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Tender, little ditalini, crunchy yellow and orange bell pepper, cucumber, crispy bacon crumbles, tiny cubes of Cheddar and pepper jack cheese, and minced fresh jalapeño pepper and chives in a creamy ranch dressing make this Spicy Bacon Cheddar Pasta Salad recipe scream summer!

Spicy Bacon Cheddar Pasta Salad

Tender, little ditalini, crunchy yellow and orange bell pepper, cucumber, crispy bacon crumbles, tiny cubes of Cheddar and pepper jack cheese, and minced fresh jalapeño pepper and chives in a creamy ranch dressing make this Spicy Bacon Cheddar Pasta Salad recipe scream summer!

Course Main Dish, Salad
Cuisine American, barbecue, picnic
Keyword spicy bacon cheddar pasta salad
Servings 10
Author Rebecca Lindamood

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ditalini pasta
  • 8 slices bacon fried 'til crisp and crumbled or chopped
  • 1 seedless cucumber diced
  • 1/2 red or orange bell pepper finely diced
  • 1/2 yellow bell pepper finely diced
  • 1/2 red onion finely diced
  • 4 ounces Sharp Cheddar finely diced
  • 4 ounces pepper jack finely diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper stem and seeds removed, finely diced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives
  • 2/3 cup ranch dressing separated

Instructions

Cook the ditalini pasta according to package instructions for al dente. Drain and rinse generously with cold water. Add all of the ingredients but 1/3 cup of the ranch dressing to a large bowl and toss together. Refrigerate for an hour before serving. If desired, stir in the additional Ranch dressing before serving.