The move that makes this plate is the drizzle of homemade pesto over the top, and if you made a batch from my 5 minute recipe, this is exactly the moment it was waiting for. Warm, jammy tomatoes against cool, creamy cheese with that herby green swoosh over everything. Hand people some crusty bread and watch the plate get wiped clean.

Recipe Snapshot

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Assembly Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 2 to 4 as an appetizer

Difficulty: Easy

Perfect For: Appetizers, brunch, summer dinners, holiday starters, entertaining

Main Ingredients: Burrata, cherry tomatoes, pesto, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, basil

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Why You'll Love This Warm Tomato Burrata Salad Recipe

If you love fresh basil-forward recipes, this would pair beautifully with Creamy Burrata Pasta or a simple side of roasted vegetables for an easy summer meal.

Why This Recipe Works

This recipe works because it builds flavor in layers. Roasting the cherry tomatoes with olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, and garlic turns them sweet, jammy, and deeply flavorful in a short amount of time. The honey helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes and vinegar, while the garlic softens in the oven and infuses the juices with savory flavor.

The burrata brings the creamy contrast. Letting it sit at room temperature before serving gives it a softer, silkier texture, which makes it easier to open and scoop with the tomatoes. That small step makes a big difference in how the finished dish feels.

Pesto adds fresh basil flavor without needing to make a complicated sauce, and the pine nuts give each bite a little crunch. Together, you get warm, creamy, sweet, tangy, herby, and savory all on one plate.

Top Tip for a “Fabulous” Finish

Pull the burrata out of the fridge 20 to 30 minutes before serving, no exceptions. I plated this once with cold-from-the-fridge burrata and the center stayed firm and shy instead of spilling out creamy. Room temperature is what unlocks that ooze, and the ooze is the whole show.

The Ingredient Breakdown

Step 1: Load the Baking Dish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cherry tomato clusters in a baking dish with the crushed garlic cloves, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and honey over everything. Give the dish a gentle shake so every tomato glistens. It should already smell like the start of something good.

Step 2: Roast Until Just Bursting

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to soften and release their juices. You're watching for skins that wrinkle and just barely start to split while the tomatoes still hold their shape. If they've collapsed into sauce, they went too far. The juices in the dish should be bubbling gently at the edges and starting to look glossy.

Step 3: Build the Plate

Arrange a few fresh basil leaves on a serving plate, then spoon the warm confit tomatoes and every last drop of their juices over them. Place the burrata in the center and carefully open it with a knife or spoon, letting that creamy interior spill into the warm tomatoes. This is the moment. Take your time with it.

Step 4: Finish and Serve

Drizzle the pesto and a little more olive oil over the burrata, season with salt and pepper, and scatter pine nuts across the whole plate. Tuck a few more basil leaves around the edges. Serve right away with plenty of crusty bread, and make sure somebody scoops up those garlic cloves.

David's Tip

Roast the tomatoes in a baking dish, not on a flat sheet pan. The dish walls trap every drop of the honey-balsamic-tomato juice as it bubbles and reduces, and those juices ARE the dressing. On a flat pan they spread thin, scorch at the edges, and you lose the best part of the plate.

Serving Suggestions

Bread is not optional: A warm loaf of Italian parmesan bread for scooping and mopping is the difference between eating this dish and experiencing it.

Before a steak dinner: Serve it as the starter ahead of garlic butter steak bites for a date-night-at-home menu that beats most restaurants.

Part of an antipasto spread: Set it next to olives, salami, and marinated artichokes for a grazing table where this plate goes first every time.

Party presentation: Plate it on your biggest white platter, drizzle the pesto in one confident swoosh, and set the bread in a basket beside it. Then stand near the plate so you can watch people's faces when the burrata gets opened.

More Recipes You'll Love

• Creamy Burrata Pasta with Blistered Tomatoes for another creamy burrata and tomato recipe.
• Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with Burrata & Pesto for a hearty sandwich using burrata, pesto, and grilled vegetables.
• Asparagus Risotto for a creamy, vegetable-forward dinner that would pair well with a fresh appetizer.
• Oven Roasted Vegetables for an easy vegetable side dish to round out a meal.
• Homemade Three Cheese Ravioli for a pasta dinner that would be lovely after this appetizer.
• Pesto Crusted Chilean Sea Bass for a night when you want a fabulous piece of fish that's restaurant level quality.

Fun Variations (Make It Your Own)

Turn it into dinner: Toss the roasted tomatoes and their juices with hot pasta, then tear the burrata over the top. It's a 25 minute meal that feels like a trattoria.

Add a salty counterpoint: Drape a few slices of prosciutto around the burrata. The salt against the honeyed tomatoes is a knockout combination.

Go peachy in late summer: Swap half the tomatoes for wedges of ripe peach in the roasting dish. Sweet, tangy, and absolutely gorgeous.

Make it a bruschetta bar: Serve the tomatoes, burrata, and pesto alongside a pile of toasted baguette slices and let everyone build their own.

Bring the heat: Add chili flakes to the roasting dish or a drizzle of hot honey at the end for a sweet-spicy version that disappears even faster.

Get the Bread Ready

This is the dish I make when I want maximum wow for minimum effort. Twenty minutes, one baking dish, and a plate that looks like it came out of a restaurant kitchen. The honeyed tomatoes, the creamy burrata, the green ribbon of pesto: it's summer on a platter, and the oven did most of the work.

Make it this week and tell me how it went down. Did the garlic cloves cause a fight? Did anyone let you get a photo before diving in? Drop a comment below and leave a star rating on the recipe card. I read every one, and this is exactly the kind of dish I love hearing stories about.

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Warm Tomato Burrata Salad

A warm tomato burrata salad with honey balsamic roasted cherry tomatoes, soft garlic cloves, creamy burrata, and a pesto drizzle, finished with basil and pine nuts. A stunning 20 minute appetizer made for crusty bread.

Course Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine Italian

Keyword burrata salad recipe, roasted cherry tomatoes with burrata, tomato burrata salad

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Calories 205kcal

Author David Murphy

Ingredients

• 1 burrata cheese
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp pesto
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Fresh basil leaves
• Pine nuts for topping

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
• Place the cherry tomato clusters in a baking dish along with the crushed garlic cloves.

Notes

Pro Tips

• Room temperature burrata or bust: Twenty to 30 minutes on the counter, still in its liquid. Cold burrata stays firm and never gives you the creamy spill this plate is built around.
• Watch the tomatoes, not the clock: Ovens vary, and tomatoes go from perfectly blistered to collapsed fast. Start checking at 10 minutes and pull them when they're tender but still holding their shape.
• Drain the burrata well: Lift it gently from its tub and let the water drip off completely before plating. Extra water on the plate thins out those beautiful pan juices.
• Warm the bread too: Five minutes in the oven alongside the tomatoes turns a loaf from good to great. Cold bread against a warm plate is a missed opportunity.
• Toast the pine nuts: Two or 3 minutes in a dry skillet until golden, shaking constantly. It deepens their flavor and adds real crunch against all that creaminess.
• A pinch of chili flakes changes everything: If your table likes a subtle heat, a small pinch over the finished plate plays beautifully with the honey and cream.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 186mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 517IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

FAQs: Burrata, Broken Down

Why is my burrata firm instead of creamy?

It's too cold. Straight from the fridge, the creamy stracciatella center stiffens up and won't spill when you open it. Let the burrata sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving, still in its liquid, and the center loosens into that signature ooze. This one habit fixes 90 percent of disappointing burrata experiences.

Why did my tomatoes turn mushy and watery?

They roasted too long. Cherry tomatoes go from perfectly blistered to collapsed quickly, so start checking at the 10 minute mark. You want wrinkled skins that have just begun to split while the tomatoes still hold their round shape. Pull them at that stage and the juices stay glossy and concentrated instead of thin and flooded.

Is burrata served warm or cold?

Room temperature is the sweet spot, and this dish pairs it with warm tomatoes on purpose. That temperature contrast, hot jammy tomatoes softening cool creamy cheese, is what makes the plate feel special. Never bake or melt the burrata itself. It's added after the cooking, always.

Can I make tomato burrata salad ahead of time?

Partially. Roast the tomatoes up to 2 days ahead and re-warm them gently before serving, and make the pesto up to a week out. The assembly itself happens in the final 2 minutes, since opened burrata doesn't wait for anyone. Prepped this way, it's the easiest impressive starter you can pull off for company.

What can I use instead of burrata?

Fresh mozzarella is the closest stand-in, torn into chunks and nestled among the warm tomatoes. Thick dollops of whole milk ricotta work beautifully too and give you some of that creamy spill. Both are delicious, though neither delivers burrata's dramatic cut-it-open moment, so add an extra drizzle of good olive oil for richness.

What do you serve with tomato burrata salad?

Crusty bread, first and always, because the honey-balsamic tomato juices demand mopping. Beyond that, it shines as a starter before grilled steak, chicken, or fish, or as part of an antipasto spread with cured meats and olives. A crisp white wine or a light red rounds out the picture.

Can I use regular tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes?

Yes. Cut Roma, Campari, or plum tomatoes into large chunks and roast them the same way, adding a few extra minutes since bigger pieces take longer to soften. Cherry tomatoes are ideal because they blister and burst in perfect bite-size portions, but any ripe tomato responds beautifully to the honey-balsamic treatment.

The post Warm Tomato Burrata Salad appeared first on FoodnService.

Creamy pasta salads are a whole food group at my house, right up there with my chicken bacon ranch pasta salad. But this one is the sleeper hit of the summer that everyone loves! The Old Bay seasoning is the star of the show that just does something special to that mayo dressing that makes people stop mid-bite and ask what's in it. And since it's made with imitation crab, the whole bowl costs less than a single crab cake at a restaurant!

Recipe Snapshot

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 8

Difficulty: Easy

Perfect For: Cookouts, picnics, potlucks, meal prep, summer lunches

Main Ingredients: Elbow macaroni, imitation crab, Old Bay, mayonnaise, celery, peas

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Why This Crab Pasta Salad Works

Top Tip for a “Fabulous” Finish

Drain the pasta twice and mean it. After the cold rinse, let the colander sit a full 2 to 3 minutes and give it a few good shakes. Water hiding inside those elbow tubes is the number one reason creamy pasta salads turn thin and watery at the bottom of the bowl by serving time.

