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bacon tomato pasta salad in glass serving bowl with wooden spoon
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4.67 from 3 votes

Creamy Bacon Tomato Pasta Salad

Love BLTs? You'll love this Creamy Bacon Tomato Pasta Salad with the flavors of the classic BLT. It's a perfect salad for summertime entertaining or as an easy weeknight dish. It takes no time at all to make this delicious salad!
Prep Time20 minutes
Chill Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bacon, BLT, pasta, pasta salad, salad
Servings: 8 servings

Equipment

  • 1 Large bowl
  • 1 wooden spoon

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces rotini pasta, cooked, and chilled
  • cup mayonnaise
  • cup milk
  • 1 packet dry ranch dip mix
  • 6 slices bacon cooked and chopped coarsely
  • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed and drained
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, diced

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, milk and dry ranch packet ingredients.
  • Add all of the remaining ingredients to the dressing mixture in the large bowl. Toss gently to combine.
  • Cover bowl and chill in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. You can make this salad ahead of time. I often make it the night before or in the morning.

Notes

Tips, Tricks, and FAQs
  • Any short pasta will work in this recipe, if you don’t have rotini.
  • You can use a gluten-free pasta.
  • Chilling the cooked pasta will ensure the dressing isn’t runny plus warm pasta will absorb a lot of your dressing. You want a creamy salad.
  • Substitute mayonnaise with avocado mayonnaise
  • Not a pea fan? Use fresh spinach or arugula.
  • Use a package of pre-cooked real bacon pieces in place of the cooked bacon slices.
  • Don’t care for sharp cheddar? Use white or mild cheddar; whatever your favorite cheese is.
  • Add diced onions or celery.
  • No, you do not have to use grape tomatoes. I like them because they’re small and I just have to half them to use. You can use cherry or even chop a on the vine tomato to use. Whatever you have!