Bacon ranch pasta salad is a hearty mealtime salad.
This pasta salad is filled with bacon, cheese, and chicken in an easy, creamy homemade dressing.
This pasta salad is perfect for picnics, potlucks, and hot summer evenings.
A Main Dish Pasta Salad
- This super easy salad is so hearty we enjoy it as a lunch or main dish.
- It also makes a perfect side dish for barbecues and beyond!
- It keeps up to 4 days in the fridge, perfect for quick weeknight meals.
- Use leftover chicken and your favorite veggies to create your own version.
- The quick homemade ranch dressing is my favorite part of this recipe but you can sub it for bottled dressing if you’d like.
Ingredients for Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Pasta – This salad is perfect for medium-sized pasta with ridges or holes such as rigatoni, bowties, or rotini pasta.
Chicken – Rotisserie or leftover chicken are both great in this recipe. Salmon is a great alternative.
Bacon – Crispy bacon adds a salty, smoky flavor. Short on time? Use a package of pre-cooked bacon bits and microwave them for about 30 seconds to crisp.
Cheese – Cubed (or shredded) cheddar cheese adds flavor.
Other – Tomatoes add a pop of fresh flavor, while avocado adds richness. If you plan for leftovers, add the avocado to each serving.
An Easy Homemade Dressing
The dressing is a version of my favorite homemade ranch salad dressing, and it’s delicious! It’s a quick combination of mayo and sour cream with herbs and seasonings.
Greek yogurt can be used instead of sour cream for a tangier flavor and to lighten the recipe a little bit.
Option: You can also use store-bought ranch mixed with a bit of sour cream in place of homemade dressing.
Variations
Try adding any of the following to this salad:
- chopped celery, bell pepper, or red onions
- sliced black olives
- green peas
How to Make Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Prep the dressing and set aside (recipe below).
- Boil the pasta according to package directions.
- Toss all ingredients in a bowl and add dressing to taste. Chill for a bit to let the flavors blend.
- Garnish with green onions and bacon or avocado slices.
Recipe Tips
- Cook the pasta al dente in salted water. Rinsing under cold water helps stop the cooking so the pasta doesn’t get mushy.
- The pasta will soak up the dressing as it sits, so dress generously.
- The homemade dressing in this recipe is so good, sub the herbs/seasonings with ranch seasoning or a packet of ranch mix if it’s what you have.
Leftovers
Leftover bacon ranch pasta salad will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Stir before serving.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
Did you love this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rigatoni shells, rotini, or penne
- 8 slices bacon
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 2 green onions thinly sliced, divided
- 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
- ½ cup diced cheddar cheese cut into ¼-inch cubes
- ½ avocado for garnish, optional
Dressing
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons milk or as needed
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 ½ teaspoon dried
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, chives, dill, parsley, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. If desired, whisk 1 tablespoon bacon grease into the dressing.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook al dente according to package directions. Drain well and rinse under cold water.
- Set aside 1 tablespoon of green onions and half of the bacon for garnish.
- In a large bowl, combine drained pasta, half of the bacon, chicken, tomatoes, green onions, and cheese. Add dressing to taste (you may not use all of the dressing) and toss well to combine. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
- Garnish with sliced avocado if using and remaining bacon and green onion.
Notes
- Use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken.
- For a quick dressing, replace the seasonings and herbs with a packet of ranch dressing mix. The dressing can also be replaced with store-bought ranch dressing.
- Leftover pasta salad can be kept in the fridge in a covered container for up to 4 days. Stir before re-serving.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Pasta, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
My husband is not a pasta salad guy, until I made this pasta salad. I had smoked some chicken breast, which added a whole other dimension to the salad. He loved it!!
Just made this for lunch. Didn’t wait for it to “chill”! Wonderful! Made it just as it says!
Great salad!!
Do you think 1 cup of pasta is enough to feed 4 people? I just made a cup and a half and it is still pretty sparse. Will cook another cup (8oz) to add to it
The recipe calls for 8 ounces of pasta, which is weight (pasta is sold by weight). 8 ounces of medium shells is approximately 3 cups of dry pasta shells. Hope that helps. Enjoy the recipe Nancy!
My family loved this recipe…I added onion, then topped with lettuce when served. My husband is crazy about the dressing, as am I.
Delicious
Thank Kelly! So happy you enjoyed it.
Would love more pasta recipes
Becky, you can check out our pasta recipes section for some great dishes!
Would love pasta recipes hot or cold
You can find all of the pasta recipes right here Kim:
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/?s=pasta
I would like to make the dressing only, does it expire a couple of days later or longer? Thanks
The dressing should last just fine up to 5 days if all of your dairy is fresh. Enjoy!
It is delicious,creamy,and self- filling.
Can you substitute the avacado with something else, I don’t like it.
You could leave it out if preferred.
Salad looks great but trying to be good right now. Doesn’t seem low calorie but it does look yummy!
Try turkey bacon instead. that would cut a large chunk of calories out I would think.
the best !!!!!!
this absolutely the best chicken pasta I have ever made
I am so glad you have enjoyed this recipe!
Working on this now for a hot steamy Texas evening. Can’t wait to try!
I HAVE to make this! I really love that you provided a dressing recipe with seasonings instead of just using a ranch powder. Thanks!
I hope you enjoy it Natasha! It is a perfect salad for a summer dinner!
This looks DELICIOUS!! Do you have a nutritional breakdown??
Thanks for posting!!
Thank you!! Please find the nutritional information under the recipe.
Is this salad best served cold or with the warm chicken?
Either would work but I serve it with cold chicken as I make it ahead of time.
this sounds great!
Quick question could you switch out the chicken for ham, salami or shrimp for a different taste.
Absolutely!
I have been searching for a recipe that is easy to make for a women’s luncheon. I already have the ingredients for this salad so I am anxious to make it tomorrow. It looks and sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Enjoy Lynn!!