Ranch BLT Pasta Salad Recipe
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Jump to RecipeThis Ranch BLT Pasta Salad recipe is a crowd-pleaser summer BBQ side dish: with bacon, tomatoes, and NO mayo! This is the perfect side for your next grill out, it makes the perfect side salad.
Everyone will love this dish, it combines two classics into one fantastic recipe. It’s great to serve with burgers or hot dogs off the grill, and is light, creamy, and tangy. It’s a total crowd-pleaser!
Want more easy salad ideas? Try our antipasto chopped salad, gnocchi pasta salad, or tuna salad with grapes!
This BLT Pasta Salad with Ranch Dressing is a fun take on a party side dish or appetizer! In the summers, we love having friends (and sometimes family if we’re lucky to have them in town) over to kick back, relax, and enjoy the great outdoors. And this BLT ranch pasta salad is the perfect side dish to take your BBQ to the next level.
This creamy dish is SO simple to make and is great to make ahead for your next party or holiday. It’s bright, fresh, tangy, and loaded with vegetables and rotini pasta.
This BLT Pasta Salad with Ranch Dressing Recipe Is
- Creamy
- Bright
- Fresh
- Tangy
- Satisfying
- A Crowd-Pleaser Side Dish
- A Fantastic Easy Make Ahead Appetizer
Ingredients You’ll Need
See the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and instructions.
- Rotini Pasta: I used rotini for a fun twist, but you can use any pasta of your choice.
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Fresh Spinach
- Crumbled Bacon or Bacon Bits: An essential element of the BLT, bacon adds a great salty flavor to this pasta salad and a nice crunch.
- Ranch Dressing – I love a gluten free and vegan ranch dressing, which gives this salad an amazing flavor and creaminess! I prefer to use a dairy free ranch dressing if my pasta salads will be sitting outside or on the counter for a while… you don’t want to leave dairy at room temperature for long.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Italian Seasoning Blend: usually has thyme, basil, rosemary, parsley, etc. I use a bright and flavorful Italian season mix which brings this amazing dish to life.
- Salt & Pepper
A Great Make-Ahead BLT Pasta Salad for Entertaining
This fresh BLT pasta salad recipe is fantastic to make ahead of time for a party, potluck, or gathering. Making this recipe in advance allows you to skip any cooking or prep on the day-of. This is a great recipe to entertain with, or bring to an event… and the dressing tastes even better after being refrigerated overnight. A true crowd-pleaser that everyone is sure to love!
How To Make This Recipe
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain in a colander and rinse pasta under cold water to cool noodles.
- Add pasta to a large bowl. Toss in tomatoes, spinach, and bacon crumbles.
- In a separate bowl add the ranch dressing, mayo, apple cider vinegar, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Whisk well to combine, then pour dressing over the pasta salad. Toss until noodles are well coated in dressing and chill before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Cooked pasta is loaded with bacon bits, chopped tomatoes, and lettuce (or in this case I used spinach), and topped with a creamy ranch dressing.
Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy with in 2 days. The spinach may wilt slightly, but the flavors of the pasta and the dressing will marry well over time.
Absolutely! Instead of traditional iceberg lettuce, I used baby spinach which is great in pasta salads. You can also use a shredded romaine lettuce or spring mix if desired.
Dietary Modifications
- To make this recipe gluten free, make sure you are using a gluten free pasta. They have some delicious gluten free rotini out there, which is a great option if you are entertaining a lot of people. That way if anyone has a gluten intolerance, they can enjoy too. And with any prepared dressing, make sure the ranch is certified gluten free as well.
- To make this recipe vegan or vegetarian, use plant-based bacon bits like these, and a dairy and egg free mayo and ranch dressing.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
- Pasta Salad with Avocado Dressing Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
- Caprese Pasta Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette (Vegetarian, GF, Vegan Option)
- Coleslaw Pasta Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
- Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe (Vegetarian, Summer Side Dish)
- The Absolute BEST Greek Pasta Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free Options)
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Ranch BLT Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 16 ounces rotini pasta use gluten free for GF version
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
- 3 cups fresh spinach chopped
- 1/2 cup cooked bacon crumbled, or bacon 1/2 cup vegan bacon bits
- 2/3 cup ranch dressing
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Tellicherry Black Pepper
Instructions
- Cook rotini pasta according to package instructions. Drain in a colander and rinse pasta under cold water to cool noodles.
- Add pasta to a large bowl. Toss in tomatoes, spinach, and bacon crumbles.
- In a separate bowl add the ranch dressing, apple cider vinegar, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Whisk well to combine, then pour dressing over the pasta salad.
- Toss until noodles are well coated in dressing and chill before serving.
Notes
Dietary Modifications
- To make this recipe gluten free, make sure you are using a gluten free pasta. They have some delicious gluten free rotini out there, which is a great option if you are entertaining a lot of people. That way if anyone has a gluten intolerance, they can enjoy too. And with any prepared dressing, make sure the ranch is certified gluten free as well.
- To make this recipe vegan or vegetarian, use plant-based bacon bits like these, and a dairy and egg free mayo and ranch dressing.
Nutrition
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This salad gets an A+