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.
Rating this recipe is a great (and free) way to support Stress Baking. After you've enjoyed this recipe, click on the stars below 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.
I just need some clarification, in one spot you mention a 1/2 lb pasta & in the ingredient list you say 1 lb pasta. Which is correct?
Thank you for catching that, I just corrected it! The recipe is for 1 full pound.
What can you use in place of the green peppers? I don’t like them raw but I eat them cooked. Also I was wondering if Miracle whip would work instead of mayo. Has anyone tried it?
If you’re not a fan of green peppers, you can just leave it out! And I don’t personally use Miracle Whip, but I would say that due to the sugar content in it you’d end up with a slightly different flavor that would be sweeter than the recipe as written. But if you give it a try, I’d love to know how it turns out!
@Leslie Kiszka, I don’t like bell peppers either. I’m going to make this with celery for the crunch.
Looks nice! I love your webpage ;)
I love Ruby Tuesday and I love the pasta salad even more.
So happy to hear that!
This recipe really does taste like Ruby Tuesday’s. I totally agree that you have to wait for it to chill. Tastes so much better after chilling. Thanks so much for sharing.
So glad you liked it! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment and rating, I really appreciate it.
Going to try making for my family Christmas 2021…..
I hope you loved it!
All your missing is Ruby Tuesday’s seasoning and it’s perfect! If you are able to go in one just ask to buy a small container of the seasoning and they will for a small price! Also great for other recipes and when cooking meats !
Huge fan of the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday, even though I don’t like salads, but I LOVE LOVE their pasta salad! It was my main reason for going, unfortunately they closed near me. I was wondering about the mayo because there is a sweet taste to the pasta salad at Ruby Tuesday. I assumed it was maybe, Miracle Whip? I’m just curious before I attempt to make it myself.
I don’t use Miracle Whip, so this recipe uses mayonnaise – they might add some sugar to their dressing, but I find it tastes great as written in the recipe card. Hope you like it!
I think it might be the peas you get the sweet taste from. It’s just ranch and mayonnaise and gsp that’s in the dressing.
Also there were as much peas as ham.
You are a genius for figuring out this copycat recipe. This is going to be on repeat all summer!
Do you thaw the peas before adding ? Or add them frozen?
You add them frozen!
Turned out just like Ruby Tuesday’s. When I tasted it before I refrigerated I was disappointed but, after 3 hours in fridge it was perfect.
It’s true! Taste testing it before it chills is a different flavor altogether – crazy, right? So glad you liked it in the end – thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment and rating!
My granddaughter loves Ruby Tuesday’s pasta. Unfortunately they closed. I’m going to surprise her with at our next get together. Thanks for the recipe!
That will be such a nice surprise for her!
I have tried soooo many Ruby Tuesday copy cat pasta salad recipes, I am ready to give up. But, my son loves it, so I am trying yours next. The common problem is the Mayo makes the recipe taste weird. So I am excited to try your recipe, because your mayo to ranch ratio seems good. Is there any specific mayo brand you recommend? Dukes has no sugar and lite can change a recipe. Also, what ranch do you use a buttermilk? Please advise!
I tend to use Hellmans Real Mayonnaise, and Hidden Valley Ranch. I hope you like it!
I love this recipe, it’s always a big hit at parties. It tastes just like Ruby’s. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for your kind words, I’m so glad you love it!
Totes love
What kind of ham do you use?
Hi, Amber – thanks for stopping by! I usually use boneless ham steaks (just make sure they don’t have any extra flavors added in), and grab 2 packages when I make a batch. Hope this helps!
Hi Beth, Thanks so much for the info on the seasoning. It’s so sad that you’re old neighbors store closed, but at least something good came from it. I’ve been missing the old queso and Sonora Pasta (the same sauce was used for both), but I can’t find any recipes that even come close. I know it included spinach and sundried tomatoes because I worked for RT from 2000-05, but I was a server so I never found out the actual recipe. Is there anyway you’d be able to help me out? Thanks again and have a great night.
Spinach con queso ( dip ) RTs brand comes frozen in a bag. Grilled chicken breast sliced with RTs seasoning and diced Roma tomatoes! Fresh cilantro to garnish wonderful!!