Ranch Pasta Salad
Image: Large glass bowl containing a pasta salad made with macaroni, various sliced vegetables, ranch dressing and herbs for garnish.
Description: Ranch dressing might be my all-time favorite salad condiment and this vegetable-forward ranch pasta salad definitely satisfies the summer-time craving for all things ranch flavored!
Yield: Recipe serves 4-6
Ingredients:
Ranch Dressing:
2/3 Cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon fresh Dill, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh Parsley, minced
2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 teaspoon Onion Powder
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flake
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pasta salad mix:
½ cup purple cabbage
1/3 cup red onion, sliced
2 cups Broccoli florets
1 cup Elbow Macaroni
4 oz. (1/4 lb.) Mini sweet peppers, sliced
4 0z cherry tomatoes, halved
Garnish:
Fresh Dill
Fresh Parsley
Directions:
In a medium pot, boil the macaroni noodles on medium high according to the package directions.
While the noodles are boiling, prepare the ranch dressing in a mixing bowl, whisking all of the ranch dressing ingredients together until smooth. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. If the mixture is too thick for you, add more buttermilk to thin it out to your desired consistency. Set this aside.
Next, prepare the other salad components while the noodles continue cooking. In a big mixing bowl, add the sliced purple cabbage, red onion, broccoli florets, sweet peppers, and cherry tomatoes, and toss to combine.
By now the noodles should be close to finished cooking. Test the noodles for doneness, then rinse in very cold water to stop the cooking process and remove excess starch. Add the noodles to the big mixing bowl, then pour over the dressing, and toss to combine.
Refridgerate for at least 2 hours to chill completely, and give the flavors time to marry together. When ready to serve, plate up in desired serving sizes.