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Ruby Tuesday Pasta Salad (Creamy Copycat)

Ruby Tuesday pasta salad is a classic creamy pasta salad with rotini, broccoli, cauliflower, and crumbled bacon in a sweet-tangy dressing. After a quick boil/blanch and a long chill, the flavors meld for a restaurant-style chilled side.
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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: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook and chill the pasta and vegetables
  1. Cook tri-color rotini pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch.
  2. Blanch broccoli florets and cauliflower florets in boiling water for 2 minutes, then plunge into ice water and drain.
Make the sweet-tangy dressing
  1. Whisk mayonnaise, sugar, red wine vinegar, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until smooth and evenly combined.
Assemble and marinate
  1. Combine pasta, broccoli, cauliflower, bacon, and red onion in a large bowl, spreading ingredients evenly.
  2. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until every pasta piece and floret looks coated.
  3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let the flavors meld, then serve cold.

Notes

For best texture, rinse the hot pasta thoroughly with cold water so it doesn’t keep cooking and turn mushy. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freezing isn’t recommended. For a lighter option, use light mayonnaise (or a mayo blend) while keeping the same sugar and vinegar amounts to preserve the sweet-tangy balance.