Pimento cheese dip, but make it pasta! This creamy, smoky pimento cheese pasta salad is inspired by my all-time favorite restaurant dip and loaded with sharp cheddar, diced pimento peppers and crispy bacon. Ready in 30 minutes and even better made ahead. It’s the cookout side dish that disappears first every single time!
Table of Contents
Ever since I first tried the pimento cheese dip at R+D Kitchen in Newport Beach, I’ve been finding ways to work it into everything. It’s thick, it’s creamy, it’s the kind of dip you eat with a spoon and call it a snack, and it inspired the Pimento Cheese BLT in my cookbook. So it only makes sense that it eventually found its way into a pasta salad. Welcome to the side dish party, pimento cheese pasta salad!
Is there such a thing as too many pasta salad recipes? Not in my (recipe) book! Especially when each one brings something different to the table. And this one brings a lot: smoky, creamy, tangy, cheesy and loaded with bacon. If you love my homemade pimento cheese dip as much as I do, this cold pasta salad is going to be your new warm-weather obsession.
- Pasta: I used casarecce for this pasta salad, and I’m obsessed with it. It’s a short, rolled pasta with a slight twist and a deep groove running down the middle that catches every bit of creamy dressing. But any short pasta works well for this recipe.
- Mayonnaise: The base of the dressing. Duke’s is the gold standard for Southern-style pimento cheese, but use a brand you love.
- Dijon mustard: Just a tablespoon, but it adds a subtle tang that keeps the dressing from feeling heavy.
- Worcestershire sauce: The quiet MVP of this recipe. It adds a savory depth that’s hard to put your finger on but impossible to miss if it’s not there.
- Smoked paprika and garlic powder: For flavor.
- Shredded cheddar cheese: Sharp cheddar is my pick for bold flavor, but pepper jack or smoked cheddar would be equally delicious here. And whenever possible, grate it fresh from the block. It blends into the dressing so much more smoothly than pre-shredded.
- Red onion: Diced small so you get a little sharpness in every bite without it overpowering the rest of the salad.
- Pimento peppers: One 4-oz. jar, drained. You’ll usually find these in the condiment aisle near the olives. They’re mild, slightly sweet, and 100% non-negotiable in this recipe!
- Bacon: Cook it, crumble it, and divide it in half. Half goes into the salad, half goes on top right before serving so you get crispy, salty bacon bits in every single bite.
- Fresh chives: A sprinkle of chopped chives at the end adds a fresh, oniony brightness.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Start by cooking your pasta in a large pot of well-salted water (think, salty like the sea!) until al dente, then drain it and rinse it under cold water until completely cool.
Success tip: Dry your pasta well. I cannot stress this enough. Any water clinging to the cooked pasta will loosen the dressing and make the whole salad watery. Rinse, drain, and then let it sit for a few minutes before adding it to the bowl.
While the pasta cools, whisk together the dressing. Then add the shredded cheddar, red onion and pimento peppers. It’ll be thinner than a traditional pimento cheese dip because you want it to coat every inch of the pasta rather than clump together like a spread.
All that’s left to do is toss the dressing with the cooled pasta and half of the crumbled bacon. Transfer to a serving dish, top with the remaining bacon and chopped fresh chives, and dig in!
What to Serve It With
This is the kind of side dish that belongs at every cookout, potluck and backyard dinner from Memorial Day straight through Labor Day. I especially love it alongside my mom Noni’s famous oven-baked baby back ribs, where the creamy, tangy salad is the perfect counterpoint to smoky, saucy ribs.
It’s equally at home next to smash burgers, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches or glazed honey garlic shrimp skewers for something a little different. Basically, if it’s coming off the grill or out of the oven, this pimento cheese pasta salad belongs on the plate next to it.
FAQs
Yes, and I actually encourage it! The flavors deepen as the salad sits in the fridge, making it even better by day two. The one thing I’d recommend: hold off on adding the bacon and fresh chives until right before serving. Bacon that sits in a creamy dressing overnight loses its crunch. Store the pasta salad and the bacon separately, then top it off right before you’re ready to serve.
Stored in an airtight container, it keeps well for up to 3 days. Give it a good stir before serving, and if it looks a little dry, stir in a small spoonful of mayo to bring it back to life.
When it comes to mayo-based pasta salads, I always err on the side of caution. The general rule is no more than 2 hours at room temperature, and even less on a hot day. If you’re serving this at an outdoor cookout, I’d recommend keeping it in a cooler or nestled in a bowl of ice until it’s time to eat, and refrigerating any leftovers promptly.
Ingredients
- 12 oz. uncooked short pasta
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 (4-oz.) jar diced pimento peppers, drained
- 8 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled and divided
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta then rinse it with cold water to remove any excess starch. Drain it thoroughly again and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and smoked paprika with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Stir in the cheddar cheese, red onions and pimento peppers then stir in the pasta and half of the crumbled bacon.
- Top the pasta salad with the remaining crumbled bacon and chopped chives then serve.
Kelly’s Notes
- Make-ahead: This pasta salad gets even better as it sits! Make it up to 24 hours in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If it looks a little dry when you pull it out, stir in a small spoonful of mayo to bring it back to life.
- Bacon: Store the crumbled bacon separately and add it right before serving to keep it crispy.
- Storage: Leftover pasta salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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