I recently raided my pantry and refrigerator for a quick side dish to go along with our burger night. The best part about this pasta salad is that it is so quick to make and you can quickly put it together hours ahead of your meal time. Also, this salad is fairly versatile in that you can use almost whatever pasta salad you have on hand. I used a gluten free penne.

I would suggest sticking with a thicker noodle like penne, macaroni or orecchiette. I don’t believe spaghetti would be the best choice because it doesn’t hold or absorb the dressing the same way penne does. This can be eaten as a side dish or a main dish if you prefer. One option that I like is Banza pasta. It’s made from chickpeas so that if you do want to have this pasta salad as a main meal, you will still be getting a great amount of protein. (www.eatbanza.com)

I have found this salad to be a crowd pleaser because of it’s creamy familiar ranch flavor. If you are looking for a dairy free alternative, you can surely substitute one 13 oz can of unsweetened coconut milk. Enjoy!

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Avocado Ranch Pasta Salad

A make ahead vegetable & pasta salad to eat as both a side dish or a main meal.

Course Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Dinner, Light, Lunch, Appetizer, Salsa, Italian, Kids,

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes

Total Time 16 minutes

Servings 3 people

Ingredients

1/2 each diced red pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced English cucumber
1 each diced medium avocado
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups pasta
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

Instructions

On a stove top, cook the pasta according to package to directions. The pasta should still have texture and shape so be sure not to over cook it.
While the pasta is cooking, mix half of the peeled and seeded avocado with the ranch dressing in a blender or food processor. Pour into a mixing bowl.
Chop all the vegetables and mix them into the ranch and avocado dressing along with the other half of the avocado. Add in the cooked pasta, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Cover the whole salad in the bowl and store for minimum of one hour before serving. Reserve the cilantro until serving.
Before serving, chop the cilantro and lay on top for a garnish. Enjoy!

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