The Best Copycat Ruby Tuesday Pasta Salad Recipe
My homemade, copycat version of Ruby Tuesday's pasta salad – rotini pasta, diced ham, peas and green peppers make for the perfect side dish for a summer party! Don't forget to bring a pitcher of raspberry rosé sangria and the ingredients for some grilled peaches, too.
Emily said: “I’m so excited for this!! My main craving during this pregnancy was Ruby Tuesday's pasta salad. And now I have it without leaving my house. It’s SPOT ON. I can’t believe it. Thank you! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“
Generally speaking, I'm not a “chain restaurant” kind of girl. I live for finding little hole-in-the-wall cafes, family-run diners, and restaurants that only use locally-grown ingredients.
But I do have a couple exceptions, and the Ruby Tuesday salad bar is one of them. Sweet mother, do I love their salad bar.
On my first pass, I pile my plate high with olives, egg, peas, peppers, carrots, and a smidgen of lettuce underneath it all. But on my second pass, I load it up with the fruit salad and the pasta salad.
I can't get enough of the pasta salad – I really don't even know what it is about it that's so addictive to me.
The Ruby Tuesday closest to me is… well, not close at all. I got a horrible craving for the pasta salad recently and my only mission was to come up with a copycat recipe (I know, you're shocked).
And it might not be 100% dead on, but this is pretty freaking close.
Key Ingredients
You only need 8 ingredients, most of which you might have hanging around the house anyway:
- Rotini pasta – You don't have to use roniti, but it gets you closest to “the real thing”. You could try it with another “short” pasta shape like fusilli, penne, cavatappi, or elbow macaroni. Nooks and crannies are your friends! Just make sure you’re using dried pasta instead of fresh – it holds up better to pasta salads.
- Ranch dressing – Overall, I don't think the brand you use really matter, but I always use Hidden Valley Ranch because I prefer its flavor and texture. I use bottled, pre-made ranch dressing but you can certainly make your own with a packet of ranch seasoning.
- Mayonnaise – The same goes for the mayo – I just always use Hellmans Real Mayonnaise.
- Green bell pepper – Add a satisfying crunch!
- Ham – I always buy packages of Boar's Head Boneless Ham Steaks and then dice them. An 8-ounce package is about 2 cups of diced ham. But if you happened to have a freshly baked ham, you can absolutely use that!
- Frozen peas – Yep, frozen! Don't use canned green peas as they'll have too much moisture and could end up smooshy.
- Salt and pepper – While I believe every recipe is a “salt and pepper to taste” situation, I actually do give you specific measurements as I find those to be the right balance for this quantity of pasta salad.
How to make the best ham and pea pasta salad
- Prep pasta: Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside until completely cooled.
- Prep the dressing: In a very large bowl, combine ranch dressing, mayonnaise, salt and pepper.
- Add the rest: Add green pepper, ham, peas and stir to combine. Add pasta and stir again to combine.
- Chill out: Cover bowl and place in refrigerator to chill completely.
- Serve cold and enjoy!
Tips for making the best pasta salad
- Make sure you’re salting the water you’re cooking the pasta in. For 1 pound of pasta (like we’re using in this recipe), add at least 1/2 Tablespoon of kosher salt.
- Cook the pasta to just a little past al dente. You don’t want it to be mushy from being cooked too long, nor do you want it to be too tough because you didn’t cook it long enough.
- Make sure you rinse the pasta in cold water after it's done cooking. Once you rinse it in cold water, it’s going to stop it from cooking further – so make sure to taste it before you pull it from the heat.
- Speaking of the cold water rinse, you don’t need to chill the pasta before dressing it. In fact, that would be doing yourself a disservice! You want to compile the salad with all the ingredients as soon as you can while it can still best absorb the flavors.
Does it matter what brands I use?
Overall, not really. Use whatever brands of ranch dressing and mayonnaise you prefer or have on hand.
For what it's worth, I usually use Hellmans Real Mayonnaise and Hidden Valley Ranch.
What kind of ham should I use?
I always buy packages of Boar's Head Boneless Ham Steaks and then dice them. An 8 ounce package is about 2 cups of diced ham.