The Ingredient Breakdown

How to Make Crab Pasta Salad

Step 1: Cook and Cool the Pasta

Cook the elbow pasta in a big pot of salted water according to the box directions. Drain it, rinse it under cold running water until the pasta feels completely cool to the touch, and drain it again, thoroughly. No steam should be rising and no water should be pooling in the colander. Warm pasta melts mayo into a greasy mess, so cool means cool.

Step 2: Whisk the Dressing

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, Old Bay, salt, and pepper until smooth. The dressing turns a pale gold from the Old Bay and should smell like a crab boil in the best way. Give it a taste. It should be noticeably bold on its own, because cold pasta mutes seasoning once everything chills together.

Step 3: Chop and Combine

Add the cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl. Cut the crab into fat chunks and add it along with the thawed peas, diced onion, celery, and bell pepper. Toss everything together first, before the dressing goes in, so the mix-ins spread evenly instead of clumping in pockets. The bowl should look like confetti, all red, green, and white against the pasta.

Step 4: Fold in the Dressing

Pour the dressing over the salad and fold gently with a spatula until everything is well coated. Folding matters here, since aggressive stirring shreds the crab and bruises the vegetables. It's done when every elbow has a creamy coat and a light layer of dressing pools just barely at the bottom of the bowl.

Step 5: Season, Chill, and Serve

Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. You can serve it right away, but an hour in the fridge lets the Old Bay and dill soak into everything and the salad go properly cold. Just before serving, scatter fresh chives over the top. The green against that creamy salad is the finishing touch that says somebody cared.

Step 5: Season, Chill, and Serve

Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. You can serve it right away, but an hour in the fridge lets the Old Bay and dill soak into everything and the salad go properly cold. Just before serving, scatter fresh chives over the top. The green against that creamy salad is the finishing touch that says somebody cared.

David's Tip

If you're making this ahead, hold back about a half cup of dressing in the fridge. Cold salads on a restaurant line always get refreshed before they go out, because pasta absorbs dressing overnight. Fold in that reserved dressing plus a small squeeze of lemon right before serving, and a day-old salad tastes like it was made an hour ago.

Fun Variations (Make It Your Own)

Seafood medley: Add a half pound of cooked baby shrimp alongside the crab and this becomes a full seafood salad that could headline a summer lunch.

Give it heat: A tablespoon of finely diced jalapeno or a few dashes of hot sauce in the dressing gives the creamy base a slow burn that works beautifully with Old Bay.

Pickle it up: Fold in a quarter cup of chopped dill pickles for a briny snap. If you love my dill pickle pasta salad, this crossover was made for you.

Lighten the dressing: Swap half the mayo for plain Greek yogurt. The dressing turns tangier and a touch looser, and the salad eats noticeably lighter.

Go real crab: Lump crab meat is a serious upgrade for a special occasion. Fold it in extra gently at the very end so the lumps stay whole, and plan to eat the salad within a day or two.

More Recipes You'll Love

If creamy potluck salads are your thing, my deviled egg potato salad is the other bowl that disappears first at every cookout I bring it to.

The BLT pasta salad covers the smoky, bacon-loaded end of the pasta salad spectrum while this one holds down the seafood side.

For something bright and briny with no mayo at all, the Mediterranean pasta salad is loaded with olives, feta, and a honey lemon dressing that travels beautifully.

If you're looking for something on the fruitier and lighter side, then definitely make my Melon Mosaic salad!

Serving Suggestions

• Lean into the seafood shack theme: Serve it alongside my air fryer coconut shrimp for a crispy-creamy seafood spread that feels like a boardwalk dinner at home.
• The BBQ counterpoint: Cool, creamy crab salad next to a rack of Instant Pot baby back ribs is the plate everybody builds at a summer cookout.
• Light summer lunch: Pair a scoop with my grilled shrimp lettuce wraps when you want a warm-weather meal that doesn't weigh you down.
• Party presentation: Serve it in a wide, shallow bowl set over ice, with extra chives and a dusting of Old Bay across the top. Add lemon wedges around the rim so guests can brighten their own scoop.

Grab a Fork and Dig In

This is the pasta salad I keep coming back to when I want something that feels a little special without costing or taking anything extra. The Old Bay dressing, the sweet crab, the crunch from all those veggies, it just works. One bowl covers the potluck, the beach cooler, and three days of lunches after.

Make it this week and tell me how you built yours. One pack of crab or two? Did you sneak in the jalapeno? Go all out with real lump crab? Drop a comment below and leave a star rating on the recipe card. Hearing how these recipes play out in your kitchen is the best part of my day.

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Creamy Crab Pasta Salad

A creamy crab pasta salad with elbow macaroni, imitation crab, crisp vegetables, and a bold Old Bay dill dressing with fresh lemon. Ready in 20 minutes and even better after an hour in the fridge, it's the perfect potluck and cookout side.

Course Salad, Side Dishes

Cuisine American

Keyword crab pasta salad, imitation crab pasta salad, seafood pasta salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8 Servings

Calories 563kcal

Author David Murphy

Ingredients

• 1 lb. elbow pasta
• 1-2 packs of imitation crab 8 ounce packs, 1 for less or 2 for more crab in the salad
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup red onion diced
• 1/2 cup celery diced
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper diced
• 1 tbsp. dill
• 2 tsp. old bay
• 1 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Chives for topping

Instructions

• Cook the pasta, according to box directions. Drain, rinse in cold water, and drain again.
• For the dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, old bay, salt, and pepper.
• Add the pasta to a large mixing bowl.
• Add the crab, peas, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Toss.
• Add the dressing, and fold together until the salad is well coated.
• Add additional salt and pepper, to taste.
• When serving, top with fresh chives.

Notes

Pro Tips

• Season like it's going to be cold, because it is: Chilled food dulls salt and spice, so a dressing that tastes perfectly seasoned at room temperature will taste shy after an hour in the fridge. Season boldly and taste again cold. It's the single biggest difference between homemade and deli-case pasta salad.
• Cut the crab bigger than feels right: Fat chunks survive the folding and the chilling. Thin slices disappear. If you want people to know there's crab in your crab pasta salad, size is everything.
• Give it the overnight treatment: This salad is good in an hour and great the next day. Make it the evening before your cookout and let the fridge do the flavor work.
• Keep it cold on the table: Nest the serving bowl in a bigger bowl of ice at outdoor parties. Mayo salads should never sit in the sun longer than an hour.
• Extra Old Bay on top: A light dusting over the finished bowl alongside the chives looks great and announces the flavor before anyone takes a bite.
• Double the batch for a real crowd: This recipe scales perfectly. Just mix the dressing separately in both batches so the seasoning stays even.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 563kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 801mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 596IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg

FAQs: Getting Crabby With It

Why did my crab pasta salad get watery?

Water snuck in somewhere, and there are three usual suspects: pasta that wasn't drained thoroughly after the cold rinse, peas that went in still frozen, or vegetables that got mashed instead of folded. Drain the pasta until nothing drips, thaw and drain the peas completely, and fold gently. If it's already thin, pour off the excess and fold in a few spoonfuls of fresh mayo.

Why does my pasta salad taste bland after chilling?

Cold temperatures mute salt and seasoning, so a dressing that tasted right at room temperature fades in the fridge. The fix is easy: taste the salad again once it's fully chilled and add a pinch of salt, a dash of Old Bay, or a fresh squeeze of lemon. That last-minute adjustment is what makes deli-quality pasta salad.

Can I use real crab instead of imitation crab?

Absolutely, and it's a delicious upgrade. Use about a pound of lump crab meat, picked over for shells, and fold it in very gently at the end so the lumps stay intact. Real crab is more delicate and more perishable, so eat the salad within 1 to 2 days instead of the 3 to 4 you get with imitation.

What's the best pasta for crab pasta salad?

Elbow macaroni is the classic, and its curved shape holds the creamy dressing and matches the size of the diced vegetables. Medium shells and rotini are excellent too, since both trap dressing in their curves and ridges. Skip long noodles and delicate shapes, which don't hold up in a chilled, folded salad.

How long does crab pasta salad last in the fridge?

Made with imitation crab, it keeps 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. Made with real crab, stick to 1 to 2 days. Either way, the salad is at its best in the first 48 hours, and if anything ever smells overly fishy or looks slimy, toss it without a second thought.

Can you freeze crab pasta salad?

No, and I mean it kindly but firmly. Mayonnaise-based dressings separate and turn watery when thawed, the pasta goes mushy, and the crisp vegetables weep. This is a fridge-only salad, which is easy to live with since it only takes 20 minutes to make fresh.

Do I need to thaw the frozen peas first?

Yes. Frozen peas melt inside the salad and release water straight into the dressing, thinning it out. Thaw them in a bowl of cool water for a few minutes or let them sit at room temperature, then drain and pat them dry before they go in. They don't need cooking, just thawing.

The post Crab Pasta Salad appeared first on FoodnService.

It's fresh, colorful, and packed with bold Mediterranean-inspired flavors without feeling heavy. Whether you're meal prepping lunches, serving it alongside grilled chicken, or bringing a dish to your next cookout, this easy pasta salad is guaranteed to earn a spot on your summer menu.

Recipe Snapshot

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Chill Time: 30 minutes (recommended)

Total Time: About 55 minutes

Servings: 6–8

Difficulty: Easy

Perfect For: BBQs, potlucks, meal prep, picnics, summer dinners

Main Ingredients: Pasta, feta cheese, chickpeas, tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, honey lemon dressing

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Whether you're serving burgers on the grill or packing lunch for work, this Mediterranean Pasta Salad is one of those recipes you'll find yourself making all season long.

Why This Mediterranean Pasta Salad Works

The Ingredient Breakdown

Top Tip for a “Fabulous” Finish

Shake the dressing in a mason jar instead of whisking it in a bowl. Thirty seconds of hard shaking gets the honey, Dijon, and oil fully emulsified, and you can taste it straight off the lid. It should coat the back of a spoon and taste bold, because cold pasta mutes flavor more than you'd expect.

