Description
A delicious and refreshing BLT Pasta Salad featuring rotini pasta, crispy bacon, fresh vegetables, and a creamy ranch dressing. Perfect for a crowd-pleasing side or a light main dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 16 ounces rotini pasta, cooked, drained, and rinsed with cold water
- 13 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
- ½ large red onion, finely diced
- 1½ cups cheddar cheese, cut into cubes
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, cut or torn into bite size pieces
- 1 avocado, cut into small pieces
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 ounce packet Hidden Valley Dressing Mix dry
- 1½ cups mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Whisk together until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
- Cook the pasta: Cook rotini pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking and cool the pasta. Drain again thoroughly and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine the salad ingredients: Add the cooked and chopped bacon, finely diced red onion, cubed cheddar cheese, diced avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped parsley, and bite-sized romaine lettuce pieces to the bowl with the pasta.
- Toss salad with dressing: Pour the chilled dressing mixture over the salad ingredients. Using tongs, gently toss everything together until well coated with the dressing.
- Serve: Serve the BLT pasta salad immediately to enjoy the fresh, crisp taste and creamy dressing.
Notes
- The romaine lettuce does not save well in this salad; serve immediately or wait to add lettuce and dressing until ready to serve.
- If you have leftovers, store in a tightly sealed container and consume within 24 hours.
- This recipe yields a large portion; halve the ingredients to serve fewer people.
- You can shred the cheddar cheese instead of cubing it if preferred.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
