Welcome to the Castle Kitchen! Let’s cook with BACON!
How about a recipe for a really yummy salad side dish? Great for Spring or Summer or probably any old time but this is a “warm weather” favorite with burgers around here. Mom has even made this same recipe – minus the bacon and with shrimp.
Anyway, here’s a delicious one for you to try.
Bacon Ranch Macaroni Salad
INGREDIENTS
6 slices bacon
1 lb. elbow macaroni (actually the spiral macaroni works nicely too as you can see from the photo!)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 small red onion diced small
1 package ranch salad dressing mix
1 8 oz. package cheddar cheese cut into small cubes
DIRECTIONS
Cook bacon in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat until crisp – about 10 minutes – drain on a paper-towel lined plate until cool then crumble.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes; drain.
Rinse macaroni with cold water until cool; drain.
Mix cooled macaroni, crumbled bacon, mayonnaise, red onion, green bell pepper, ranch salad dressing mix, and Cheddar cheese together in a large bowl.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
I WANT THIS NOW!!!!!!
Yeah I think a lot of people would want this now but you have to wait until you get all these goodies at the grocery store then you can make it and eat it to your heart’s content! Also a note for those of you who don’t know what ranch dressing in a package is all about. You CAN find this in the grocery store where the “make it yourself” salad dressing stuff is – in our store it’s on a top shelf above the regular bottled salad dressings. If you can’t find it – use salad dressing – I’m thinking it would work out – it will be a lot more “CREAMY” a salad but nothing wrong with that either!
Our motto around the Castle…………
Happy Saturday Bacon Lovers!
Your King
That sounds good! I always have plenty of spiral pasta in the larder because you can use it for so many things. Of course I will use shrimp instead of bacon.
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It really does make a nice shrimp salad………(I put that in there JUST FOR YOU BY THE WAY!!!!!!)
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Sounds simple to make and sounds good. With bacon even better. Nice today until tonight thunderstorms coming. Have a great day.
Sue
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Same kind of weather for here today Sue……..nice during the day and rain moving in tonight. AT LEAST IT’S WARM!
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Another yummy sounding recipe!!
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Indeed and a nice change from potato salad…………..
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I am thinking this would be a nice change for us when we grill burgers tonight or tomorrow for dinner! We would use the spirals because we just like it for cold pasta salads. Elbows are for mac and cheese and/or chili… Ha! Good Morning Virginieeeeeeeeeeee!
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Howdy Floridadooooooo! I agree about spirals vs. elbows. Spirals have that swirly thing going on which lets stuff get in the nooks and crannies on the noodles so they taste more like PART of the salad or whatever. Elbows are – well – just elbows but PERFECT for mac and cheese, etc. WE KNOW OUR NOODLES DON’T WE??!! HAHA Happy Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hugs, Pam
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Yes, we DO know our NOODLES/PASTA. I love bow tie pasta. It is funny how they all have their different taste! My favorite pasta right now is Pappardelle noodles. Our favorite at Da Minos on the island!
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LOVE THOSE BIG BEAUTIFUL PAPPARDELLE noodles. Our fave Italian restaurant often has them with all kinds of fabulous things but they are so good with just buttah and a sprinkle of parmesan too!!!! 🙂
Hugs, Pam
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My wife found that ranch dressing mix in a container and now uses it on everything. She even sprinkles it on popcorn.
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Ranch is a nice mild dressing and really does go with everything – delish on baked potatoes too!
Hugs, Pam
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I’ll have to try that.
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Guaranteed TASTY!
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Teddy that is the absolute BEST I know. Mom said her mouf is watering!
Katie Isabella
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Oh Katie it’s ever so yummy – Mommy says – and Mommies are always (mostly) right!
Hugs, Teddy
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Shrimp sounds so good. I love fish. I’ll have to try the salad dressing mix next time. I’ve only used mayonnaise in mine. Thanks Teddy:))
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Mom says she never used the dressing mixes either but it’s mostly the “concentration of flavors” that you get from the packets that you don’t always get from a prepared dressing. Anyway, it’s YUMMMMMM!
Hugs, Teddy
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I like using buttermilk dressing mix on things. Kicks it up a notch without overpowering.
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Love buttermilk dressing mix too – and it would be fab in this recipe!
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By, I don’t know how you do it, coming up with all these recipes! Amazing. Happy weekend.
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I try to find things that might appeal to everyone – not just bacon lovers – after all bacon is a great topping for all kinds of things as well as a “main ingredient” !!! Glad you like them!
Hugs, Pam
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🤗
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It’s tasty alright………..
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If I can score some bacon this week I am going to make this. Thanks for the recipe. XO
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Good luck – maybe the bacon Gods will be with you! 🙂
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YUMMY! Mom made the bacon and cabbage last night!
The Florida Furkids
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Isn’t that just DELICIOUS? Mom has made it a couple of times now – just gets better.
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Amen I want this now toooooooo~~~
Hugs Cecilia
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Sounds good for breakfast too. LOL
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Once, at my old house, I found macaroni noodles on the ground behind the dumpster. They were crunchy and Mom said I was weird to try and eat them. This sounds much more satisfying….
Love and licks,
Cupcake
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Oh absolutely – dumpster macaroni is one of those “I will eat them if there’s nothing else around” kinds of meals Cupcake…..and you DO have better meals at home!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
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We think this is a keeper. Going to try the ranch dressing in a shrimp salad using shell macaroni.
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PURRRRFECT!
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That has got to be super good, yum Teddy!
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It’s not just “got to be” – it IS !! 🙂 🙂
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Oooh, this is a great one!
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Yummy! Too bad there are so many things in there we don’t use anymore…might make it for a potluck when we are allowed to have those again.
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Save it for the future! 🙂
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This does sound yummy!
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Easy too………. 🙂
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Mom has been holding out on us – we spotted some bacon in the freezer!!! We think this salad would make a great addition to dinner this week – and then maybe we would get a taste of that bacon:)
Woos, Lightning and Timber
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OH BOY! Even pawsibility of bacon is great isn’t it? Hope you get a bacon treat guys!
Hugs, Teddy
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Teddy, the photo lookslike your salad has peas, which we think would be really good. It is definitely a different take on macaroni salad, which Mom now wants. Hope you are having a good weekend, and your Mom had a better night’s sleep on Caturday. XOCK, angel Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, angel Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo, Cooper Murphy and Sawyer
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It does look like peas but it’s green pepper bits…….however you’re right peas WOULD be good!!! Mom slept really great last night – no neighborhood noise!
Hugs, Teddy
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I bet I’d luv it!
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I bet you would too!!
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When Grandpaw sees this recipe he sure is going to look like the * I want it now* mister, and he would add …*and I want it all* 😸Delicious Pawkisses for a Happy Sunday. Stay Safe Healthy and Yourselfie🙏🐾😽💞
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It’s a very tasty people food kind of thing BUTTTTT if someone is cooking bacon for the recipe, we should be STANDING BY in case our pitiful sad eyes get us a bit of bacon !!!!
Hugs, Teddy
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