How to Make Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Step 1: Cook the Pasta

Bring a big pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente, checking a minute early. Bite a piece: you want a slight chew at the very center, not a crunchy core and not soft all the way through. Drain it, drizzle with a little olive oil so the pieces stay glossy and separate, and set it aside to cool completely.

Step 2: Shake the Dressing

Add the lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon, honey, balsamic, salt, pepper, and a pinch of chili flakes to a mason jar and shake hard for 30 seconds. It's done when it looks thick, glossy, and unified, with no oil floating on top. Give it a taste. It should hit bright, sweet, and a little sharp all at once.

Step 3: Chop While It Cools

While the pasta cools, halve the olives and tomatoes, chop the peppers into bite-size pieces, and drain and rinse the chickpeas. Aim for everything to be roughly the same size as your pasta shape so no single ingredient hogs a forkful. The cutting board should look like confetti when you're done, all reds and greens and gold.

Step 4: Toss and Chill

Transfer the cooled pasta to a big mixing bowl, add the vegetables and chickpeas, and pour the dressing over everything, onions and all. Toss until every piece has a light sheen and the dressing pools just slightly at the bottom of the bowl. Cover and chill for 30 minutes so the pasta can drink in the flavors. Do not add the feta yet.

Step 5: Add the Feta and Serve

Right before serving, crumble the feta over the top in big, craggy chunks and give it one gentle fold. Finish with fresh parsley or basil and another pinch of chili flakes. The feta should sit bright white against all that color, creamy against the briny olives, not smeared into the dressing.

David's Tip

Cold food eats salt and flavor. A dressing that tastes perfectly seasoned at room temperature will taste flat once the salad is chilled, so season the dressing until it's just a touch too bold on its own. After the 30 minute chill, it lands exactly right.

Fun Variations (Make It Your Own)

Swap the peppers: Marinated artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, or jarred roasted red peppers all step in for the bell peppers. The artichoke version is tangier and might be my favorite cold-weather take.

Make it a full meal: Fold in grilled chicken or shrimp and this feeds four as a main course instead of six as a side.

Antipasto style: Add halved salami slices and a handful of mini mozzarella balls alongside the feta. It turns into an Italian deli in a bowl.

Go vegan: Skip the feta or use a plant-based version, and swap the honey for maple syrup. The dressing loses a little floral sweetness but stays perfectly balanced.

Herb it up: A big handful of fresh dill and mint alongside the parsley pushes this in a Greek direction that's fantastic with grilled lamb or chicken.

Serving Suggestions

Party presentation: Serve it in a wide, shallow platter instead of a deep bowl, with the feta crumbled over the top in one dramatic layer and herbs scattered across the whole thing. Shallow means every scoop gets the pretty top layer.

Next to anything grilled: This salad was born to sit beside garlic butter steak bites or a platter of grilled chicken. The bright dressing cuts right through the richness.

With seafood: Serve it alongside pesto crusted Chilean sea bass for a dinner that tastes like a Mediterranean vacation without the airfare.

As part of a grazing spread: Pair it with caprese skewers with prosciutto and a hummus board for an appetizer table nobody leaves alone.

More Recipes You'll Love

• If you're building a cold salad lineup for a party, my BLT pasta salad brings the smoky bacon side of things while this one covers the bright and briny end of the table.
• The California spaghetti salad is another veggie-loaded crowd pleaser, and it's the one I reach for when I need to stretch a salad across a big cookout guest list.
• For something lighter with those same sunny flavors, the summer couscous salad is lemony, quick, and perfect when you've already got pasta on the menu elsewhere.
• And if a creamy, hearty pasta salad is more your speed, the chicken bacon ranch pasta salad is pure comfort food for your soul and disappears fast at every potluck I've ever brought it to.

Bring the Mediterranean to Your Table

This is the pasta salad I keep coming back to all summer long. It's fast, it's gorgeous, it feeds a crowd, and that honey lemon dressing makes it taste like more work than it is. Whether it's riding shotgun to a cookout or portioned into containers for the week's lunches, it never lasts long.

Give it a shot this week and let me know how you spun it. Did you go the artichoke route? Add grilled shrimp? Load in extra feta because the recipe told you to follow your heart? Drop a comment below, leave a star rating on the recipe card, and share your version. Your twists are half the fun of this job.

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad

A bright, briny Mediterranean pasta salad loaded with olives, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, and feta in a shaken honey lemon dressing. No mayo, ready in 25 minutes, and even better made a day ahead.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword make ahead pasta salad, mediterranean pasta salad, pasta salad with feta and olives

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Chilling Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 455kcal

Author David Murphy

Ingredients

• 1 small red onion
• A pinch of red chili flakes
• 10 oz uncooked pasta see notes
• ½ cup a mix of olives (kalamata olives, green olives) pitted
• 2 small colorful bell peppers or sub with cooked artichokes, hearts of palm, roasted red peppers
• 1 cup cherry/plum/grape tomatoes
• 1 cup chickpeas try these roasted ones
• 8 oz feta or as much as your heart desires
• Dressing
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil a good quality is a must
• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons honey liquid
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
• Sea salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste

To Serve/Garnish

• Chili flakes To sprinkle on top
• Fresh parsley basil

Instructions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, drain it and drizzle with olive oil, place the hot pasta aside to cool.
• Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl or mason jar.
• Once the pasta is chilled, transfer it to a mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients and toss in the salad dressing.
• Serve with more feta cheese and fresh herbs on top!
• For best flavor, chill the salad in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving(without feta cheese, add this right before serving)

Notes

Pro Tips

• Salt the water like you mean it: The pasta itself is half this salad, and unseasoned pasta drags the whole bowl down. The water should taste noticeably salty before the pasta goes in. It's the step home cooks skip and the reason restaurant pasta salads taste seasoned all the way through.
• Hold back a few spoonfuls of dressing: The first time I made this ahead for a party, the pasta drank the dressing overnight and the salad showed up dry. Now I always reserve 2 to 3 tablespoons in the jar and toss it in right before serving. Problem solved forever.
• Cool the pasta, don't rush it: Warm pasta wilts herbs and melts feta on contact. Spread it on a sheet pan if you're in a hurry. It cools in half the time.
• Uniform chopping pays off: When the peppers, olives, and tomatoes are all pasta-sized, every scoop gets a little of everything. Giant pepper planks mean somebody gets a bite of nothing but pepper.
• Buy block feta in brine: Crumble it yourself right over the bowl. The difference in creaminess is not subtle.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 634mg | Potassium: 396mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1662IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Calcium: 227mg | Iron: 2mg

FAQs: Pasta Salad, Passport Optional

Why is my pasta salad dry the next day?

The pasta keeps absorbing dressing long after you toss it, especially in the fridge. It's not that the dressing disappeared, it's that the pasta drank it. Reserve a few tablespoons of dressing when you first make the salad and stir them in right before serving, or refresh leftovers with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

Why did my pasta salad turn mushy?

The pasta was overcooked before it ever met the dressing. Pasta softens further as it absorbs liquid, so what feels perfectly done out of the pot turns soft and mealy after an hour in dressing. Cook to true al dente, with a slight chew at the center, and start checking a full minute before the package time.

Can I make Mediterranean pasta salad ahead of time?

Yes, and it's actually better after resting. Make it up to a day ahead with two adjustments: keep the feta out until right before serving, and reserve 2 to 3 tablespoons of dressing to toss in at the end. The 30 minute minimum chill lets the flavors mingle, and overnight takes it even further.

What's the best pasta shape for pasta salad?

Short shapes with texture: rotini, fusilli, farfalle, or penne. The ridges and curls trap dressing and catch small ingredients like chili flakes and herbs, so the flavor rides on every piece. Skip long noodles like spaghetti and delicate fresh pasta, which goes soft too fast for a cold salad.

How long does Mediterranean pasta salad last in the fridge?

Up to 3 days in an airtight container, and it's at its best within the first 2. The vegetables slowly release water and the pasta keeps softening, so day three is fine to eat but past its prime. If you know you're storing it, keep the feta separate and add it to each serving fresh.

Can I make this pasta salad vegan?

Easily. Skip the feta or use a plant-based feta, and swap the honey for an equal amount of maple syrup in the dressing. The chickpeas already give the salad its protein and heft, so the vegan version doesn't feel like anything is missing.

Should you rinse pasta for pasta salad?

A quick cool-water rinse is fine here and stops the cooking fast, which protects that al dente chew. You lose a little surface starch, but this dressing is a vinaigrette, not a clingy cream sauce, so it doesn't need starch to hold on. Just make sure to drain the pasta well and toss it with a little olive oil so it doesn't stick.

The post Mediterranean Pasta Salad appeared first on FoodnService.

It’s one of those recipes that proves a side dish doesn’t have to be complicated to steal the show. Whether you’re making tacos, grilling outside, or just need something fun with fresh summer corn, this recipe brings big flavor with simple ingredients. If you love fresh, colorful recipes for taco night, my Pico de Gallo is another easy recipe that adds tons of flavor with just a handful of ingredients.

Recipe Snapshot

• No grill required: Boiling the corn makes this a year-round, any night recipe. The flavor is all there; the grill just adds char marks and a smokier note, which you can always add with a quick broil if you want it.
• 15 minutes start to finish: The corn boils while you mix the crema sauce. By the time the corn is done, everything is ready to go.
• Cotija and tajín are non-negotiable: These two ingredients are what make elotes taste like elotes rather than just corn with toppings. Don't substitute parmesan for cotija or skip the tajín!
• Top it while it's hot: The crema mixture clings much better to warm corn than cold. Assemble immediately after removing from the pot.
• Scales up easily: Add as many ears of corn as you need. The crema sauce recipe doubles or triples without any changes to technique.
• Best For: Summer cookouts, Cinco de Mayo, taco nights, casual entertaining, and any time you want a side dish that looks impressive and takes almost no effort.

