I love pasta salad! To be fair, I love carbs, so it might just be that I love pasta… but I do like veggies a lot too, and I really enjoy pasta salad dishes in the summertime. They’re the perfect compliment to a grilled hamburger or a BBQ sandwich!
If you’ve been around for a little while, you know that I have posted my Italian Pasta Salad recipe here.
Today’s recipe is just as easy! It’s a bacon ranch pasta salad!
Although I’m not a ranch fan usually, I do love ranch dip with vegetables and ranch pasta salad.
To develop a good recipe, I started dissecting pasta salads I’d try in delis or from boxed mixes, and this is what I’m come up with for my own homemade version.
For this delicious dish, you’ll need the the following:
- 4 cups of bow tie pasta
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1/2 cup sugar peas
- Approx 1 1/4 cup mayo
- 1 pack of real bacon bits
- 1 pack of ranch seasoning
First, you’ll need to boil the noodles.
While noodles are boiling, measure out all other ingredients. If your peas are frozen like mine, steam in the microwave for 2ish minutes.
When the noodles are done, drain and rinse in a colander. Put the rinsed cooked and noodles in a big bowl.
Now, add all ingredients and stir until well covered. When you begin to stir, you’ll want to make sure that the ranch seasoning packet and the mayo both end up dispersed throughout the dish.
Chill until serving. Enjoy!
PS: If you serve it several hours after making it, I advise that you add a little extra mayonnaise and stir before serving. This will ensure that the pasta salad has the right texture and fresh taste!
Kate with a Twang 