Creamy Ranch Pasta Salad

Submitted by Kevlarturtle

"My husband's favorite - he'll put away the whole batch in two days. Not the lightest pasta salad, but very tasty and refreshing on a hot day. This is a great side with sandwiches, chicken, burgers, etc., or it makes a good lunch by itself. This is very flexible, so feel free to add/omit veggies, adjust seasonings or increase/decrease dressing as you see fit."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• Dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2⁄3 cup ranch dressing
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
• black pepper

• Salad

• 1 lb rotini pasta (or similar shape)
• 2 -3 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut bite-sized
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 ounces monterey jack cheese or 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

directions

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water. When pasta is almost tender (about 2 minutes from done) add broccoli. Return to a boil and continue cooking until pasta is al dente and broccoli is crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again and return to pot; add bell pepper and chill while preparing dressing.
2. Prepare dressing by combining all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stirring thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. When salad is cool enough, add cheese cubes (you don't want them to melt) and dressing. Stir well to combine and transfer to a large bowl or casserole dish. Serve chilled.

Reviews

[Linky]

This was easy, fast and very tasty! I added some chopped sweet onion and used Pepperjack cheese. for PAC spring 2010

 

[mysweetie924]

This recipe was so quick and easy. The only change i made was to add spicy ranch and extra pepper. My husband loves cherry tomatoes so those were also added.

 

[fiery]

Made this for a BBQ, couldn't get any broccoli so added seeded tomatoes instead and used Paul Newman's ranch dressing, as ranch dressing isn't big thing here, although I loved it so much I'll be using it again. I and everyone else enjoyed the salad.

 

[Foodie61]

I made this for a family cookout today and it was a big hit! I had forgotten to add the broccoli into the pasta water, so I just steamed it in the microwave and added it in to the drained pasta...worked great! This one will definitely go on our football tailgating menus!