Description
A refreshing and hearty BLT Pasta Salad featuring rotini pasta, crispy bacon, fresh vegetables, and a creamy Hidden Valley Ranch dressing.
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 Dressing: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Whisk together until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
- Cook Pasta: Cook the rotini pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water to cool, and drain again. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Combine Salad Ingredients: Add the 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 the pasta.
- Toss Salad: Pour the chilled dressing over the pasta mixture. Using tongs, gently toss the salad until all ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing.
- Serve: Serve the salad immediately for best texture and freshness.
Notes
- The romaine lettuce does not hold well in the salad, so it’s best to add it and the dressing right before serving.
- Leftovers can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but salad quality declines after that.
- This recipe makes a large batch; reduce ingredient amounts by half for smaller servings.
- You can shred the cheddar cheese instead of cubing it if preferred for easier mixing.