 David's Tip: Don't let the corn dry off before you brush on the crema mixture. The little bit of moisture still on the surface from the boiling water actually helps the sauce spread more evenly and stick to every kernel. Work fast and assemble each ear right as it comes out of the pot.

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Why You'll Love This Elotes Recipe

What Is Elotes?

Elotes (pronounced eh-LOH-tays) is the Spanish word for corn on the cob, and in Mexican street food culture it refers to the iconic preparation you'll find at carts and markets throughout Mexico and across Mexican communities in the United States. The classic version is grilled corn served on the cob (or sometimes cut off the cob and served in a cup, which is called esquites), slathered with a creamy base, loaded with cotija cheese, dusted with chile powder or tajín, and finished with lime and cilantro.

Every region and every vendor has their own version. Some add chili flakes, some use sour cream instead of crema, some add a squeeze of hot sauce. But the core elements are always there: corn, something creamy, cotija, and chile-lime spice. This recipe stays true to those fundamentals and just makes them accessible for a home kitchen without a grill.

The Ingredient Breakdown

Top Tip for a Fabulous Finish

Mix the crema sauce in a wide, shallow bowl rather than a deep bowl, and roll the corn in it rather than brushing. This is how street vendors do it — the corn goes directly into the bowl, you roll it around to coat all sides evenly, and you get complete coverage in seconds without a pastry brush. Less cleanup, better coverage. If you do prefer a brush, a silicone pastry brush works best because the crema mixture is thick enough to clog natural bristle brushes.

How to Make Mexican Elotes (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Boil the Corn

Fill a large pot with enough water to fully submerge the corn and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the husked corn cobs and cook for 5 minutes. The corn is done when the kernels look plump and bright yellow and feel tender when you pierce one with a paring knife — they shouldn't be crunchy, but they should have a slight snap rather than being completely soft.

Step 2: Make the Crema Sauce

While the corn is boiling, combine the Mexican crema, mayonnaise, and lime juice in a bowl and whisk together until smooth and fully combined. It should look like a thin, pale yellow cream. Taste it! It should be creamy, slightly tangy, and bright with lime. If it needs more lime, add a little more. This takes about 60 seconds and you should have it done well before the corn is ready.

Step 3: Assemble While Hot

Remove the corn from the pot with tongs and let it rest just for about 30 seconds. Long enough so it's not dripping but still very hot. Don't wait any longer than that. Using a pastry brush or by rolling directly in the sauce bowl, coat each ear generously with the crema mixture. You want complete coverage — work it into the gaps between kernels and make sure you get the sides and ends.

Step 4: Add the Toppings

While the crema coating is still warm and slightly tacky, immediately sprinkle the crumbled cotija cheese over each ear. Press it lightly with your hand so it adheres. Then dust with the tajín. Finish with the chopped cilantro scattered over the top.

Step 5: Serve Immediately

Set out extra lime wedges, extra tajín, and extra cotija on the table so everyone can add more to taste. A cold beer or a glass of agua fresca alongside is the move.

David's Tip

Elotes are all about layering flavors. Don’t just add toppings to one side. Rotate the corn so every bite gets sauce, cheese, seasoning, and herbs.

Fun Variations

Grilled Elotes: The traditional version. Grill husked corn directly on the grates over high heat for about 10 minutes, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until you get char marks on all sides. Then top exactly as written. The smokiness from the char adds a whole extra dimension that's absolutely worth it when you have a grill available.

Esquites (Cup Version): Cut the kernels off the cooked corn cob and toss them in the crema mixture in a bowl. Serve in cups topped with cotija, tajín, and cilantro. This is the cup version of elotes — great for kids, easier to eat without a cob, and just as delicious. My Mango Salsa stirred into the esquites is genuinely one of my favorite things.

Spicy Version: Add a teaspoon of hot sauce — Valentina or Cholula are traditional choices — into the crema mixture. Or add a pinch of cayenne on top with the tajín for an extra kick that builds slowly.

Broiled Version (No Grill): After boiling, place the corn on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil on high for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until you get some color and light charring on the kernels. Then top as written. You get some of that roasted flavor without a grill.

Cheesy Elotes: Mix a tablespoon of finely grated parmesan into the crema mixture itself in addition to using cotija on top. Double cheese, no notes.

What to Serve with Mexican Elotes

• As a side for tacos: These are a natural alongside any taco spread. Try them next to my Instant Pot Key Lime Chicken Tacos for a full Mexican-inspired spread that covers every flavor note.
• With grilled or slow-cooked meat: Elotes alongside pulled pork, grilled chicken, or ribs is a classic summer spread. My Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs paired with elotes is genuinely one of my favorite summer meals.
• With fresh salsas: Set out a bowl of my Mango Salsa or Pineapple Salsa alongside and let people dip their bites between corn and chips. The sweet-tart salsa against the creamy spicy elotes is a really fun combination.
• At a cookout table: These belong on any outdoor spread. They look incredible, they're portable, and they disappear fast. Put them out next to the main and watch what happens first.

More Recipes You'll Love

Easy Taco Casserole Recipe
Sweet Potato Fajitas
Blackened Mahi Mahi Tacos
Instant Pot Arroz con Gandules

Mexican Elotes are the side dish that ruins every other side dish — once you've had them, regular corn feels like it's missing something. Fifteen minutes, seven ingredients, zero grill required. That's my favorite kind of recipe.

Make them this week and leave a comment below. I want to know whether you rolled the corn or used a brush, and whether you added extra tajín at the table. Because you always need more tajín at the table.

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Mexican Elotes (Street Corn)

Boiled corn on the cob brushed with a creamy blend of Mexican crema, mayo, and lime juice, then loaded with crumbled cotija cheese, tajin, and fresh cilantro. No grill needed — ready in 15 minutes and tastes exactly like Mexican street corn.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword cotija corn, elotes recipe, elotes without grill, Mexican elotes, Mexican street corn, tajin street corn

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Calories 294kcal

Author David Murphy

Ingredients

• 4 corns on the cob husk removed
• 1/2 cup cotija cheese
• 1/3 cup Mexican crema
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 lime juiced
• 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
• 1 tsp tajin seasoning

Instructions

• Bring a pot with water to boil. Boil the corn for about 5 minutes, or until tender.
• In a bowl, add the Mexican crema, mayonnaise, and lime juice. Mix until well combined. Set aside.
• Chop the cilantro, set aside
• When the corn is cooked, remove from the pot, let slightly cook off.
• Brush the Mexican crema mixture over the corn.
• Add cotija cheese, tajin seasoning and cilantro.

Notes

Pro Tips for the Best Elotes

• Don't skip cotija for parmesan if you can avoid it: Cotija has a different moisture level, a different salt profile, and a different texture than parmesan. It's worth a trip to find it. Finely grated parmesan or pecorino works if you're genuinely stuck.
• Fresh lime, not bottled: The lime juice goes directly into the sauce and it's one of the few ingredients where fresh versus bottled is immediately noticeable. One lime gets you enough juice for four ears easily.
• Assemble hot: Warm corn holds toppings better than cold corn. Everything sticks, the cheese softens slightly, and the whole thing comes together in a way that room temperature corn doesn't.
• Taste the crema sauce before you use it: It should taste bright and slightly salty on its own. If it tastes flat, add a pinch of salt or a little more lime juice before brushing it on.
• Roll, don't just brush: If you're making multiple ears, rolling them directly in the sauce bowl is faster and gives more even coverage than brushing. Messy in the best possible way.
• More tajin on the table: Always put extra tajin out. People always want more and there's never enough on the first pass.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Ear of Corn | Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 427mg | Potassium: 276mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 370IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 1mg

FAQs: Mexican Elotes, Everything You Need to Know

What's the difference between elotes and esquites?

Same toppings, different form. Elotes is corn on the cob — you hold it in your hand and eat it directly. Esquites is the same thing served in a cup with the kernels cut off the cob. Esquites is easier to eat (no face full of cotija) and great for kids or crowds where eating corn on the cob isn't practical. The flavor is identical — it's just a format choice.

Where do I find cotija cheese?

Most large grocery stores carry cotija in the specialty cheese section or the Mexican foods aisle. Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and any Latin grocery store will definitely have it. If you genuinely can't find it, finely grated parmesan or pecorino romano are the closest substitutes in terms of saltiness and texture — the flavor isn't the same but it works. Don't use feta; it's too soft and too wet for this application.

Can I use sour cream instead of Mexican crema?

Yes, and it works well. Sour cream is thicker and tangier than Mexican crema, so thin it slightly with a tablespoon or two of milk or heavy cream before mixing. The flavor is slightly sharper than crema but still very good. Greek yogurt is another option if you want something lighter — the tang is actually quite similar to crema and it clings to the corn well.

Is this recipe spicy?

Mildly. One teaspoon of tajín over four ears of corn gives you a warm, tangy heat that most people find very approachable — it's more bright and citrusy than aggressively spicy. If you're feeding kids or spice-sensitive eaters, start with half a teaspoon and taste. You can always add more at the table. If you want more heat, add extra tajín or a splash of Valentina hot sauce into the crema mixture.

Can I make this without cilantro?

Absolutely. If cilantro isn't your thing (and for some people it genuinely tastes soapy — that's a real genetic thing, not a preference), skip it entirely or swap for flat-leaf parsley. You'll get the fresh green color without the polarizing flavor. The elotes are completely excellent without it.

Can I grill the corn instead of boiling?

Yes, and grilling is actually the traditional preparation. Grill husked corn directly over high heat for about 10 minutes, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until you have char marks on multiple sides. The smokiness and slight caramelization from the grill adds a layer of flavor that the boiled version doesn't have. Then top with all the same ingredients as written. If you have a grill and the weather is cooperating, go for it — grilled elotes are next level.

What is tajín and where do I find it?

Tajín is a Mexican seasoning blend made from chili peppers, dehydrated lime, and salt. It's tangy, mildly spicy, and slightly salty — it does three flavor jobs at once, which is why it's so good on corn, fruit, and anything else you can think to dust it on. Find it in most grocery stores near the hot sauces, in the Mexican foods section, or online. Once you have a bottle it'll be in your pantry forever. Fair warning: you'll start putting it on everything.

