Bow-Tie Cowboy Pasta Salad

Rock any picnic with this cowboy pasta salad, a fun medley of bow-tie pasta, mushrooms, bacon bits, cheese, and veggies in a creamy ranch dressing.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Calories: 337 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup creamy salad dressing (such as Miracle Whip®)
• 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix (such as Hidden Valley®)
• 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
• 1 (16 ounce) package bow-tie pasta (such as Barilla®)
• 1 (16 ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces
• 0.25 cup milk
• 1.5 teaspoons garlic salt
• 0.33333334326744 cup diced red onion
• 0.33333334326744 cup chopped green onion
• 0.5 cup bacon bits

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook bow-tie pasta in boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir peas in hot oil until heated through, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

Step 3

While pasta cooks, mix salad dressing, milk, ranch mix, and garlic salt together in a large bowl until smooth. Add mushrooms, broccoli, 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, bacon bits, red onion, green onion, and cooled peas. Mix thoroughly. Refrigerate salad until pasta is done.

Step 4

Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Mix thoroughly into salad. Top with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese and refrigerate until ready to serve.