This Ranch BLT Pasta Salad Will be the Star of Your Summer BBQ!

Easy Ranch BLT Pasta Salad

yield: 10 SERVINGS

prep time: 20 MINUTES

cook time: 40 MINUTES

total time: 60 MINUTES

Ingredients

Directions

1

Make pasta according to packaged directions. Let cool completely and set aside. Cook the bacon as well and let cool and crumble it into pieces.

2

Mix the dressing by whisking together milk, ranch dressing seasoning, mayo, and sour cream. Place in fridge for at least 10 minutes to chill and thicken.

3

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, tomatoes, and green onion. Toss with the ranch dressing. Chill in the fridge, and then toss in the bacon and romaine lettuce right before serving.

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28 Comments
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4.7 / 6 ratings
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Here’s a perfect potluck BLT pasta salad recipe to make this summer made with smokey bacon, lettuce, pasta, and creamy ranch dressing

vintage bowl with BLT pasta salad

Want a delicious side dish that’s sure to be a guaranteed hit?

You have to try making this easy crowd-pleasing BLT pasta salad recipe as a unique side dish! It features bites of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a creamy ranch dressing. The good news is it’s also easy to make and will for sure be a perfect addition to any potluck or casual meal.

A BLT salad made with bowtie pasta

The result is a hearty salad everyone will love! I personally love the crunchy lettuce alongside the creamy bowtie pasta, and it’s so tasty. I could honestly just have a plate of this for lunch or dinner.

ingredients for ranch BLT salad

cooked pasta and cooked bacon with chopped veggies

making ranch dressing for the BLT salad

mixing ranch salad dressing

pasta and chopped veggies in a large wood salad bowl

adding bacon to a BLT salad

easy BLT salad in a large bowl


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Easy Ranch BLT Pasta Salad

yield: 10 SERVINGS

prep time: 20 MINUTES

cook time: 40 MINUTES

total time: 60 MINUTES

Creamy dressing mixed with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and bow tie pasta make this salad outrageously YUM!

Ingredients

Directions

1

Make pasta according to packaged directions. Let cool completely and set aside. Cook the bacon as well and let cool and crumble it into pieces.

2

Mix the dressing by whisking together milk, ranch dressing seasoning, mayo, and sour cream. Place in fridge for at least 10 minutes to chill and thicken.

3

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, tomatoes, and green onion. Toss with the ranch dressing. Chill in the fridge, and then toss in the bacon and romaine lettuce right before serving.

Additional Notes

Recipe adapted from TheGirlWhoAteEverything.com

Brought to you by Hip2Save.

Extra tips for making this ranch BLT salad recipe:

  • I think mixing up the ranch dressing packet is worth the effort, but of course, feel free to use your favorite bottled ranch in a pinch. For homemade ranch seasoning, consider making it by scratch with this easy recipe.
  • Prep ahead idea: For convenience, you can make all the components of this salad ahead of time, store them separately overnight, then assemble this right before serving. You can also use differently shaped pasta if desired like penne or rotini.
  • Feel free to add more fresh veggies such as chopped bell peppers, corn, or avocado. Next time I may even add some sun-dried tomatoes. Yum!
  • It is best served right away in my opinion, because the lettuce starts to wilt! Leftovers are still tasty. I ate some the next day and added more dressing from the bottle.

woman holding a large bowl of summer salad

This ranch BLT pasta salad is addicting & delicious!

One year a friend of mine made this BLT Salad for the 4th of July, and I’ve been making it each summer ever since because it’s so darned good. If you’re lucky to have fresh summer tomatoes in your garden, it’s even more amazing! This is one of those dishes that everyone will want the recipe for.


Need more summer side dish ideas? Try this broccoli salad with bacon recipe next!

About the writer:

Lina has a Bachelor's Degree from Northern Arizona University with 11 years of blogging and photography experience having work featured in Today.com, Martha Stewart, Country Living, Fox News, Buzzfeed, and HGTV.