The post Mexican Elotes (Easy Street Corn Recipe) appeared first on FoodnService.

Over the years, I've learned to appreciate what real dried beans can do when you give them the right environment to cook in. The Instant Pot creates that environment in a fraction of the time that stovetop or slow cooker methods require. The pressure traps all that bacon flavor and forces it deep into every single bean. By the time the pot depressurizes naturally, you have something that tastes like it simmered in a Southern kitchen since sunrise. I serve these over jasmine rice almost every time, but they are just as good with my Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread on the side or alongside my Garlic Butter Steak Bites for a full dinner spread.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The Ingredient Breakdown

• 1 pound dried pinto beans: Rinse them well and pick through for any shriveled beans or small stones. Do not soak them. The Instant Pot at high pressure handles unsoaked dried pinto beans perfectly at 38 minutes. One important note: older dried beans (ones that have been sitting in your pantry for more than a year) can take longer to soften. If your beans still have a bite after cooking, reseal the pot and give them another five minutes.
• 2 pounds thick-cut bacon, cut into 2-inch pieces: Two full pounds sounds like a lot, and it is, but it is also what makes this recipe so deeply flavorful. The bacon renders its fat, crisps up, and then its flavor infuses into every bean during pressure cooking. Thick-cut is important here because thin bacon will overcook and turn bitter on the sauté cycle.
• 6 cups water: You can substitute low-sodium chicken broth for even more depth. Either way, the beans absorb a significant amount of liquid during pressure cooking so do not cut back. The Instant Pot also needs sufficient liquid to come to pressure safely.
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder: Garlic powder distributes evenly throughout the pot in a way that fresh garlic sometimes does not during a long pressure cook. It adds a gentle, savory backbone to the broth without any harsh raw garlic bite.
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme: A classic companion to beans. Thyme adds an earthy, slightly herbal note that rounds out the smokiness of the bacon and keeps the whole pot from tasting one-dimensional.
• 1 teaspoon sea salt + 1/2 teaspoon black pepper: Season now knowing that the bacon will add additional salt as it cooks. Start here and always taste the finished beans before adding any more salt at the end.
• 2 tablespoons Cholula hot sauce: My secret weapon. Cholula adds a warm, tangy, mild heat that you would never identify as hot sauce if you did not know it was there. It just makes everything taste richer and more complex. Your favorite hot sauce works too, or skip it entirely for heat-averse crowds.

Top Tip for a “Fabulous” Savory Finish

To take this from “good” to “restaurant-quality,” do not drain your beans after cooking! The liquid in the pot is essentially a “Bacon-Bean Consommé”. If the broth feels too thin for your liking, simply take a ladle of beans, smash them into a paste, and stir them back into the pot. This creates a naturally thick, rich gravy without needing any flour or starch.

How to Make Instant Pot Pinto Beans with Bacon (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Render and Crisp the Bacon

Set your Instant Pot to the Sauté function on Normal or High heat. Once the pot reads Hot, add your bacon pieces in a single layer. Cook for eight to ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is nicely crisped and has rendered most of its fat. The pot will be sizzling and smelling incredible at this point. Once the bacon is done, carefully tilt the pot and use a spoon to drain off about half the accumulated grease, leaving the rest behind to flavor the beans. Do not drain all of it. That fat is pure flavor.

David's Tip

Hold off on adding any acidic ingredients like tomatoes, vinegar, or salsa until after pressure cooking is complete. Acid slows down the softening of bean skins during pressure cooking and can leave you with beans that never fully creamy up. Stir in any acidic additions at the very end.

Step 2: Add the Beans and Everything Else

With the Instant Pot still on Sauté, add your rinsed dried pinto beans directly to the pot with the bacon. Pour in the six cups of water. Add the garlic powder, dried thyme, sea salt, black pepper, and Cholula. Give everything a good stir so the seasonings are distributed evenly. Make sure you scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot from the bacon. Those bits are gold, and leaving them stuck to the bottom could trigger the burn notice on some Instant Pot models.

Step 3: Seal and Pressure Cook

Press Cancel to turn off the Sauté function. Lock the Instant Pot lid into place and make sure the steam valve is set to the Sealing position. Select Manual or Pressure Cook on High pressure and set the timer for 38 minutes. The pot will take about 10 to 15 minutes to come to pressure before the countdown begins. Once it reaches pressure, leave it alone and let it do its thing.

Step 4: Natural Pressure Release — Do Not Skip This

When the 38-minute cook time is done, do not touch the steam valve. Let the pressure release completely on its own. This will take approximately 22 to 26 minutes on an 8-quart pot, and a little less on a 6-quart. The natural release keeps the bean skins intact so you end up with creamy whole beans instead of a blown-out, mushy pot. When the float valve drops on its own, it is safe to open.

Step 5: Rest, Taste, and Serve

Once the lid is off, let the beans sit uncovered in the pot for about 10 minutes. This rest time lets the broth thicken slightly and lets the beans finish absorbing all that smoky flavor. Taste the broth and adjust for salt. Add a small splash of lime juice or apple cider vinegar if you want to brighten the whole pot. Serve over jasmine rice, with cornbread on the side, or straight from the bowl with a big spoon.

Fun Variations to Try

Smokier and spicier. Add one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped, along with a teaspoon of smoked paprika. Stir it in at the beginning with the seasonings for a bolder, smokier result.

Ham hock instead of bacon. Swap the bacon for one or two smoked ham hocks for a slightly different smoky character. A great move if you have a leftover ham bone from the holidays, similar to the vibe of my Dutch Oven Ham and Bean Soup.

Tex-Mex bowl. Serve the beans over cilantro lime rice with pico de gallo, sliced avocado, a squeeze of lime, and crumbled cotija cheese on top. Add a spoonful of sour cream and you have a full bowl meal everyone loves.

Vegetarian version. Skip the bacon and start with two tablespoons of olive oil on Sauté. Add a diced onion, cook until softened, then add the beans, water, and seasonings. Double the smoked paprika to keep that smoky depth.

Refried beans the next day. Reheat leftovers in a skillet with a splash of the reserved broth. Mash to your desired texture and finish with a pat of butter. Homemade refried beans with almost no extra effort.

More Instant Pot Recipes To Love

• Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Pasta
• Instant Pot Sausage & Peppers
• Instant Pot Tex Mex Chili
• Instant Pot Monkey Bread
• How To Clean Your Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Ghormeh Sabzi

These Instant Pot pinto beans with bacon are the kind of recipe I make when I want something genuinely satisfying without a lot of fuss. There is nothing complicated here, just real ingredients, a little patience while the pot does its thing, and a result that makes the whole house smell incredible. That is my favorite kind of recipe.

If you make these, I want to hear about it. Drop a comment below and tell me what you served them with or any twists you added. Did you go the Tex-Mex bowl route? Serve them with cornbread? Make refried beans the next day? Tell me everything. And if you share on social media, tag me so I can see your bowl. Happy cooking, everyone.

For this recipe, I used an 8 QT Instant Pot. So we will have different cooking times of coming to pressure and depressurizing. You will also have different cooking times if you live up in the mountains, as in comparison to me living closer to the coast line. But you can totally do this in your 6 quart with no problems!

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Instant Pot Pinto Beans and Bacon

No-soak Instant Pot pinto beans with thick-cut bacon that cook up smoky, creamy, and deeply flavorful. Set it, walk away, and come back to the best pot of beans you have ever made.

Course Instant Pot

Cuisine American

Keyword bacon, beans, instant pot beans, instant pot beans and bacon, instant pot pinto beans, pinto beans

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8 -10

Calories 672kcal

Author David Murphy

Ingredients

• 1 pound bag of dried pinto beans
• 2 pounds thick cut bacon cut into 2″ pieces
• 6 cups of water
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of Cholula hot sauce.

Instructions

• With your IP on sauté, cook your bacon until it's nice and crispy. Drain half the grease out of your IP when done.
• Add in your dried beans, water, and all other seasonings.
• Set to manual high pressure for 38 minutes.
• When done, let it NATURALLY release pressure. It should take about 22-26 minutes for this to happen (depending on elevation).
• Take the lid off and allow to set for about 10 minutes before serving over some amazing jasmine rice!
• Done and serve!

Notes

Serving Suggestions

• Over jasmine rice. My go-to move and the most classic serving. Spoon a generous ladle of beans and broth over a bowl of fluffy jasmine rice, top with the reserved crispy bacon bits, and call it done. Simple, filling, and deeply satisfying.
• With cornbread. A thick slice of my Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread dunked into that smoky pot liquor is one of my favorite things to eat. Serve it in a wide shallow bowl so there is room for the bread.
• As a Tex-Mex bowl spread. Set out bowls of rice, the pinto beans, shredded cheese, sour cream, pico, and avocado and let everyone build their own bowl. Great for casual entertaining with minimal effort.
• As a potluck pot. Keep the Instant Pot plugged in and set to Keep Warm and bring the whole pot to a gathering. Set out toppings and let people serve themselves. It always gets the most compliments on the table.

Nutrition

Calories: 672kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 1134mg | Potassium: 1026mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 54IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 3mg

FAQs: Pinto Beans, Pressure Cooked & Answered

Do I have to soak pinto beans before cooking them in the Instant Pot?

Nope. That is one of the best things about pressure cooking dried beans. The Instant Pot at high pressure cooks unsoaked dried pinto beans to perfect tenderness in 38 minutes. If you prefer to soak your beans overnight, go ahead, but reduce the cook time to around 20 to 25 minutes. No-soak is the easier path and the results are just as creamy.

Why are my pinto beans still firm after cooking?

The most common reason is that the beans are older. Dried beans that have been sitting in the pantry for over a year lose moisture and can be stubborn no matter how long you cook them. The fix is simple: reseal the lid, set to high pressure for another five minutes, and let it naturally release again. Also make sure you did not add any acidic ingredients before pressure cooking, as acid prevents bean skins from softening properly.

Can I use chicken broth instead of water in this recipe?

Absolutely, and I highly recommend it. Low-sodium chicken broth adds another layer of savory depth to the pot and makes the finished broth even more sip-worthy. Just be careful with sodium levels since the bacon already contributes a significant amount of salt. Low-sodium broth gives you control over the final seasoning.

