Food and Recipes Pasta Bacon-Ranch Pasta Salad Be the first to rate & review! Bacon and ranch belong together—it's indisputable. Rich and smoky bacon makes the perfect vehicle for a sauce that's both tangy and packed with the flavors of fresh herbs. Together, this combo offers the perfect indulgent coating for chilled cooked pasta and some sliced cherry tomatoes. By Micah A Leal Micah A Leal Micah Leal is a chef and recipe developer with more than 5 years of professional experience in restaurants and bakeries such as Husk Restaurant and Harken Cafe & Bakery in Charleston, South Carolina. Micah Leal is an enthusiastic chef with a special interest in the food science and culinary histories that shape the recipes people make today. His reputation for making recipes accessible and thoughtfully teaching difficult kitchen techniques is informed by his experience as a pastry chef as well as his background as a high school teacher. He has also developed nearly 200 recipes for southernliving.com and Southern Living Magazine. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on December 13, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Active Time: 35 mins Total Time: 35 mins Bacon and ranch belong together—it's indisputable. Rich and smoky bacon makes the perfect vehicle for a sauce that's both tangy and packed with the flavors of fresh herbs. Together, this combo offers the perfect indulgent coating for chilled cooked pasta and some sliced cherry tomatoes. We throw shredded Parmesan into the mix to add a layer of salty goodness, and fresh dill is stirred in to further brighten the pasta salad and enhance the herby taste of the ranch seasoning. A bite of this pasta salad is savory and tangy with juicy pockets of tomato and chewy bits of bacon clinging to the creamy pasta. You can use whatever noodle shape you'd like, but for sentimental reasons, we stick to traditional cavatappi or elbow pasta because it reminds us of the pasta salads made by our grandmothers. The only non-negotiable is that you use high-quality bacon because it's incomparable in flavor and texture and elevates this pasta salad into another realm of greatness! Trust us, this bacon-heavy dish requires the best, and once you taste it, you'll already look forward to leftovers. Micah A. Leal Ingredients 10 slices Wright Brand bacon 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 1 (0.4-oz) pckg. ranch seasoning 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 12 ounces cooked cavatappi or elbow pasta 1 cup shredded Parmesan 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 2 teaspoons freshly chopped dill, plus more for garnish Directions Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with several layers of aluminum foil. Place bacon on baking sheet and transfer to oven until bacon is brown and crisp, 25 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Discard bacon grease and aluminum foil. Chop bacon; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, ranch seasoning, and garlic powder. Add pasta, chopped bacon, Parmesan, cherry tomatoes, and dill. Use a spatula to incorporate all ingredients. Garnish with additional dill before serving. Chef's Notes It's important to heavily salt the boiling water before you cook the pasta, as this seasons the pasta while it cooks. Also, this is a recipe that tastes better after it has some time to sit in the fridge. So make it the day before you plan to serve it for the best results. Rate it Print