Ranch Tortellini Salad is creamy, cheesy, and loaded with bacon! Perfect for summer cookouts! The bacon and ranch make it kid-friendly, while the tomatoes, corn, and green onions keep it from feeling too heavy.
Ranch Tortellini Salad
I love a good pasta salad recipe that can be prepped ahead of time. The tortellini holds up well in the fridge, and the ranch dressing gets even better after it has a little time to soak into everything! This tortellini pasta salad checks all the right boxes – it’s got cheese, bacon, simple veggies, and of course the perfect amount of creamy ranch. Serve it next to burgers, grilled chicken, or anything else at your next cookout and watch it disappear with a quickness. Don’t be too shocked when it gets you more compliments than the entree!
Have any more tortellini in your fridge? Use it to make pesto tortellini salad, broccoli BLT tortellini salad, or Italian tortellini salad!
How do I keep My Pasta Salad from drying out?
Tortellini tends to absorb dressing as it chills. If the salad looks a little dry before serving, just stir in a few extra spoonfuls of ranch until it’s creamy again!
How to Make Ranch Tortellini Salad
- Cook it. Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool completely.
- Toss with key ingredients. Transfer the cooled tortellini to a bowl. Add the bacon, tomatoes, corn, cheese, green onions, and pepper. Toss to combine.
- Add ranch. Pour in the ranch dressing and toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Let it chill. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors come together before serving with more green onions and bacon to garnish if desired.
Storing and Make Ahead
Once tossed with the ranch dressing, you can store leftover tortellini salad in the fridge for up to 3 days. Give it a good stir before serving again, and consider adding more ranch dressing.
To make it ahead, cook and cool the tortellini, prep the other salad ingredients, and toss everything together with the ranch up to a day in advance. I recommend reserving some bacon, green onions, and cheese on the side for garnishing. They really make it picture perfect!
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh Cheese Tortellini – Fresh tortellini cooks fast, so watch it closely and drain it as soon as it’s tender. You don’t want it to overcook and get mushy.
- Bacon – Make sure it’s really crispy. Soft bacon can get chewy in a cold pasta salad.
- Cherry Tomatoes – Grape tomatoes work just as well.
- Corn – You can use canned, frozen, or fresh. If you’re using canned corn, make sure to fully drain it prior to tossing with the other ingredients.
- Cheddar Cheese – Shredded cheddar is my go-to, but little cubes of cheese would also work! Just make sure they’re small enough to nicely fit on your fork.
- Green Onions – Slice these thinly, and reserve some for garnishing on top.
- Black Pepper
- Ranch Dressing – If you want the best flavor and silky smooth consistency, try my easy homemade ranch dressing!
Variations to Try
- Make it a BLT version. Add chopped romaine right before serving for a BLT style ranch tortellini salad!
- Add diced avocado. Fold in avocado right before serving for a more creamy texture.
- Make it spicy. Add diced jalapenos, a pinch of cayenne, or a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce to the ranch dressing.
- Use different tortellini. Cheese tortellini is classic, but spinach and cheese tortellini would also work.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Ranch Tortellini Salad
Ingredients
- 1 18-ounce Package Fresh Cheese Tortellini
- 8 Slices Bacon cooked and diced
- 1 Cup Halved Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Corn drained if canned or thawed if frozen
- 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 Cup Green Onions sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 Cup Ranch Dressing
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini according to package directions, then drain and rinse under cold water to cool completely.
- Transfer the cooled tortellini to a large bowl and add the bacon, tomatoes, corn, cheese, green onions, and pepper then toss to combine.
- Pour in the ranch dressing and toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors come together before serving with more green onions and bacon to garnish if desired.
