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Ruby Tuesday Pasta Salad

Ruby Tuesday copycat creamy pasta salad with broccoli, cauliflower, and bacon in a sweet-tangy dressing. Tri-color rotini stays tender yet firm, while the vegetables are blanched then chilled for bright color and crunch.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Tri-color pasta
  • 1 lb tri-color rotini pasta
Vegetables
  • 2 cup broccoli florets blanched
  • 1 cup cauliflower florets blanched
  • 0.5 cup red onion diced
Bacon
  • 6 bacon cooked and crumbled
Sweet-tangy dressing
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.25 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 0.25 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Cook tri-color rotini pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
Blanch and chill the vegetables
  1. Blanch broccoli florets and cauliflower florets in boiling water for 2 minutes, then plunge into ice water and drain for crisp-tender texture.
Make the dressing
  1. Whisk mayonnaise, sugar, red wine vinegar, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until smooth and fully combined.
Assemble the salad
  1. Combine tri-color rotini pasta, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, bacon, and red onion in a large bowl.
  2. Pour dressing over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 2 hours before serving so the pasta absorbs the sweet-tangy dressing.

Notes

For the best texture, rinse pasta until completely cool and chill the vegetables right after blanching so they don’t keep cooking. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; freeze is not recommended because pasta and vegetables soften after thawing. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat mayonnaise (and keep the rest the same) to reduce calories while keeping the creamy coating.