This Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Salad combines pasta with tender crisp broccoli, sharp cheddar, bacon, and a creamy sweet-savory dressing. It delivers the flavor profile of classic broccoli salad with the heartiness of pasta, making it ideal for potlucks and all types summer gatherings.
The one obvious difference in this broccoli salad is that I haven’t gone nearly as heavy on the mayo. While some are fine with mayo heavy pasta salads, it just isn’t my preference. Subbing in some tangy plain Greek yogurt still gives the creaminess but it feels a little lighter and fresher in flavor.
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This creamy broccoli cheddar pasta salad pairs well with just about any of your summer meals. Think side dish to grilled chicken wings, grilled ribeye with compound butter and even grilled pork.
My favorite thing about pasta salads is that they typically taste better after they sit for a while. This makes prepping early in the day perfect. I love to get all my dinner prep done early in the day and then just toss whatever needs to be cooked on the grill at dinner time.
If the creamy dressing isn't the vibe you are after, head over and check out these other pasta salad recipes that have more of a vinaigrette style dressing: Lemon Garlic Tortellini Pasta Salad (with artichokes), Caprese Tortellini Pasta Salad.
Ingredients You'll Need
As always, ingredient measurements are located in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Pasta - farfalle (bow tie pasta) or any short pasta of your liking
- Broccoli - blanched (quickly cooked and plunged in ice)
- Bacon - cooked and crumbled to size you prefer
- Cheese - shredded sharp cheddar or a cheddar jack blend is nice too
- Onion - red onion
- Dressing Ingredients
- Plain Greek Yogurt - full fat works best
- Mayo
- Vinegar - apple cider vinegar
- Seasonings - sugar, salt and pepper
If you don't want to use bacon in this pasta salad you could substitute ham, pancetta or prosciutto or even leave the meat out altogether.
I was trying to make this a true no mayo pasta salad but for balance purposes simply cut it down a bit. If you aren't averse to mayo, you can skip the yogurt.
Speaking of bacon, don't forget my recipe for preparing bacon in the air fryer. That could come in handy when prepping for this recipe.
How to Prepare Creamy Broccoli Pasta Salad
Complete and detailed preparation instructions are located in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this page. This area is simply a brief description of how to prepare this recipe for broccoli cheddar pasta with yogurt dressing.
- Cook the pasta and blanch the broccoli (see note below on blanching).
- Whisk together all dressing ingredients.
- Combine the dressing with the pasta, broccoli, bacon and cheese.
- Chill for at least one hour.
What is blanching?
Blanching is the process in which we cook something in boiling water for a very quick amount of time and then immediately plunge it into an ice water bath to shock it or to stop the cooking process.
The blanching process will leave you with a tender crisp result.
Tips for the Best Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Salad
- Dry everything before mixing - be sure the broccoli and pasta aren't holding too much water. Too much water will result in a change in texture in the dressing.
- Don't skip blanching - Some recipes call for raw broccoli and that is fine but the texture is much better after a quick blanch. Keeping it raw makes chewing a bit tough.
- Balance is everything - Because different brands of yogurts can vary in the tang. Be sure to taste and adjust. If the dressing seems to tangy, add a little more sugar or even a little olive oil to balance it. Also, taste for salt and pepper and add if needed before mixing into the pasta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Up to 4 days.
Yes! Since this recipe requires an hour of refrigeration before serving, it is perfect for a make ahead recipe.
Plain Greek Yogurt. You can swap half of it out or the entire amount. If swapping the entire amount, keep in mind the yogurt is more tangy than mayo and you may need to balance that a bit with a little sugar and/or olive oil.
If you love broccoli make sure you try my simple method of preparing broccoli in the air fryer and also my super popular recipe for Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti (or rigantoni).
Printable Recipe Card
Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bow tie pasta (other short pasta) cooked and cooled
- 3 cups small broccoli florets
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
- 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- ½ cup red onion finely diced
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Blanch the broccoli
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli florets and cook just a minute or a minute and a half. Broccoli should be bright green and only slightly tender. Immediately drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Let sit in ice water one minute and then drain and dry well. Set aside.3 cups small broccoli florets
Dressing
- Whisk together yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Assemble
- Combine cooked and cooled pasta, broccoli, cheddar, bacon, and onion in bowl.12 ounces bow tie pasta (other short pasta), 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar, 8 slices bacon, ½ cup red onion
- Toss dressing with pasta mixture.
- Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
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