Join The Discussion

Comments 28

  1. ReneeAnn

    Tip to make the ranch dressing even better if you like a little kick: add 3 fresh jalapeΓ±os (core and seeds removed), spoonful of sliced jarred jalapeΓ±os and a handful of cilantro leaves. Blend it all up in a blender or food processor (I use my ninja express chop it’s the perfect size container)
    Taste like Chuy’s creamy jalapeΓ±o dip for those of you who know what I’m talking about! So good on salads.

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Oh I love this tip! Thanks so much for sharing πŸ‘

  2. Jen

    I would love a “PRINT” button for these recipes.

    • Amber (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Hi Jen! You can print this recipe when you head to the “Print” icon at the bottom of the post! Hope that helps!

  3. Lisa

    Love that this recipe can be made gluten free.

  4. Juma

    We make a similar pasta salad we use ranch dressy and Italian dressing and we use a variety of different pasta shapes . I love it with spaghetti noodles. We also add grilled or rotisserie chicken and for those that like pork we add ham. I also love dried cranberries in mine. Love easy simple dishes that combines vegetables for a complete meal endless possibilities. Great post

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Great ideas! Thanks Juma!

  5. Mel

    This looks great, but we can’t have pasta! Wahhhhh Hmmm… wonder if I could sub out with cucumbers instead to make it more carb friendly?

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Yes or maybe grilled chicken! And avocado!

    • 50ShadesofLipstick

      If you’re eating low carb then sub out something else for the milk and ranch dressing too…those are loaded w/ carbs. And just be mindful of the carb count in the sour cream and cherry tomatoes, depending on what your macros are.

      • Mel

        Oh, we don’t count macros or anything. Just like to swap out pasta when possible b/c my husband can’t have it. I have a scratch Ranch dressing recipe that my SIL’s mom gave me years ago when she was doing Atkins and it doesn’t call for milk, rather a small amt of unsweetened almondmilk instead. I’ll probably use half the amount of tomatoes and add in cubed avocados for the other half.

        • 50ShadesofLipstick

          Okay, I just meant that there are a lot of hidden carbs in the other ingredients, even if you aren’t doing keto or a HFLC diet where you’d keep track of your actual carb count. No worries.

          • Mel

            Oh yes! Always have to be mindful of hidden carbs!

    • No

      We use cauliflower pasta, it’s almost as good as regular pasta and is carb friendly. It is in the frozen aisle of the grocery store. It does have carbs but it’s ok for eating low carb.

  6. Mel

    You’re making my mouth water Lina!!! Def saving this recipe for Friday. Making grilled chicken tonight so I’ll grill up another breast just to make sure to have leftovers for this dish! Just need the tomatoes and we’re set!

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Hooray! You’ll LOVE this πŸ™‚

      • Mel

        Oh wow Lina, this totally hit the spot tonight!! We’re in the tail end of Creole tomato season here in the south, and I lucked out on finding some at my grocery store that were nice n ripe, so that along with the cucumbers made it super filling with the leftover chicken from the other night!! The only complaint was from hubby, who said there wasn’t enough bacon!!

        • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

          That’s great! Thanks for the update!

  7. Olgraygirl

    Yum, yum–I made a similar one last night-since it was for adults only, I added one chopped jalepeno. Another great one, Lina. Please keep ’em coming!

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Oh wow! Yum – thanks for sharing!

  8. Beth

    This looks amazing! I love blts and pasta πŸ™‚ I just wonder how quickly the lettuce would get slimy/super wilty in this. Anyone know?

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Just add the lettuce right before serving. It does get wilty after a while but still tastes great.

  9. Joy

    We made this with dinner tonight and everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing!

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Oh good! So glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing Joy. β€οΈπŸ™ŒπŸΌ

  10. Sherry

    I made this for Father’s Day. Everyone loved it.

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Oh yay!! That is great to hear Sherry!

  11. Patricia Goff

    going to make it without bacon and tomatoes. Will add celery, onion, and carrots to it. Maybe broccoli. Nobody except me will eat tomatoes or bacon.

    • Trish (Hip Sidekick)

      Thanks for sharing the substitutions you’ll be making, Patricia! That sounds yummy too! πŸ˜‹

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