Ranch BLT Pasta Salad

This super easy Ranch BLT Pasta Salad is a great side dish or main dish recipe. It’s made with Marie’s Creamy Ranch Dressing, rotini pasta, crumbled bacon, cherry tomatoes, red onion, orange pepper, and romaine lettuce. This ranch salad might just make a regular appearance on your menu, especially when warmer temperatures roll around.

I’ve fallen in love with this salad, y’all.

I am proud to be partnering with Marie’s Dressing to bring you this sponsored post. As always all opinions are 100% my own.

And I have a confession.
I am not a ranch team member.
It’s just not flavor I’ve grown to love.

Give me wings on game day or at a restaurant and I’m ALWAYS going to pick the blue cheese over the ranch.

BUT…
even though blue cheese is my #1, I have to admit that it’s pretty gosh darn delicious and I didn’t have any problem finishing my portion.
I even went back for more!

SAVE THIS EASY PASTA SALAD RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!

The reason it’s so delicious?
Yes, it’s got bacon, and everything’s better with bacon, of course.
But I’ll stand firm in my conviction that it’s Marie’s Creamy Ranch Dressing.

I think it’s the perfect dipping sauce for these Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks, too!
But, that’s what I love about ALL of Marie’s Dressings – they’re so versatile!
You can use them not only on salads and as dipping sauces, but IN recipes as well.
I used their Marie’s Thousand Island Dressing to make this Easy 5-Ingredient Reuben Braid, and we absolutely LOVED it!

It really is the perfect touch to this salad.
It’s indulgent, yet so gosh darn delicious.
Besides, this creamy dressing is so craveable that you’ll be like me and won’t be able to just stop at one serving. haha

Can I make this BLT pasta salad ahead of time?

Yes, you most certainly can.
BUT wait until just before serving to add the bacon and lettuce for reasons I talk about below in the tips.

What do I need to make this easy pasta salad?

• Pasta
  A pasta salad just isn’t one without it.
  I used rotini because I like not only the way it looks in a pasta salad, but the dressing gets into all of those nooks and crannies so you get more Creamy Ranch dressing with every bite.
• Bacon
  This is THE ONLY WAY I cook our bacon now.
  It’s just SO much easier, much less mess, no more burns from splattering grease, AND I can cook a lot more of it at one time.
  I’ll even cook up more than I need and store it in the freezer for breakfasts later on or to use up in recipes. I’ll put it on a paper towel lined plate and cover it with another paper towel. Then just pop it into the microwave for about 30 seconds to a minute. VOILA!
• Marie’s Creamy Ranch Dressing
  Seriously, this is a no-brainer.
  Blue cheese dressing won’t do it, and the thought of it in recipe honestly turns me off.
  You’ll thank me.
• Mayonnaise
  You don’t need a lot, but it definitely highlights the taste of the Creamy Ranch dressing and adds even more creaminess to it.
• Cherry Tomatoes
  Yes, you can use large tomatoes and cut them up, but I personally prefer the cherry.
  They burst with flavor and they’re just more fun.
  So use them, and slice them in half before you add them.
  No one likes a tomato shooting across the table when you go to stab it with a fork.
• Orange Pepper
  I know, what you’re saying.
  An orange bell pepper in a BLT pasta salad?
  No one puts peppers on their BLT.
  I used it for an additional pop of color, and actually loved the additional flavor it added.
• Red Onion
  Stick with the red, don’t go with the white – better taste and not too strong.
  But just enough…like Goldilocks. haha
• Romaine Lettuce
  You can use your lettuce of preference.
  I like the taste of the Romaine.
  Just make sure you use two cups.

Important Pasta Salad Tips

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together Marie’s Creamy Ranch Dressing and the mayonnaise
2. Make sure the pasta is completely cooled before adding it to a large bowl.
3. Then pour in the cherry tomatoes, orange pepper, red onion.
4. Add the Creamy Ranch mixture and mix to thoroughly coat all those noodles.
5. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and then refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
6. Now add the crumbled bacon and lettuce.
   It’s important that you add these two ingredients after you refrigerate because the bacon will get soggy instead of being crisp and the lettuce will start to wilt.
7. Serve immediately.

Want more pasta salads?

• Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
• Italian Pasta Salad
• Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad
• Ranch BLT Pasta Salad
• Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad
• Tex-Mex Pasta Salad