romaine chopped (about 3-4 cups)
1 cup grape tomatoes halved
8 pieces of bacon cooked to crispy and crumbled

For the ranch dressing

3/4 cup buttermilk divided
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic minced
½ teaspoon dried dill
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives

Instructions

Cook the pasta per package directions. Once done, rinse with cool water and let drip dry.
While the pasta is cooking, make the buttermilk ranch dressing by whisking together ½ cup buttermilk, all of the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, dill, salt, pepper and chives. Drizzle in the remaining 1/4 cup of buttermilk while whisking until the dressing is smooth and pourable.
Chill until ready to use. (The ranch dressing can also be made up to three days ahead of time and used when ready to serve the salad.)
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, romaine and grape tomatoes. Pour in the creamy ranch dressing and toss until everything is coated. Last, stir in the bacon.
Serve immediately as a side or main dish. Enjoy!

Notes

You can add grilled or rotisserie chicken to this salad to make it a full and hearty meal.

If you are making ahead of time, I recommend prepping all of the parts of the salad and combining just before serving.

Nutrition