Addictive Crack Pasta Salad (Printable)

Creamy pasta salad with crispy bacon, sharp cheddar, and ranch seasoning. Perfect side for cookouts and parties.

# What You Need:

01 - 12 oz rotini or elbow macaroni

02 - 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

03 - 1 cup sour cream

04 - 1/2 cup mayonnaise

05 - 1 packet (1 oz) ranch seasoning mix

06 - 8 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled

07 - 2/3 cup frozen peas, thawed

08 - 3 stalks green onions, sliced thin

09 - Extra bacon, cheddar, or green onions

01 - Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside to cool completely.

02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, and ranch seasoning until smooth.

03 - Add cooled pasta to the bowl, then fold in cheddar cheese, bacon, peas, and green onions. Toss well to combine.

04 - Chill pasta salad in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.

05 - Garnish with extra bacon, cheddar, or green onions before serving, if desired. Serve cold.

01 -

Its the kind of dish that disappears first at every party and people actually ask for the recipe instead of just politely saying it was good
You can make it the night before and it actually tastes better after sitting in the fridge, which is basically meal prep magic

02 -

The pasta will soak up some of the dressing as it sits, so if youre making this more than a few hours ahead, save a little extra dressing to stir in before serving
Adding hot pasta to the dairy dressing can cause it to separate and get weirdly grainy, so let that pasta cool completely before mixing

03 -

Cook your bacon in the oven on a baking sheet lined with foil for effortless cleanup and perfectly crispy results every single time
If you remember to do it, toss the cooked pasta in a tiny bit of olive oil before cooling to keep it from sticking together