Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad With Sour Cream
This Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad With Sour Cream is a creamy cold pasta salad loaded with crispy bacon, cheese, and ranch flavor for an easy crowd-pleasing side dish. It’s perfect for BBQs, potlucks, picnics, or simple make-ahead family meals.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 15 Minutes prep
- 👪Serves: 12
- 🍽 Calories: 413 kcals
- 📋Main Ingredients: Pasta noodles, ranch dip, sour cream, cheese, bacon, mayonnaise, and peas.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Nut-free
- ⭐ Why You’ll Love It: With a creamy ranch dressing, crispy bacon, and tender noodles, this ranch pasta salad makes it an easy side dish everyone goes back for.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
This bacon ranch pasta salad is one of my favorite make-ahead side dishes because it’s easy to throw together and somehow tastes even better after chilling in the fridge. I usually make it for BBQs, sports nights, or potlucks since it pairs perfectly with easy meals like these Greek chicken gyros with marinade and feeds a crowd without much effort.
I’ve also been known to make it into a full-on meal as well and toss in leftover marinated chicken breasts in the air fryer for more protein. I make a big batch and bring it with us in containers to baseball practice.
Jump to:
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Why The Recipe Works💭
- Items and Substitutions
- Flavors To Try
- How To Make Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad With Sour Cream
- Helpful Hints
- How To Serve It
- Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad With Sour Cream FAQs
- More Easy Family Recipes
- Keto Pizza Soup
- Marinated Greek Chicken Gyros
- Melted Crab Wraps [Keto]
- Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad With Sour Cream
Why The Recipe Works💭
Creamy texture: The pasta salad is made creamy by using both sour cream and mayonnaise. Though some absorb into the noodles, the combo of these two keeps the dish silky.
Flavor: Between the bacon and ranch mix, this pasta salad is ultra-savory, which makes it ideal to be paired with grilled meats.
Meal prep: I usually make this a few hours ahead so the ranch flavor has time to develop. This also makes it a time saver when we’re in a rush.
Items and Substitutions
- Noodles: Any noodles can work here, but elbow noodles are a classic for pasta salad. If you need to make this dish gluten-free, make sure to use quinoa noodles as they hold up the best without getting soggy.
- Sour cream: This helps keep the pasta salad creamy. Know that yogurt can be used in its place, but Greek yogurt will change the texture quite a bit.
- Cheese: Best made with mild cheddar or Colby cheese, but a Tex-Mex can be a fun swap.
- Bacon: The crispier the bacon, the better, so cook your own if possible! Use up leftovers for a green keto salad with chicken.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Tools you’ll need
Before starting the recipe, you’ll want to have all your kitchen essentials ready. I recommend having the following items:
Flavors To Try
Here are some easy ways to customize this bacon ranch pasta salad to fit your taste or what you have on hand:
- Swap the protein: Use grilled chicken, ham, or turkey instead of or in addition to bacon for a different flavor or to make it a full meal. This works for low carb shrimp fried cauliflower rice, too.
- Add more veggies: Try chopped bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, or shredded carrots for added crunch and color.
- Make it spicy: Add a pinch of cayenne, diced jalapeños, or a few dashes of hot sauce to the dressing.
How To Make Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad With Sour Cream
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the ranch dip, sour cream, mayo, salt, and pepper to taste.
Step 2: Add in the remaining ingredients to the dressing mixture and stir until combined. Chill until serving.
Note
Make sure the pasta is fully cooled before mixing it with the dressing as this helps prevent the sauce from becoming too thin and keeps the salad creamy and flavorful.
Helpful Hints
Pro tip: Chill Before Serving!
For the best flavor, chill the salad for at least 30 minutes before serving to let the ingredients meld together.
Here are more helpful hints for making this recipe:
- Cook the pasta al dente: Slightly firm noodles hold up better in creamy salads and won’t get mushy.
- Thaw and drain peas well: Excess moisture can water down the dressing.
- Ensure creaminess: Pasta absorbs dressing as it chills, so stirring in extra dressing just before serving helps keep the salad creamy. You can make everything ahead, just store it separately in the fridge.
- Storing it: Store any leftover bacon ranch pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. If the salad thickens up too much in the fridge, you can stir in a small spoonful of mayo or sour cream just before serving to refresh the texture.
How To Serve It
As I mentioned, we love this bancon ranch pasta as a side dish at a barbecue or a full-on meal. Here are a few things we regularly pair it with.
- We use it with BBQ chicken breast in the air fryer for a full meal.
- Serve bacon ranch pasta salad chilled alongside burgers, hot dogs, or grilled chicken at summer cookouts.
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad With Sour Cream FAQs
More Easy Family Recipes
If you tried this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad With Sour Cream
Ingredients
- 16 ounces elbow noodles cooked and drained
- 1 ounce ranch dip mix
- 16 ounces sour cream
- ¼ cup mayo
- 8 ounces mild cheddar or colby cheese cubed
- 10 ounces frozen peas thawed
- 8 pieces bacon cooked and chopped
- ½ red onion
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the ranch dip, sour cream, mayo, salt and pepper to taste.
- Add in the remaining ingredients to the dressing mixture: elbow noodles, cheese, peas, bacon and red onion.
- Stir until combined thoroughly.
- Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
The bites of bacon add such a pop of savory flavor.