Hamdi Saidani with crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cubes, grape tomatoes, peas, and plenty of fresh herbs. Ready in just 25 minutes.
This recipe comes directly from Ree Drummond on thepioneerwoman.com, where she builds the ranch dressing from scratch using mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, and a generous handful of fresh parsley and dill instead of a seasoning packet. The homemade dressing is the whole point of this salad.
Cook the pasta one full minute longer than the package says, which sounds wrong but works perfectly here. Slightly soft noodles won’t absorb all the dressing as they sit in the fridge, so the salad stays creamy instead of going dry by the time you serve it.
Pioneer Woman Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Description
A cold pasta salad loaded with crumbled bacon, cheddar cubes, tomatoes, peas, pimentos, and olives, all tossed in a tangy ranch made with buttermilk, fresh dill, and parsley.
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
For the Salad:
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, turning as needed, until golden and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Work in batches if needed and drain the fat between rounds. Let the bacon cool completely, then crumble into bite-sized pieces.
- Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water, cooking 1 minute longer than the package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water until cool, and set aside.
- Whisk the dressing by combining the mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, parsley, dill, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until smooth.
- Toss the salad by adding the cooled pasta, tomatoes, cheddar cubes, peas, pimentos, olives, green onions, and half the crumbled bacon to the dressing. Stir until everything is evenly coated and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Top and serve by scattering the remaining bacon and extra dill over the salad. Serve cold or store covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
FAQs
Why make homemade ranch instead of using a packet mix?
Ree’s scratch dressing uses mayo, sour cream, and buttermilk as the base, then loads it with fresh parsley, dill, lemon juice, and grated garlic. That combination gives the salad a bright, herby flavor that a dry seasoning packet can’t match.
A packet mix works in a pinch, but you lose the tang from real buttermilk and the punch of fresh herbs. The from-scratch version also coats the pasta more evenly because the texture is thinner and smoother than a thick packet-based dressing.
Why cube the cheddar instead of shredding it?
Half-inch cheddar cubes give you a solid bite of cheese in every forkful instead of melting into the dressing and disappearing. Shredded cheese breaks down fast in a wet salad, especially after a few hours in the fridge.
Sharp cheddar works best here because the strong flavor holds its own against the bacon and tangy ranch. Mild cheddar tends to fade into the background with this many bold ingredients competing for attention.
Why save half the bacon for topping instead of mixing it all in?
Bacon stirred into the salad soaks up moisture from the dressing and goes soft within an hour. Holding half back for the top means every serving gets crispy pieces right when it hits the plate.
This matters most when you make the salad ahead. The mixed-in bacon adds smoky flavor throughout, while the reserved topping bacon delivers the crunch. You get both depth and texture in one bowl.
Do the frozen peas need to be cooked before adding them?
No cooking required. Frozen peas are flash-steamed at the factory before packaging, so they’re already fully cooked when you buy them. Just thaw them at room temperature for about 20 minutes or run them under cool water for a minute.
Tossing them in still frozen would chill the dressing and make the salad too cold to taste properly right away. Thawed peas also mix more evenly and won’t clump together the way icy ones do.
How far ahead can you make this pasta salad?
You can assemble the full salad up to 24 hours before serving. Store it covered in the fridge and keep the topping bacon in a separate sealed bag at room temperature so it stays crispy until you’re ready.
The pasta absorbs dressing as it sits, so stir in a splash of buttermilk or milk right before serving to loosen everything back up. This brings the creamy texture back without watering down the ranch flavor.
