Pea Pasta Salad
Pea Pasta salad recipe with bacon and Ranch Seasoning. A simple potluck salad, this pea and mini shells pasta is the creamiest side salad EVER! Not just covered in mayo, the tangy spices of ranch combined with the bursting flavors of bacon and cheese make this a pasta salad perfect for a BBQ. Peas and pasta are a classic and often referred to, old fashioned side dish that goes amazing with summer time BBQs and potlucks. An easy, flavorful and fun side, this colorful pea pasta salad includes the perfect pea, mini pasta shells, bacon, cheese and creamy homemade dressing. Sure to be one of your favorite spring and summer dishes of all time, this perfect pairing of filling pasta and fresh peas is incredibly delightful. Plus, pea pasta salad also makes delicious left overs for lunch the next day! Make this side dish a day ahead or the day of, as long as its served cold, this Southern Spring salad will be gone in an instant!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 341kcal
Ingredients
- 8 oz. mini pasta shells cooked and cooled
- 2 cups frozen peas frozen or refrigerator thawed, but they began as frozen
- 1 cup real mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 green onions sliced
- 6 strips bacon cooked and chopped into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning
Instructions
- To begin this pea pasta salad, cook and chop 6 strips of crispy bacon. To save time, pre-cooked bacon or bacon bits *may* be used, but we always recommend fresh ingredients for the best flavor. If you have an air fryer, bacon is super quick in the air fryer as well.
- While bacon is cooking, boil mini pasta shells according to package directions, drain and rinse with cold water. Should the shells stick prior to moving onto the next part of the salad instructions, simply re-rinse the shells to "unstick" them and make sure excess water is shaken out well.
- Once bacon is finished, set cool and chop into small bite sized pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, add mayonnaise and ranch seasoning.
- Once homemade dressing is combined, add shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, crispy bacon, cooled pasta, and frozen peas.
- Using a spatula, stir dressing over pasta and peas until well mixed and dressing is covering all pasta shells and peas.
- Pea pasta salad works best served cold, so refrigerate for 2-4 hours or overnight before serving. This also allows the peas to soften but stay firm.
- Top with additional shredded cheddar cheese and bacon before serving if desired.
- Serves 6-8
Video
Notes
Frozen Peas - Peas can be defrosted in the fridge prior to salad use so they are cold but not frozen (should the salad be needed immediately). Pour out any excess water before dumping into salad.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Servings | Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 605mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g