Why do I have to do a natural release instead of a quick release?

Natural pressure release keeps the bean skins intact and gives you that beautiful creamy, whole-bean texture. Quick releasing pinto beans causes the sudden pressure drop to rupture the bean skins, which leaves you with a blown-out, mushy, and cloudy pot instead of the clean, creamy result you are after. The 22 to 26 minutes of natural release is part of the recipe, not a suggestion.

How do I thicken the broth if it is too thin?

Use the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to smash about a quarter of the cooked beans against the side of the pot, then stir everything together. The starch from the mashed beans will thicken the broth naturally within a minute or two. You can also switch to the Sauté function and simmer uncovered for five to ten minutes to reduce the liquid further.

Can I make this recipe in a 6-quart Instant Pot instead of an 8-quart?

Yes, with no changes to the cook time. The pressure cook time stays at 38 minutes regardless of pot size. The main thing to watch is the fill line. A 6-quart pot should not be filled past the two-thirds line for beans and liquids. You may want to halve the recipe if you are concerned about volume, though the full recipe often fits just fine.

What can I do with leftover pinto beans?

So many things. Reheat them as-is for lunch, serve over fresh rice for another dinner, or mash them in a skillet with a splash of broth and a pat of butter for incredible homemade refried beans. They also work great stirred into scrambled eggs, used as a filling for burritos or tacos, or stirred into a pot of chili for extra body and protein.broth thicker?
Mash a scoop of beans and stir back in, or simmer on Sauté for a few minutes.

The post Instant Pot Pinto Beans with Bacon (No-Soak, Cozy & Creamy) appeared first on FoodnService.

I’ve spent years working in restaurants, and I can tell you right now: the secret to a really good pasta salad is flavor layering. A lot of pasta salads end up bland once they chill in the fridge, but not this one. We’re soaking the pasta with pickle juice while it cools so every noodle actually tastes like pickles instead of plain pasta hiding under dressing.

Recipe Snapshot

• Creamy, Tangy & Totally Addictive: Rotini pasta coated in a homemade pickle juice dressing with real dill, sharp cheddar, and crunchy mini dill pickles — this salad hits every note.
• 30 Minutes to Make, Even Better the Next Day: Quick to throw together, then the fridge does all the heavy lifting. Make it ahead and the flavors only get deeper.
• No Special Equipment, No Fuss: One pot for the pasta, one bowl for the dressing — that's it. This is real-world home cooking at its most satisfying.
• Best For: Summer cookouts, BBQs, potlucks, Fourth of July parties, weeknight sides, and meal prep lunches all week long.

 David's Tip: Make a little extra dressing and keep it in a jar in the fridge. Pasta absorbs dressing as it sits overnight, so a spoonful stirred in before serving brings it right back to that perfect creamy consistency.

This version uses rotini as the base because those little spirals trap the dressing in every twist, giving you flavor in every single bite. The creamy dressing is a mayo and sour cream blend punched up with dill pickle juice, fresh dill, salt, and pepper — simple ingredients that come together into something seriously craveable. If you love easy make-ahead sides for summer, you'll also want to bookmark my California Spaghetti Salad and BLT Pasta Salad — both are summer cookout staples in my house.

Why You'll Love This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

The key to any tasty cold pasta salad is allowing enough time for the salad ingredients and dressing to meld together. If you are rushed for time, you can chill this pickle pasta salad for a minimum of 30 minutes, although the most flavor intensity is achieved from chilling it for the full 2 hours.

This pickle pasta salad is so good, if I'm not serving it as a side dish, I'm pairing it with crackers as a savory snack or enjoying it by the spoonful straight from the bowl!

Top Tip for a “Fabulous” Creamy Finish

Always reserve a ¼ cup of the dressing in a separate small container. If you find the pasta has absorbed a bit too much moisture while chilling, stir in that reserved dressing just before serving. It “refreshes” the salad and brings back that glossy, high-end bakery look instantly.

The Ingredient Breakdown

• 12 ounces rotini pasta. Rotini is my first choice for this salad and I won't be talked out of it. Those tight little spirals are designed to grip dressing — every twist holds onto the creamy, tangy sauce so you're not left with a pool at the bottom of the bowl. Shells or fusilli work too if that's what you have, but rotini is the move. Cook it al dente, not soft. Mushy pasta in a cold salad is a textural problem that no amount of good dressing can fix.
• 1 cup mini dill pickles, sliced. Mini dill pickles give you the best crunch-to-size ratio. Slice them into rounds so they distribute evenly throughout the salad. You can use pickle chips, spears chopped small, or even garlic dills if you want a bigger flavor punch. Whatever variety you choose, use the juice from that same jar in the dressing — it'll match perfectly.
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, cubed. Cut it into small cubes — about a half-inch — rather than shredding it. Cubed cheese holds its texture in a cold, creamy salad and gives you little pockets of sharp, savory richness. Shredded cheddar will clump and disappear into the dressing. Colby Jack or pepper jack both work great as substitutes.
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced. Red onion adds crunch and a slightly sweet bite that balances the tang of the pickles. Dice it small — you want the flavor without overwhelming any single forkful. If raw onion is too sharp for your taste, soak the diced pieces in cold water for ten minutes, then drain. It takes the edge off without losing the flavor.
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped. Fresh dill is worth it here. It's bright, herby, and it plays beautifully with the pickle flavor in a way that dried dill just can't fully replicate. If dried is all you have, use about two teaspoons. Save a little fresh dill for garnish on top.
• For the dressing — 1/2 cup mayonnaise + 1/4 cup sour cream + 3 tablespoons dill pickle juice + salt and pepper. Use full-fat real mayonnaise. This is not the place for Miracle Whip — the sweetness throws off the whole flavor balance. The sour cream adds body and a gentle tartness that lightens the mayo. The pickle juice is the star: it punches the dressing with brine and ties every element of the salad together. Start with three tablespoons and taste — you can always add more.

How to Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Step 1: Cook the Pasta

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the rotini and cook according to package directions until al dente — firm to the bite, not soft. Start tasting it about two minutes before the package says it's done. Once the pasta is ready, drain it and immediately rinse under cold water until it's completely cool. This stops the cooking process and removes surface starch that would make the pasta sticky and gummy in the salad. Shake off as much water as you can, then let it drain fully before moving on.

Step 2: Make the Dressing

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, dill pickle juice, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy. Taste it — it should be tangy, a little rich, and well-seasoned. If you want more brine, add another splash of pickle juice. Make a little extra at this point and set it aside in the fridge; you'll thank yourself when you're refreshing the salad the next day.

Step 3: Combine Everything

In a large bowl, add the cooled rotini, sliced pickles, cubed cheddar, diced red onion, and fresh dill. Pour about two-thirds of the dressing over the top and toss gently until everything is evenly coated. Reserve the remaining dressing for serving.

Step 4: Chill and Rest

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours. Four hours is better. Overnight is best. As the salad chills, the flavors meld and deepen, the pickle juice soaks into the pasta, and everything comes together. This is non-negotiable — a pickle pasta salad served immediately is a completely different (and lesser) dish than one that's had time to rest.

Step 5: Taste, Dress, and Serve

Before serving, give the salad a good stir and taste it. The pasta will have absorbed some of the dressing overnight — totally normal. Stir in the reserved dressing a spoonful at a time until you hit your preferred creaminess. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Finish with extra fresh dill and a few extra pickle slices on top for presentation.

Serving Suggestions

• Classic cookout pairing. Serve alongside burgers, grilled chicken, or hot dogs. The cool, creamy tang of this salad is the perfect counterpoint to anything coming off a hot grill.
• Potluck presentation. Transfer to a large, wide shallow bowl and garnish generously with fresh dill and extra pickle slices arranged on top. It looks beautiful and signals to every pickle lover in the room exactly what they're about to eat.
• Make it a meal. Pile it on a plate next to sliced deli meat or my Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs for a full summer spread that requires almost zero extra effort.
• Keep it cold at outdoor events. Nest the serving bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice. Swap out the ice as needed — dairy-based dishes should not sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours on a hot day.

This dill pickle pasta salad is pure comfort food for your soul — the kind of dish that's simple to make, impossible to stop eating, and reliable enough to bring to every summer gathering from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Once you taste the difference that pickle juice in the dressing makes, you'll never go back to a basic pasta salad again.

Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below. Did you add bacon? Go spicy with garlic dills? Make it the night before and eat it for lunch all week? Tell me your version — I love hearing how people make these recipes their own. And if you're a fellow pickle person, welcome home.

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star  rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.

Be sure to check out my FREE Meal Planner and Kitchen Organizer!

More Summer Sides You'll Love

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

BLT Pasta Salad

California Spaghetti Salad

Summer Couscous Salad

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Pickle Pasta Salad

This creamy dill pickle pasta salad is packed with crunchy dill pickles, cheddar cheese, fresh dill, and a tangy homemade dressing that pickle lovers can’t get enough of. Perfect for summer cookouts, potlucks, and make-ahead meals.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword easy summer pasta salad, pickle pasta salad, pickle recipe, potluck, simple dill pasta salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Additional Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 27 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 578kcal

Author David Murphy

Ingredients

Pasta Salad

• 3 cups rotini pasta cooked and drained
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese cubed
• 1 cup of mini dill pickles sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion

Dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup dill pickle juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• To a large bowl add your pasta, cheese, pickles, and onion.
• To a smaller mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, dill, salt and pepper.
• Whisk to combine the dressing.
• Toss the dressing with the pasta mixture.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. 

Notes

• Store leftovers in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• You can use any kind of pickle you like, spicy pickles would add a great bite of heat!
• You can use any small shell pasta. 
• I like to make a little extra sauce to stir into the pasta salad the next day since the pasta can absorb a lot of the dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 578kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 1125mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 611IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 317mg | Iron: 1mg

FAQs: Dill It, Don't Skip It

Can I make dill pickle pasta salad the night before?

