Cold Pasta Salad with Vegetables
A fresh and easy cold pasta salad with vegetables made using just a few simple ingredients, including frozen vegetables and creamy homemade ranch dressing.
Summer is almost here and Kim and I are so excited! We have a few recipes that are perfect for the warm temperatures.
For this week, we’re starting with a cold pasta salad featuring mixed vegetables and homemade ranch dressing. The instructions seem a bit long, but trust me, it’s not nearly as complicated as it seems.
Plus, if you look at my tips section below, you’ll see some shortcuts that make this recipe even easier to prepare. Let’s get started!
Cold Pasta Salad Instructions:
First, start by cooking your pasta per the box instructions. Once it’s cooked al dente, place it in an ice bath to stop the cooking process and cool the noodles.
Next, cook the frozen pasta in boiling water in a medium saucepan for 5-7 minutes. Then drain the vegetables and add them to the ice bath with the cooked pasta.
Now, cook the bacon, shred the cheese, and chop the crispy bacon slices into little pieces. Set them both aside in small bowls to be mixed into the salad later on.
Last, drain the pasta and vegetables and combine them in a large mixing bowl.
First, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the mayo, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, dill, black, pepper, and paprika.
Use a whisk or fork to blend the ingredients until you have a smooth ranch dressing.
Next, add the ranch, bacon, and cheese to the pasta noodles and vegetables.
Last, use a large spoon to mix all the pasta, ranch, cheese, and bacon. Refrigerate the pasta salad for about 30 minutes before serving.
Garnish it with more cheese or diced green onions.
Tips for Your Cold Pasta Salad:
- No time to make your dressing, no worries, just use your favorite ranch dressing as a substitute and save some time in the kitchen.
- Feel free to use store-bought pre-cooked bacon and simple microwave it before chopping the bacon into bite-sized pieces. It just saves you a little time on your pasta salad.
- For an Asian inspired twist, use stir-fry vegetables, lo mein noodles, and an Asian sesame dressing!
Other Pasta Salad Recipes to Try:
Ingredients
Cold Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 8 ounces short pasta, uncooked
- 8 ounces frozen mixed vegetables, any variety
- 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded off the block
Creamy Ranch Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
Cold Pasta Salad
- First, start by cooking your pasta per the box instructions. Once it’s cooked al dente, place it in an ice bath to stop the cooking process and cool the noodles.8 ounces short pasta
- Next, cook the frozen pasta in boiling water in a medium saucepan for 5-7 minutes. Then drain the vegetables and add them to the ice bath with the cooked pasta.8 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
- Drain the pasta and vegetables and combine them in a large mixing bowl.
Creamy Ranch Dressing and Final Steps
- First, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the mayo, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, dill, black, pepper, and paprika. Use a whisk or fork to blend the ingredients until you have a smooth ranch dressing.1 cup mayonnaise½ cup milk1 teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon onion powder¼ teaspoon kosher salt½ teaspoon dried dill¼ teaspoon ground black pepper¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Next, add the ranch, bacon, and cheese to the pasta noodles and vegetables.10 slices bacon4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
- Last, use a large spoon to mix all the pasta, ranch, cheese, and bacon. Refrigerate the pasta salad for about 30 minutes before serving. Garnish it with more cheese or diced green onions.
BBQ season is also pasta salad season in our home. I’ll put your recipe on the list for our next BBQ party. I especially love the sound of that smoked paprika in the dressing.
Thank you, Kiki! Kim and I hope you and your guests enjoy the pasta salad. Have a great weekend 🙂
BBQ season is also pasta salad season in our home. I’ll put your recipe on the list for our next BBQ party. I especially love the sound of that smoked paprika in the dressing.
BBQ season is also pasta salad season in our home. I’ll put your recipe on the list for our next BBQ party. I especially love the sound of that smoked paprika in the dressing.
BBQ season is also pasta salad season in our home. I’ll put your recipe on the list for our next BBQ party. I especially love the sound of that smoked paprika in the dressing.
Looks SO delish! My mouth is watering! I love chilled pasta salads, especially with the addition of all the vegetables! And I love the asian flair in your tips section!! I’ll try that!
Thank you, Amanda! The chilled veggies and ranch are actually my favorite parts of the recipe. I hope you give the pasta salad a try sometime 🙂
Looks SO delish! My mouth is watering! I love chilled pasta salads, especially with the addition of all the vegetables! And I love the asian flair in your tips section!! I’ll try that!
Looks SO delish! My mouth is watering! I love chilled pasta salads, especially with the addition of all the vegetables! And I love the asian flair in your tips section!! I’ll try that!
Looks SO delish! My mouth is watering! I love chilled pasta salads, especially with the addition of all the vegetables! And I love the asian flair in your tips section!! I’ll try that!
I love pasta salads! The more vegetables, the better. I adore everything you put in here, especially the bacon! Yum! I can’t wait to make your delicious recipe!
Thank you, Elaine! I agree you can never get enough veggies into a pasta salad and a little bacon never hurts lol! Have a great day 🙂
I love pasta salads! The more vegetables, the better. I adore everything you put in here, especially the bacon! Yum! I can’t wait to make your delicious recipe!
I love pasta salads! The more vegetables, the better. I adore everything you put in here, especially the bacon! Yum! I can’t wait to make your delicious recipe!
I love pasta salads! The more vegetables, the better. I adore everything you put in here, especially the bacon! Yum! I can’t wait to make your delicious recipe!
Pasta salads are a MUST for all the BBQ parties and picnics this summer. This sounds delicious. You can never go wrong serving salads like this. Always a crowd pleaser.
Thank you, Gloria! We agree, pasta salads are always a great choice for BBQ’s and Summer get-togethers. Have a great day 🙂
Pasta salads are a MUST for all the BBQ parties and picnics this summer. This sounds delicious. You can never go wrong serving salads like this. Always a crowd pleaser.
Pasta salads are a MUST for all the BBQ parties and picnics this summer. This sounds delicious. You can never go wrong serving salads like this. Always a crowd pleaser.
Pasta salads are a MUST for all the BBQ parties and picnics this summer. This sounds delicious. You can never go wrong serving salads like this. Always a crowd pleaser.