Cobb Pasta Salad
Everything you love about a classic Cobb salad, tossed with rotini pasta and dressed in a creamy homemade ranch that’s genuinely better than anything from a bottle. This is the pasta salad that covers all the bases: crispy bacon, juicy chicken, hard boiled eggs, fresh cucumber, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and two kinds of cheese, all brought together with a ranch dressing made from scratch in about two minutes. It’s hearty enough to be a full meal, easy enough to make for a crowd, and the kind of dish that gets requested every time you bring it somewhere.
The homemade ranch is the detail that elevates this from a good pasta salad to a great one. Mayo and sour cream as the base, fresh dill, dried chives and parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder. It’s creamy, herbaceous, and flavorful in a way that bottled ranch simply isn’t, and it coats every piece of pasta and every topping perfectly. Make it ahead and let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes before dressing the salad and the flavors will be even more developed.
Ingredients Needed to Make Cobb Pasta Salad
Classic Cobb ingredients plus pasta and a great homemade ranch. Here’s everything you need:
The Salad
- Rotini pasta, cooked and cooled (the corkscrew shape catches and holds the dressing in every twist)
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Cucumber, sliced
- Bacon, cooked and crumbled (crispy bacon adds a smoky, salty crunch throughout)
- Cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (rotisserie chicken is the fastest option)
- Hard boiled eggs, diced
- Avocado, chopped (add right before serving)
- Blue cheese crumbles (the classic Cobb cheese; sharp, tangy, and creamy)
- Shredded cheddar (adds a mild, melty richness alongside the blue cheese)
- Croutons, crumbled (add right before serving for crunch)
- Salt and pepper to taste
The Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Mayo (the creamy, rich base)
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt (adds tang and lightens the dressing slightly)
- Dried chives
- Dried parsley
- Fresh dill (fresh dill makes a noticeable difference here over dried)
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to Make Cobb Pasta Salad
Everything can be made ahead and assembled in about 10 minutes once the chicken and pasta are ready. Here’s how it comes together.
1
Make the Ranch Dressing
In a bowl or jar, whisk together the mayo, sour cream or Greek yogurt, dried chives, dried parsley, fresh dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using if possible. The flavors meld together beautifully as it chills and the dressing will be noticeably better after resting than freshly mixed.
2
Cook and Cool the Pasta
Cook the rotini according to package directions until al dente. Drain and either spread on a baking sheet to cool at room temperature or toss with a small drizzle of olive oil to prevent clumping and refrigerate until completely cool. Adding the dressing to warm pasta causes it to absorb too quickly and can make the salad dry and clumped rather than creamy and well-coated.
3
Prep the Toppings
While the pasta cools, cook and crumble the bacon, dice the hard boiled eggs, halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the cucumber, and chop or shred the chicken. Have everything ready to go before assembling so the process is fast and organized.
4
Assemble
Add the cooled pasta to a large bowl. Layer the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bacon, chicken, hard boiled eggs, blue cheese, and shredded cheddar over the top. Hold the avocado and croutons until the very end.
5
Dress and Finish
Pour the ranch dressing over the salad and toss gently until everything is evenly coated. Fold in the chopped avocado last so it doesn’t break down during tossing. Scatter the crumbled croutons over the top right before serving so they stay crunchy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Storing and Make-Ahead Tips
This pasta salad is an excellent meal prep option. Store all the components separately and assemble right before eating for the freshest result. The pasta can be dressed and stored with all the toppings except the avocado and croutons for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Add those two fresh at serving time.
The homemade ranch dressing keeps for up to 7 days in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. It thickens slightly as it chills so stir or shake before using. It also doubles as a dip for vegetables, wings, or pizza, so making a full batch is always a good idea.
Once fully dressed and assembled, the pasta salad keeps for up to 3 days covered in the refrigerator. Stir before serving and add a drizzle of extra dressing if it seems dry since the pasta continues absorbing dressing as it sits.
Cobb Pasta Salad
Ingredients
The Salad
- 1 lb rotini pasta cooked and cooled
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cucumber sliced
- 4 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups cooked chicken chopped or shredded
- 3 hard boiled eggs diced
- 1 avocado chopped
- 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
- Croutons crumbled
- Salt and pepper to taste
The Homemade Ranch Dressing
- 1 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp dried chives
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp fresh dill
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the ranch dressing. Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Cook and cool the pasta. Cook rotini according to package directions, drain, and spread on a baking sheet to cool completely before assembling.
- Assemble. Add the cooled pasta to a large bowl. Top with the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bacon, chicken, hard boiled eggs, avocado, blue cheese, and cheddar.
- Dress and finish. Pour the ranch dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Top with crumbled croutons right before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
