Description
A vibrant and creamy pasta salad featuring bacon, avocado, and a zesty ranch dressing, perfect for summer gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 lb Barilla rotini pasta
- 3 avocados, pitted and diced into 1/2-inch chunks
- 8 strips bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 1/4 cups ranch dressing
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the rotini according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water; drizzle with olive oil.
- Prepare the ingredients: Chop the tomatoes, avocados, and parsley, drizzling lemon juice over the avocados to prevent browning.
- Crisp the bacon: Cook bacon strips in a skillet until crispy, then crumble into pieces.
- Combine everything: In a large bowl, mix the cooled pasta, tomatoes, avocado, bacon, parsley, and ranch dressing; toss to coat.
- Season and serve: Adjust salt and pepper to taste; serve chilled or let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Notes
For best flavor, prepare this salad a day in advance. Store the avocado separately until serving to maintain its freshness.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 500mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 24g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 30mg