But if you happened to have a freshly baked ham, you can absolutely use that!
Do I have to use rotini pasta?
To get as close to the real recipe, yes!
But outside of that, definitely not. You could always try it with another “short” pasta shape like fusilli, penne, cavatappi, or elbow macaroni. Nooks and crannies are your friends! Just make sure you’re using dried pasta instead of fresh – it holds up better to pasta salads.
Chilling is essential for the flavor
The hardest part about this recipe is waiting for it to chill before digging in. And waiting is THE WORST.
I've had many people comment that it didn't taste quite right when they taste-tested it before chilling it in the fridge – and you're all completely right. The flavors don't meld together to get it just right until after it's been in the fridge for at least an hour. The good news is that it's totally worth the wait!
Plus, it's so easy to make a giant batch to serve at a summer party and it can be prepared ahead of time so that you can worry about more important things the day of the party, like decorations, music and inflating pretzel-shaped pool floats.
… what? That's just me? Fine.
Storage
You can keep leftover pasta salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Just give it a quick stir before serving.
Variations of this easy ranch pasta salad
If you're not looking to keep this recipe as close to Ruby Tuesday's version as possible, there are all sorts of possibilities!
- Add a big squeeze of lemon juice to the dressing. It adds a lovely brightness to the whole salad.
- Add cheese. Because cheese makes just about everything better. You could stay on theme with the rest of the pasta salad and add chunks of cheddar cheese or swiss cheese, or you could try shredded or grated Parmesan cheese or even asiago cheese.
- Add sour cream. Some readers have told me they've added sour cream to make it a more creamy pasta salad!
- Add red onions. It will add a little flavor as well as some more crunch.
- Serve with or add chicken! I love serving this with grilled chicken, but it's also pretty fricking delicious with cubed or shredded chicken in the pasta itself.
- I've been known to add a hearty dash of garlic salt to mine because I like to emphasize the garlic flavor in the ranch dressing.
FAQs
Overall, not really. Use whatever brands of ranch dressing and mayonnaise you prefer or have on hand. For what it's worth, I usually use Hellmans Real Mayonnaise and Hidden Valley Ranch.
I always buy packages of Boar's Head Boneless Ham Steaks and then dice them. An 8-ounce package is about 2 cups of diced ham. But if you happened to have a freshly baked ham, you can absolutely use that!
To get as close to the real recipe, yes! But outside of that, definitely not. You could always try it with another “short” pasta shape like fusilli, penne, cavatappi, or elbow macaroni. Nooks and crannies are your friends! Just make sure you’re using dried pasta instead of fresh – it holds up better to pasta salads.
The flavors don't meld together to get it just right until after it's been in the fridge for at least 1 hour. The good news is that it's totally worth the wait!
Sufficiently salting the water your pasta cooks in and giving it the cold water rinse when it's done cooking with help prevent the pasta from sticking.
Leaving a comment and star rating is a great (and free) way to support Stress Baking. After you've enjoyed this recipe, click on the stars below and leave a comment to share your experience – thank you!
Copycat Ruby Tuesday Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 green bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 cups ham, cooked and diced (about 1-8 ounce ham steak)
- ½ cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside until completely cooled.1 pound (453 ⅗ g) rotini pasta
- In a very large bowl, combine ranch dressing, mayonnaise, salt and pepper.1 cup (240 g) ranch dressing1/2 cup (112 g) mayonnaise1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon (½ teaspoon) black pepper
- Add green pepper, ham, peas and stir to combine. Add pasta and stir again to combine.1 green bell pepper2 cups (280 g) ham1/2 cup (72 ½ g) frozen peas
- Cover bowl and place in refrigerator to chill completely.
- Serve cold and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make sure you rinse the pasta in cold water after it's done cooking – this will stop the cooking process completely, and it will help it cool more quickly.
- People have given some AWESOME recommendations in the comments – some from real life former Ruby Tuesday employees. Check them out if you want to make this more authentic – I'm not including them in my recipe card since it wasn't my idea and I actually love my version as is, and I don't want to give away their secrets without credit :)
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is generated by an automatic API and does not take variations across specific brands into account. This information is provided as a general guideline and should not be treated as official calculations. Learn more here.