Yes — and I'd argue you should. The flavors deepen significantly as the salad chills overnight, and the pickle juice soaks into the pasta in the best possible way. Just hold back a third of the dressing, refrigerate it separately, and stir it in right before serving to bring the creaminess back.

Why did my pasta salad turn dry overnight?

This is the most common pasta salad problem, and it happens because pasta keeps absorbing dressing as it sits in the fridge. The fix is simple: always make extra dressing and keep it in a jar in the refrigerator. Stir in a spoonful or two before serving and the salad will look and taste freshly made.

Can I use Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise?

I'd steer you away from it. Miracle Whip has a sweetness to it that fights the tangy pickle flavor you're building in this salad. Real full-fat mayonnaise gives you a neutral, creamy base that lets the dill and pickle juice shine. If you want to lighten it up, Greek yogurt is a much better swap than Miracle Whip.

How long does dill pickle pasta salad keep in the fridge?

Up to 4 days in an airtight container. It's actually better on day two than day one. After day four the pasta starts to break down and the dressing loses its freshness, so plan to finish it within that window.

What pasta shape works best?

Rotini is my go-to because the spirals trap the dressing and give you flavor in every bite. Shells work great for the same reason — the concave shape catches sauce. Elbows are fine but more neutral. Avoid long pasta like spaghetti or linguine — it doesn't hold dressing the same way and is harder to eat cold in a salad.

How do I keep the pasta salad cold at a cookout?

Nest the serving bowl inside a larger bowl packed with ice. Swap out the ice every hour or so if it's a hot day. Per FDA guidelines, dairy-based dishes like this should not sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours — less in temperatures above 90°F.

Can I add meat to make it a full meal?

Absolutely. Shredded rotisserie chicken, diced ham, or crumbled crispy bacon are all excellent additions. Add them right before serving rather than mixing in ahead of time — especially the bacon, which will soften if it sits in the dressing for hours.

The post Best Dill Pickle Pasta Salad with Creamy Dressing appeared first on FoodnService.

This asparagus risotto keeps things fresh, cozy, and surprisingly approachable. The asparagus and peas add bright spring flavor, the Parmesan makes everything creamy and rich, and the crispy bacon on top brings just enough smoky flavor to balance it all out. That lemon juice at the end is what pulls the whole thing together.

Recipe Snapshot

• Creamy Spring Comfort Food: This asparagus risotto is rich, creamy, and loaded with tender asparagus, sweet peas, crispy bacon, and bright lemon flavor in every bite.
• Restaurant-Style Dinner at Home: Arborio rice slowly cooks into that classic velvety risotto texture while parmesan, butter, and broth create a luxurious homemade finish without complicated techniques.
• Fresh and Savory Balance: The smoky bacon, fresh vegetables, and squeeze of lemon help balance the creamy richness so the risotto still feels light and fresh.
• Best For: Spring dinners, date nights at home, brunch-style lunches, holiday side dishes, cozy comfort meals, and easy restaurant-inspired cooking projects.

David’s Tip: Keep the broth warm while cooking the risotto. Adding cold broth can slow the cooking process and keeps the rice from developing that creamy smooth texture risotto is known for.

If your family already loves cozy comfort dishes like creamy burrata pasta, cheesy garlicky pasta, or slow cooker tortellini soup, this risotto is going to slide right into that same comforting dinner rotation.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The Ingredient Breakdown

Top Tip for “Tender-Crisp” Asparagus

To keep your asparagus from turning into mush, don't add it at the beginning! By adding the asparagus and peas during the final 10 minutes of the rice's cook time, you ensure they steam perfectly within the risotto, keeping their vibrant green color and a satisfying “snap.”

How to Make Asparagus Risotto

Step 1: Crisp the Smoky Foundation

Start by frying your sliced bacon in a large, wide-bottomed pan over medium heat. You want to cook it until it’s golden and the fat has rendered out completely. Once it’s crispy, use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon and set it aside on a paper towel. Chef’s Secret: Keep that bacon fat in the pan! It’s “liquid gold” that will infuse the onion and rice with a deep, smoky flavor that oil alone can't provide.

Step 2: Sauté the Aromatics

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bacon fat and toss in your finely chopped onion (or shallots). Cook for 5–6 minutes until they are soft and translucent, but not browned. Add the minced garlic and cook for just 60 seconds more. You want the garlic to be fragrant but not toasted, as burnt garlic will make the delicate risotto taste bitter.

Step 3: Toast and Deglaze the Rice

Add your Arborio rice to the pan and stir vigorously for about 2 minutes. You are looking for the edges of the rice to become slightly translucent while the center stays white—this “toasting” locks the shape of the grain so it doesn't turn into porridge. Pour in the white wine and stir until the liquid is almost entirely absorbed and the “sharp” smell of alcohol has cooked off.

Step 4: The Starch-Release Simmer

Ladle in about half of your warm broth. Adjust the heat to a steady simmer and stir frequently. This is where the magic happens! As you stir, the rice grains rub together, releasing the starch that creates the creamy sauce. Once the rice has absorbed almost all of that first addition, you’ll notice the liquid has thickened significantly.

Step 5: Add the Greenery and Final Broth

Add the remaining broth along with your trimmed asparagus and peas. Continue to stir gently. The asparagus will cook in the residual heat and the remaining broth, maintaining its bright color. If the rice feels a bit “toothy” or dry before the liquid is gone, don't be afraid to add an extra ¼ cup of warm water or broth. You are looking for an “al dente” bite—tender but firm.

Step 6: The “Mantecatura” (The Creamy Finish)

Once the rice is cooked and the liquid is mostly absorbed (it should still look a little “soupy,” as it will thicken on the plate), remove the pan from the heat. This is what Italians call Mantecatura. Stir in the butter and the grated Parmesan vigorously. This final emulsification creates that luxurious, glossy finish that defines a professional risotto.

Step 7: Assemble and Brighten

Squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the pan and give it one last gentle stir. Plate the risotto and crumble your reserved crispy bacon over the top. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil and a final crack of black pepper. Serve immediately—risotto waits for no one!

Delicious Comfort Food Recipes to Make

• Tuna Noodle Casserole
• Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie
• Creamy Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Pasta
• Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Pot Roast

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Asparagus Risotto

This Creamy Asparagus Risotto with Crispy Bacon is a 30-minute masterpiece that balances seasonal greens with smoky, savory depth. By using my professional “Starch-Release” stirring method, you’ll achieve a velvety, restaurant-quality sauce without needing heavy cream. Finished with fresh lemon and Parmesan, it’s an elegant yet easy dinner that brings a touch of the Italian bistro to your home kitchen.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword asparagus risotto, easy comfort food, easy side dish, risotto

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 321kcal

Author David Murphy

Ingredients

• 1 Bunch asparagus trimmed and cut into 2–3 cm pieces
• 1 cup peas fresh or frozen is fine
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 2 shallots finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine optional
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth kept warm
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup smoked bacon sliced
• Juice of 1 lemon or less to taste
• Salt & black pepper to taste
• Optional: 1tbsp fresh parsley or basil chopped

Instructions

Prepare the bacon:

• Fry the bacon for a few minutes until golden and crispy. Set aside.

Prepare the rice:

• In the same pan, pour the olive oil and add the onion, and cook for 5 – 6 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 minute.
• Now it's time for the rice, add it, and stir vigorously. Add the white wine and wait until the liquid boils. Add 1/2 of the broth and simmer on a low heat until the rice has almost completely absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth along with the asparagus and peas. Stir gently and let cook until the liquid is absorbed by the rice.
• Note: If necessary, add 1/4 cup or more water until the rice is completely cooked.

Assemble the risotto:

• Once the rice is cooked, add the butter and stir gently. Then add the parmesan and stir again.
• Crumble the bacon that you fried at the beginning and add it on top of the risotto. Squeeze fresh lemon juice and sprinkle.
• Serve with fresh parsley or basil.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 755mg | Potassium: 338mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 912IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 4mg

FAQ: Your Risotto Troubleshooting

Why is my risotto crunchy?

This usually means you didn't add enough liquid or the heat was too high, causing the liquid to evaporate before the rice could absorb it. Simply add a little more warm broth and keep stirring until the grain softens.

Can I make this vegan?

Absolutely! Swap the bacon for smoked paprika-roasted chickpeas, use a vegan butter substitute, and replace the Parmesan with nutritional yeast or a vegan parm alternative.

Why do I need to keep the broth warm?

Adding cold broth to the pan drops the temperature of the rice, which disrupts the starch release and increases the total cook time, often leading to unevenly cooked grains.

Can I use regular long-grain rice?

I wouldn't recommend it. Long-grain rice (like Jasmine or Basmati) doesn't have the specific starch needed to create that creamy sauce. You’ll end up with a “rice pilaf” rather than a risotto.

The post Asparagus Risotto (Creamy, Cozy & Full of Fresh Spring Flavor) appeared first on FoodnService.

I’ve refined her classic recipe for the Instant Pot, getting that “simmered-for-hours” flavor in under 30 minutes. It’s pure Southern comfort food that tastes like a Sunday afternoon, even when it's a hectic Tuesday.

Recipe Snapshot

• Southern Comfort Made Easy: These Instant Pot green beans and potatoes cook up tender and flavorful with smoky seasoning and buttery potatoes in a fraction of the traditional stovetop cooking time.
• Simple Budget-Friendly Side Dish: Using basic pantry ingredients and fresh green beans, this recipe creates an easy comforting side dish that pairs with just about any family dinner.
• Full of Homemade Flavor: The potatoes soak up the savory broth while the green beans become perfectly tender without turning mushy in the pressure cooker.
• Best For: Holiday dinners, Sunday suppers, potlucks, BBQ side dishes, weeknight comfort meals, and classic Southern-style family dinners.

David’s Tip: Cut the potatoes into evenly sized pieces so they finish cooking at the same time as the green beans. Smaller potato chunks can become overly soft in the Instant Pot while larger pieces stay undercooked.

