Go Back
–+ servings

Labor Day Pasta Salad with Bacon, Ranch, and Cheddar

This Labor Day Pasta Salad is creamy, crunchy, smoky, and ready to steal attention from whatever is on the grill. Bacon, ranch dressing, cheddar, pasta, peas, corn, and crisp veggies make it the kind of BBQ side dish people pretend they “just want a small scoop” of.
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Side Dish
Servings 15

EQUIPMENT (PAID LINKS)

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt for the pasta water
  • 1 pound short pasta such as rotini, bow ties, or medium shells
  • 8 ounces bacon
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cup canned corn drained
  • 1 green bell pepper finely diced
  • 1 celery stalk finely diced
  • 1 small red onion finely diced
  • 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese
  • 3 cups ranch dressing plus more if needed after chilling

Instructions

  • Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until tender but still firm enough to hold its shape.
    1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 pound short pasta
  • Cool Pasta: Drain the pasta, then rinse it well under cold water. Let it drain again so the salad does not turn watery.
  • Cook Bacon: While the pasta cools, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain it well, let it cool slightly, then crumble it into bite-size pieces.
    8 ounces bacon
  • Cook Peas: Cook the frozen peas according to the package directions. Drain them if needed, then let them cool before adding them to the salad.
    1 cup frozen peas
  • Prepare Vegetables: Drain the corn, finely dice the green bell pepper, chop the celery, and finely dice the red onion.
    1 cup canned corn, 1 green bell pepper, 1 celery stalk, 1 small red onion
  • Mix Salad: Add the cooled pasta, crumbled bacon, peas, corn, green bell pepper, celery, red onion, and shredded cheese to a large mixing bowl.
    4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese
  • Add Dressing: Pour in the ranch dressing and gently stir until everything is evenly coated. Add a little extra ranch if the pasta looks dry.
    3 cups ranch dressing
  • Chill Salad: Cover the bowl and refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 2 hours. This gives the flavors time to blend and makes the salad taste much better.
  • Serve: Stir the pasta salad before serving. Add more ranch dressing if needed, especially if the pasta soaked up some of the dressing while chilling.