Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Creamy Pasta Salad Loaded with Pasta, Peas, Carrot, Bacon Bits and Ranch!
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time35 minutes mins
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 476kcal
- 1 pound pasta
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- ½ cup real bacon bits
- 2 packets dry ranch seasoning mix (1 ounce each)
- Diced onion
- Diced celery
- Cubed or shredded cheese
- Diced red pepper
- Pickles
- Pickle juice
- Diced hard boiled eggs
This is a bit of a tricky question. Macaroni salad can sit out for up to 2 hours at room temperature, but there are factors that play into this. If it is sitting in the sun at an outdoor function it can spoil much faster.
Try to keep it in the shade when you are serving otherwise put a large bowl under the bowl with the macaroni salad in it and then put ice in that bowl to keep it cold longer.
I love making this salad ahead of time so I can just pull it out of the fridge and we are ready to go.
You can safely store this macaroni salad in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store in an airtight container to maximize freshness.
If it starts to dry out simply at a little more mayonnaise to it, otherwise only add have of the mayonnaise to begin with and add the rest right before serving.
Yes, rinsing it in cold water cool the macaroni down plus it will help stop the cooking progress, so your pasta doesn’t become overcooked and mushy. Another great thing is it takes some of the starch off the pasta which prevents it from sticking together or clumping.
After the macaroni is done cooking run it under cold water to cool it off. Then place it in the refrigerator to cool it down completely. After it’s cooled the mix your dressing and macaroni together. A cooled macaroni will absorb the mayonnaise slower.
Calories: 476kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 802mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4301IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg