Perfect Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad with Ham and Peas
Perfect Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad with Ham and Peas is perfect whether you’re attending a BBQ, potluck or you’re bulk prepping your lunches for the week. With only 6-ingredients and in less than 25 minutes, you will have a creamy, delicious pasta salad. People will be begging you for the recipe for.
For me, a barbeque is not a barbeque if there’s no pasta salad in attendance. This one is my family’s absolute favorite. I tried this at a cookout and I fell in love. I’ve been making this pasta salad for about 15 years and it’s always a hit.
This pasta salad is so simple and quick. It comes together in no time at all. And there is a very minimal amount of ingredients or work involved. Six ingredients plus a little salt and black pepper is all you need. People will ask you to bring this one again and again.
You will basically only prepare your box of pasta and then chop your purple onion. That’s literally all of the prep work that’s involved. Everything else pretty much just gets thrown into a large mixing bowl and BOOM… You will have yourself a pasta salad that is absolute perfection.
In my eyes, barbeques are the same as major holidays food-wise. It’s much more about the sides than the main protein being served. Pasta salad is for sure my favorite side dish. Perfect Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad with Ham and Peas is always a beautiful accompaniment for the BBQ spread. Serve it alongside my Luxurious Korean BBQ Burgers with Gochujang Slaw.
What else can I bring to a BBQ?
Easy Weeknight Roasted Sausage, Pepper and Onion Sheet Pan Supper: This is a great recipe for bringing to a barbeque or potluck. It takes only a few minutes to throw together on the sheet pan for roasting. And it’s great at room temperature so you don’t have to worry about annoying the host with your warming needs.
The World’s Easiest Spanish Rice with Salsa: My Mom was the queen of hosting BBQs and she always whipped up Spanish rice in a matter of minutes. This is always a delicious and popular side. Spanish rice is perfectly phenomenal at room temperature. And it’s also very light so you’ll have plenty of room to fill up on hotdogs and hamburgers.
Traditional 6-Ingredient Vietnamese Chicken Satay: The marinade for this chicken satay is so easy to throw together and it’s only a few ingredients. But the flavor is huge. These satays are going to be the star of the BBQ once they come off of the grill. Serve with my Easy and Classic Vietnamese Peanut Sauce.
Big Game Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs: Meatballs are a BBQ and potluck staple. These don’t take much time to make. Once you throw them in your slow cooker, they’re good to transport to wherever the party is.
Substitutions
This pasta salad is extremely versatile. You cannot find yourself going wrong with pasta, mayonnaise and creamy bacon ranch salad dressing. Ever. So if you find that you are out of an ingredient. Or an ingredient in this recipe is not your vibe, try a substitution below.
Swap diced ham for:
-Chicken
-Bacon
-Shredded turkey
-Pepperoni
-Kielbasa
Swap peas and/or purple onions for:
-Summer squash
-Zucchini
-Cherry tomatoes
-Bell peppers
-Mushrooms
-Broccoli
-Green or black olives
-Banana peppers
-Cucumber
Add-ins:
-Fresh mozzarella balls
-Chunks of cheddar cheese
-Shredded parmesan cheese
-Diced granny smith apple
-Green onion
-Jarred roasted red peppers
-Feta cheese
-Canned chickpeas
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil on high heat. Prepare boxed rotini pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta is completely cooled. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
While the rotini is running under the cold water to cool, add the frozen petite peas to a bowl. Cover the peas with water so that the water is just covering the top of the peas. Microwave for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until completely cooled.
Add diced ham, petite peas, purple onion (sliced/chopped very thinly), light mayonnaise, bacon ranch salad dressing, salt and black pepper. Stir until completely combined. Serve with your favorite foods and enjoy!
Let me know in the comments below what your favorite barbeque side dishes and mains are. Feel free to share any of your favorite recipes with me 🙂
Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad with Ham and Peas
Ingredients
- 16 Ounces rotini
- 16 Ounces diced ham
- 8 Ounces frozen petite peas
- ⅔ Cup purple onion
- ⅔ Cup light mayonnaise
- ½ Cup bacon ranch salad dressing
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- ½ Teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil on high heat. Prepare boxed rotini pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta is completely cooled. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- While the rotini is running under the cold water to cool, add the frozen petite peas to a bowl. Cover the peas with water so that the water is just covering the top of the peas. Microwave for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until completely cooled.
- Add diced ham, petite peas, purple onion (sliced/chopped very thinly), light mayonnaise, bacon ranch salad dressing, salt and black pepper. Stir until completely combined. Enjoy!