Yummy Recipe Wednesday! (Bacon & Ranch Pasta Salad)

Hello again everyone and welcome to another Yummy Recipe Wednesday. With Father's Day coming up this week I figured I'd post a recipe with the one thing that just about every man loves ..... BACON! This pasta salad is delicious, easy to make, and rivals the Bacon & Ranch Suddenly Salad pasta that you can buy in the stores. As with most pasta dishes there are so many different things you can add and one of my favorite things to do with this dish is to add some chopped up chicken breast to it and make it an entire meal rather than just a side dish. Either as a side dish or a main dish this is definitely something that just about any dad out there would enjoy. Give it a try this weekend for Father's Day and see what kind of reactions you get. As always, feel free to leave comments below and be sure to follow @RecipeBlogger on Twitter if you aren't already so you don't miss out on a single recipe addition.

Bacon & Ranch Pasta Salad

• 1 (12 oz) pkg Uncooked Tri-Color Rotini Pasta
• 10 slices Bacon
• 1 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 2 pkgs Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing Mix
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Pepper
• 1/2 cup Milk, or as needed
• 1 Large Tomato, chopped
• 1 (4.25 oz) can Sliced Black Olives
• 1 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes, then drain.
2. Place the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook until evenly brown; drain and chop.
3. In a large bowl, mix together mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, and garlic pepper; stir in milk until smooth.
4. Add the rotini, bacon, tomato, black olives and cheese to the bowl and toss to coat with the dressing.
5. Cover and chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator; toss with additional milk just before serving if the salad seems a little dry.