If you love a macaroni salad as much as I do, I think you'll love this ranch macaroni salad too. This is a fun twist on a traditional macaroni salad with grilled corn, crispy bacon, tomatoes, peppers and the easiest mayo/yogurt dressing. Toss in a little spice from serrano pepper or use a jalapeño and it will light up your tastebuds, promise! This is a perfect side dish for the summer and one that I hope you'll come back to again and again.

Macaroni Salad is the MOST Nostalgic (and retro) & I love that

If there is one dish that reminds me of my mom, it has to be her macaroni salad. She was known for it. And she pretty much had to make it for nearly every spring/summer and even fall occasion. We all loved it. As I got older, I remember watching her make it and seeing the copious amounts of mayo and Miracle Whip make its way into that big bowl of macaroni salad. And being someone who was always a little obsessed with food and my body, I swore I wouldn't eat it. It was too fattening I thought, after reading the nutrition info on the labels. But, I was pretty much impervious to her macaroni salad and I just had to eat it.

And I'm SO glad I did. My mom passed away when I was 26 and I miss her and that macaroni salad immensely. I'll never forget the first time I was responsible for making her macaroni salad for the first family gathering. I had zero idea how to cook, so my chopping skills needed work to say the least. And even though I followed her recipe, I couldn't get it to taste the same. I think that's the thing about recreating someone you loves recipe. No matter what, it won't taste the exact same. So I'm embracing that this version is different, but it still brings back all those memories and it tastes delicious in its own way.

And although, I have come close to making her classic macaroni salad, it's fun to switch things up sometimes too. And this is why I made this ranch macaroni salad version.

Ingredients

This recipe doesn't require a lot of ingredients. The dressing contains the most ingredients because we're making a ranch dressing after all and for that, you're going to need some dried spices and herbs.

• bacon
• corn on the cob
• elbow macaroni
• peppers (orange, red or yellow mix)
• cherry tomatoes
• serrano pepper (or jalapeño)
• chopped dill and/or chives
• Greek yogurt
• mayonnaise
• lemon juice
• garlic powder
• dried parsley
• onion powder
• kosher salt
• worcestershire sauce

How to Make

First, you'll cook the bacon. I love making bacon in the oven because it's way easier to cook (no flipping required) and easier to clean up. Feel free to cook bacon however you like.

Preheat the oven to 400℉ and line a large baking sheet with foil. Place bacon strips on the baking sheet and cook for 16-20 minutes, until cooked to your liking. Let cool and then chop and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and add a drizzle of avocado oil. Once hot, place the corn in the skillet and cook until charred all over, rotating every few minutes. This will take about ten minutes. Once cooled, remove the corn from the cob with a knife and set aside.

Cook the macaroni according to package directions and then rinse with cold water, drain well in a colander and then set aside in a large serving bowl to cool. Add the bacon, corn, peppers and serrano pepper.

Then make the dressing. In a bowl, mix together all ingredients. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.

Add as much dressing as needed to coat the macaroni and toss very well to combine everything.

Garnish with dill and/or chives and store extra dressing in the fridge in a sealed container for leftovers.

Tips for Making the Best Ranch Macaroni Salad

• Let it chill: let this macaroni salad sit in the fridge for at least a few hours before serving. This allows for the flavours to come together more and makes for a better tasting macaroni salad.
• Make this ahead of time: this is one of those salads that tastes better as it sits. You can prep this one day in advance. Before serving, add a little more dressing to it as it soaks up the dressing quite easily.
• Make more dressing: as you're whisking up the dressing, you can easily make more to add to it as needed. Just store it in a separate container in the fridge.

Substitutions

Make this ranch macaroni salad work for you by making any of the following swaps.

• Gluten-free: use any gluten-free macaroni pasta you like.
• No dairy: omit the Greek yogurt and use all mayo instead.
• Herbs: use a mixture of fresh herbs you like, dill, chives and parsley will all work here.
• No pork: use another type of bacon instead, or omit.
• Less spice: leave the seeds out of the serrano/jalapeño, or omit them.
• More ranch flavour: if you really want more ranch flavour, feel free to add a little of your favourite dressing in the mix.
• More onion flavour: feel free to use a mix of onion flakes and powder for more flavour.

How to Store

• Keep leftovers stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to five days.
• Store extra dressing in a separate container to add to the salad as it sits and before you'll eat it.

This ranch macaroni salad makes enough for about 6-8 portions, depending on what else you're eating with it.

More Salad Recipes

If you love a good salad, be sure to check these out!

• Classic & healthy gluten-free macaroni salad
• Summer farro salad with corn
• Greek lentil salad
• Viral dill pickle potato salad
• Thai chicken noodle salad
• Cold soba noodle salad with peanut Thai red curry dressing
• My most popular go-to lemon kale salad with parmesan and crispy prosciutto
• Fig and Arugula Salad with Ricotta Salata
• French lentil salad with kale and feta

Ready to make this deliciously easy ranch and bacon pasta salad? Let's go!

If you make this ranch macaroni salad, please let me know by tagging me on Instagram, or leave a comment and/or review below!

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