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!
Servings: 8 servings
Equipment
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 12 ounces rotini pasta, cooked, and chilled
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ 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!