Description
A delicious and hearty BLT Pasta Salad combining crispy bacon, fresh vegetables, rotini pasta, and a creamy Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, perfect for sharing at gatherings or as a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 1 16-ounce box Rotini Pasta cooked, drained, and rinsed with cold water
- 13 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- ½ large red onion finely diced
- 1½ cups cheddar cheese cut into cubes (measured after it’s cubed)
- 2 cups romaine lettuce cut or torn into bite size pieces (measured after it’s in pieces)
- 1 avocado cut into small pieces
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes cut in half (measured after cut in half)
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 1-ounce packet Hidden Valley Dressing Mix dry
- 1½ cups mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing: In a medium mixing bowl combine dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Use a whisk to mix together until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
- Cook and cool the pasta: Cook rotini pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop cooking, and drain again. Transfer pasta to a large mixing bowl.
- Assemble the salad: Add cooked and chopped bacon, finely diced red onion, cheddar cheese cubes, avocado pieces, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped parsley, and romaine lettuce to the bowl with pasta.
- Toss ingredients with dressing: Pour the chilled dressing over the salad ingredients. Use tongs to gently toss everything together until the salad is well coated with the dressing.
- Serve immediately: The salad is best served right away to maintain the crispness of the lettuce and freshness of ingredients.
Notes
- Romaine lettuce does not hold up well in the salad for long; serve right away or add lettuce and dressing just before serving.
- If you have leftovers, store in a tightly sealed container and consume within 24 hours for best quality.
- This recipe yields a large mixing bowl full; halve the ingredients if serving a smaller group.
- Shredded cheddar cheese can be substituted for cubed if preferred.