Lovely pasta salad
Thanks
I know it is a Ruby Tuesday recipe and it is awesome.
But for a twist and fun try adding a cup of sweet coleslaw and omit ther extra mayonnaise. You won’t be sorry!
I came across your site wanting to learn more and you did not disappoint. Keep up the terrific work, and just so you know, I have bookmarked your page to stay in the loop of your future posts. Here is mine at Webemail24 about Social Media Marketing. Have a wonderful day!
Thank you so much for posting this. You are my hero
Well I certainly love that title! lol :)
I have made this more than once and it is great! I make my little tweaks to our taste preferences but the bones of this recipe are awesome. Thanks for the awesome recipe. I’m making it right now!
That’s awesome, I’m so glad you like it!
I made this today using Christmas pasta from Aldi, shaped like Santa, sleighs, etc. I love that the recipe was easy enough fir my 4 year old to do the majority of the work, and it is delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I am so glad that I found this recipe. I actually substituted regular ranch and mayonnaise for low-calorie versions, and it still came out great. I like more peas in mine though.
Not gonna lie, I usually end up eyeballing it and adding way more than I call for here if I’m feeling like it :) So glad you liked it!
My family and I Loved the pasta. We use to eat at Ruby Tuesday’s every time we went shopping out of town just to eat the salad bar and pasta! But the closest one to me closed. So thanks so much for the recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it, thanks so much for leaving a rating and comment!
Thank you! This is the one food that my daughter asks for! So glad that I can make it from your recipe!
So happy you and your daughter like it!
I can’t eat green peppers and loathe peas. Need good subs for that, thanks!
I can’t eat green peppers and loathe peas. Need good subs for that, thanks!
Hi Susie! Since those are two of the ingredients in the Ruby Tuesday recipe, I can’t really recommend substitutes since then it wouldn’t be a copycat recipe anymore :) But if you wanted to make this your own, you could omit the peas and maybe sub in some celery for crunch.
I don’t like peas either, so.. I use grated carrots. I just run a couple baby carrots over my cheese shredder.
TY so much for sharing! I have great grandkids and.. good luck with those babies they grow to fast!
I would say to cut back on the salt and add more pepper.
I don’t like peas either, so.. I use grated carrots. I just run a couple baby carrots over my cheese shredder.
When we worked at RT, the measurements were in very large commercial batches. We prepped by the pounds and gallons.
RT seasoning has was too much salt, paprika and turmeric for my personal tastes.
The secret ingredient is not Lawry’s, but MSG (or Accent brand) seasoning instead of salt. Just a sprinkle, to taste. I like to use a fresh ranch dressing from the refrigerated section + add only a light splash or two of real buttermilk for flavor, not consistency. I like a pinch of fresh minced garlic & onion… but again, not too much!
Remember, less is more! or Keep it simple!
What kind of Ranch dressing is used bottled or homemade
Hi Diane, thanks for the question. As I note in the body of the post, I usually use Hidden Valley Ranch – but you can use whatever you’d like!
What kind of Ranch blessing g do you use bottled or do you make it
I’m so excited for this!! My main craving during this pregnancy was ruby tuesdays pasta salad. And now I have have it without leaving my house (which is nice due to covid). It’s SPOT ON. I can’t believe it. Thank you!
So glad you liked it! Best of luck with your pregnancy <3
I’m looking for the copycat recipe for ruby tuesday orecchiette pasta salad. Help!
Surprisingly close to correct! Rather than salt and pepper, we used gsp or fry seasoning. Add dried garlic powder lol
When you say you use Hidden Valley Ranch are you saying that:
A. You use the Hidden Valley Ranch from a bottle?
OR
B. You make your own? If you make your own please be specific as to how you make it like which packet, which milk and which mayo.
Thanks
Hi Mary Ann, thanks for asking – no one ever has before, and it never occurred to me that I was being unclear! I’m talking about the bottles of creamy dressing (and not dry mix).