BLT Macaroni Salad with Herb Ranch Dressing

By Sarah On June 19, 2014 | Updated: May 28, 2025

This BLT macaroni salad is packed with crispy bacon, shredded lettuce, juicy tomatoes, lots of shredded cheddar, and tossed in a perfectly creamy homemade herb ranch dressing.

BLT, meet pasta salad and homemade ranch dressing! I think everyone’s gonna get along just fine here.

This is basically everyone’s dream pasta salad simply because it’s packed with the fun stuff! I feel like deli pasta salads can sometimes be a little ho-hum with the additions but this recipe is anything but boring.

Side effect of tons of bacon I suppose.

The real winning part about this salad is that you can prep it entirely ahead of time! Those summer cookouts ain’t gonna know what hit ’em.

This Macaroni Salad features…

Tender elbow pasta
Juicy cherry tomatoes, crispy bacon, and shredded romaine lettuce
A creamy herbed ranch dressing

Making the Macaroni Salad

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

Mayonnaise
Greek yogurt
Buttermilk
Honey
Basil
Parsley
Garlic
Onion powder
Elbow pasta
Bacon
Cherry tomatoes
Romaine lettuce
Cheddar cheese
Red onion

Tips for Perfect Macaroni Salad

Blend dressing in blender or food processor – either of these tools will break down the dressing great.
Rinse cooked pasta in cold water – this cools the pasta fast and prevents it from sticking together.
Rinse red onion in cold water – this removes a bit of the strong bite from the onion.
Add lettuce to salad just before serving – if you’re making this salad in advance, wait until you’re ready to serve before mixing in the lettuce so it stays fresh and crisp.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this salad.

Use a different pasta shape – try another short cut of pasta such as ditalini, small shells, or penne.
Add more vegetables – try adding sun-dried tomatoes, baby spinach, or sweet pepper.
Add more protein – cubed cooked chicken or ham would be great protein additions.
Use another cheese – try cubed fresh mozzarella, feta, pepperjack, or provolone.
Skip the homemade dressing – use 1 cup bottled ranch dressing in place of the homemade.

Make Ahead Instructions

Follow these instructions for make-ahead tips!

Make the dressing – dressing may be stored in refrigerator up to 1 week.
Cook the pasta – cooked pasta may be stored in refrigerator up to 6 days.
Prep the salad add-ins – fry the bacon, cut the cherry tomatoes, red onion, and lettuce and store in refrigerator up to 6 days.
Storing the assembled salad – store the salad in refrigerator up to 4 days. For best results, wait to add the lettuce and bacon until just before serving so they stay crisp.

No other salads need even apply, THIS is the salad you’re going to want to be bringing to all those summer cookouts! Folks can’t resist anything with BLT in the title and it will be an instant hit.

Just know you’re going to come home with an empty bowl every time.

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

More pasta salads you’ve just gotta try next!

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