Why This Recipe Wins

Ingredients You'll Need

• 1.5 lbs Fresh Green Beans: Trim the ends, but leave them long for that classic look. Pro-Tip: If you have to use frozen, reduce your pressure time by one minute to keep them from getting too soft.
• 2 lbs Red Potatoes: Quarter them into uniform pieces. Leave the skins on—it adds color and helps them stay together.
• 8 Strips of Bacon: The smokier, the better. I like using thick-cut hickory smoked.
• Chicken Stock: I like using low-sodium chicken stock, which is best so you can have better control of the sodium level.
• The Aromatics: A little garlic, salt, pepper, and dried parsley.

Step-by-Step: The Modern Southern Method

1. Crisp the Bacon: Use the Sauté function. Once the bacon strips are crispy, remove them but leave those beautiful drippings in the pot.
2. The Deglaze: Pour in your chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom. This is where all the flavor lives!
3. The Pressure Cook: Layer in your potatoes and beans. Season them well. Seal the lid and set it for 6 minutes.
4. The Reveal: Do a quick release. Stir back in your crispy bacon bits right before serving so they stay crunchy against the tender veggies.

Fresh vs Frozen Green Beans

Fresh green beans win on snap and flavor. They keep a crisp-tender bite in the Instant Pot, and the skins stay glossy instead of puckered. Look for beans that are bright green, smooth, and squeak a little when you rub them, those are young and sweet. Fresh beans can handle the full pressure time in your recipe without turning mushy, so they’re my pick when the side dish is the star.

Frozen green beans are your weeknight backup singer, and they do the job. They’re blanched before freezing, so they cook faster and release a bit more water. You don’t need to thaw them first; just break up any clumps and toss them in. Reduce the pressure time by about 1 minute to protect the texture, and expect a slightly softer bite than fresh.

Texture Matters (This Is Important)

Let’s clear this up because it affects expectations. These are not crisp green beans. If you have never had Southern-style green beans, allow me to share a little secret with you. Southern-style green beans are never crunchy.  If you hand a Southerner a crunchy green bean, they will look at you like you have two heads. 

They’re meant to be:

• tender
• flavorful
• slightly soft

That’s traditional Southern style, where vegetables are often slow-cooked with pork for flavor instead of texture contrast. And honestly? That’s what makes this dish so good.

More Instant Pot Recipes

Here are some more fabulous Instant Pot recipes that I feel you'll love making, and add to your recipe rolodex!

• Instant Pot Lime Cheesecake
• Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup
• Instant Pot Sous Vide Parmesan Potatoes Hack
• Easy Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts
• Instant Pot Peach Iced Tea
• The Easiest Instant Pot Hummus to Make
• The Easiest Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

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Instant Pot Green Beans and Potatoes

Bring the heart of the South to your table in under 30 minutes with these Instant Pot Green Beans and Potatoes. This recipe uses the "bacon fat secret" to get that deep, smoky flavor our grandmothers spent all day simmering, but with the modern speed of pressure cooking. Creamy red potatoes, tender fresh beans, and crispy bacon make this the ultimate comfort food side dish for any night of the week.

Course Instant Pot

Cuisine American

Keyword green beans and potatoes, instant pot green beans and potatoes, instant pot side dish, instant pot southern side dish, side dish, southern side dish

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes minutes

Additional Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 24 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 274kcal

Author David Murphy

Ingredients

• 8 strips bacon cut into small pieces
• ¾ cup chicken stock
• 2 pounds red potatoes quartered
• 1 ½ pounds fresh green beans ends removed
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• Set Instant Pot to Saute and place bacon inside. Cook bacon until crisp, then remove bacon from Instant Pot leaving grease in the bottom of the pot.
• Turn off Instant Pot and add chicken stock. Using a spatula, deglaze pot by scraping off stuck-on bacon pieces from bottom of pot.
• Add potatoes and green beans. Season with parsley, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and coat ingredients with stock and bacon grease.
• Place lid on Instant Pot and seal vent. Set pot to pressure cook for 6 minutes.
• When cooking time is up, do a quick release and remove lid. Add bacon and stir to combine.

Notes

I have allotted extra time to clean and snip off ends of Green Beans, and then an additional time of 8-10 minutes for your pot to come to pressure.

David's Cooking Tips

• You can swap out ham shanks, or diced ham, or ham hocks if you like, though that will change the flavor slightly.
• Don’t like chunks of meat in your green beans? Use one teaspoon of bacon grease to give the meat flavor without having pieces of meat.
• If you want more of a smoky flavor with this recipe, add a teaspoon of liquid smoke.

Nutrition

Calories: 274kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 852mg | Potassium: 1017mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 806IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg

Frequently Asked Questions About Instant Pot Green Beans and Potatoes?

Can I use hamhocks instead?

Absolutely, you can!  Ham, Ham hocks, smoked turkey wings or neck bones, all make a great addition to these green beans and potatoes instead of bacon…if you want to use something different. I’ve even used smoked sausage or andouille sausage instead of bacon when I really wanted to change the flavors up a bit.

What if I only have Russet potatoes?

You can use them, but be careful! Russets are very starchy and can turn to mush quickly. If you use them, cut them into larger chunks to help them survive the pressure.

Is this Make-ahead friendly?

This is one of those rare dishes that actually tastes better the next day after the potatoes have sat in that smoky broth. It’s a great one for Angela’s lunch the following afternoon, and she devours it1

The post Instant Pot Green Beans and Potatoes appeared first on FoodnService.

It’s creamy, a little spicy, and packed with bold Cajun flavor, all made right in the slow cooker. The chicken turns tender, the sauce comes together rich and smooth, and everything gets tossed with pasta for a cozy, satisfying meal.

This is one of those dinners that works just as well on a busy weeknight as it does when you want something comforting without standing over the stove. If you like creamy pasta with a little kick, this one’s going to be on repeat.

Recipe Snapshot

• Creamy Cajun Comfort Food: This slow cooker Cajun chicken pasta combines tender chicken, sweet bell peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, and penne pasta in a rich, creamy Cajun parmesan sauce.
• Easy Weeknight Dinner: With only about 10 minutes of prep, the slow cooker handles most of the work while the flavors slowly build into a hearty family-style meal.
• Bold Flavor Without Extra Fuss: Cajun seasoning, parmesan, and fire-roasted tomatoes give this pasta a restaurant-style flavor while still using simple everyday ingredients.
• Best For: Busy weeknights, cozy comfort food dinners, meal prep leftovers, casual family gatherings, and pasta nights when you want something creamy with a little kick.

David’s Tip: Add the pasta closer to the end of cooking and stir it every 10 minutes if possible. Slow cookers trap heat differently, and this helps keep the penne perfectly tender instead of overly soft or mushy.

Why This Recipe Works

Ingredients You'll Need

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast (bite-size pieces): Cutting small means quick, even cooking and more surface area to soak up Cajun flavor. Chicken thighs work great if you want extra tenderness.
• Cajun seasoning: The flavor driver—smoky, garlicky, a little spicy. Sprinkle some on the chicken first so it seasons from the inside out, then add the rest to the pot. Choose mild or hot depending on your crowd.
• Red & yellow bell peppers (strips): Sweetness and color that balance the spice; slice a little thicker so they keep some bite after slow cooking.
• Red onion (sliced): Melts into the sauce and adds a subtle sweetness that plays well with Cajun spices.
• Garlic (minced): Blooms in the slow cooker and perfumes the whole pot; two cloves keep it friendly for everyone.
• Chicken broth (cans): Builds the base and provides the liquid the pasta needs later. Low-sodium keeps you in control; you can add more at the end if you want extra saucy bowls.
• Fire-roasted tomatoes (can): Adds gentle smokiness and acidity to brighten the richness—key for balance in creamy pasta.
• Heavy cream (divided): A portion cooks with the broth for early body, then a final splash at the end makes the sauce glossy and restaurant-silky.
• Penne pasta (12 oz, uncooked): Holds up beautifully in slow-cooked sauces and stays pleasantly al dente; rotini or ziti also work.
• Cornstarch + water (slurry): Quick thickener so the sauce clings to every bite—add with the pasta window so it activates as things finish.
• Parmesan (shredded): Melts in at the end for salty, savory depth and an extra creamy finish; freshly grated melts smoother.

David’s “Pro-Chef” Instructions

1. The Base: Toss your seasoned chicken, peppers, onions, and garlic into the slow cooker. Pour in the broth, tomatoes, and the first half-cup of cream.
2. The Slow Burn: Set it on high for about 3 hours. You want that chicken tender and the flavors fully married.
3. The Pasta Window: About 30-40 minutes before you're ready to eat, stir in the uncooked penne and your cornstarch slurry.
4. The “David” Tip: Set a timer for 25 minutes. Every slow cooker is a little different, and you want to start checking the pasta then. Once it’s nearly there, stir in the remaining cream and Parmesan.

Looking for more one-pot wins?

Since this is a staple in my Slow Cooker Recipes silo, you might also love my Slow Cooker Salisbury Steaks. It’s another “set it and forget it” meal that Stephen and I both swear by.

Recipe Variations You Can Do

A few easy tweaks can be made to this satisfying pasta meal. While I love this recipe as is, here are some of my recommendations:

Make it Vegetarian: You can easily use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and keep the chicken out and use a heartier style produce, such as mushrooms.

Creamy Cajun Spinach Alfredo: You can completely omit the tomatoes in the recipe. This will help balance out the acidity. Baby spinach can be added in at the last minute, since it doesn't long to cook. Use a bag of fresh baby spinach, which is approximately 7 cups of UNCOOKED baby spinach. Empty contents into slow cooker and cover with the lid for about 5 minutes. Then start stirring and folding baby spinach into pasta.

More Easy Weeknight Pasta Recipes

Instant Pot Taco Pasta

Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells

BLT Pasta Salad

Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti

• Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken And Pasta
• Instant Pot Feta Pasta (TikTok Pasta)
• Penne Pasta With Sausage
• Easy Pasta Carbonara
• Homemade Hamburger Helper

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Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Pasta

Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Pasta is a comforting one-pot meal consisting of juicy chicken, sweet peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, al dente penne pasta, and a thick and creamy Cajun-infused Parmesan sauce.

Course Crockpot Recipes

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 474kcal

Author David Murphy

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 1/2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 red pepper cut into strips
• 1 yellow pepper cut into strips
• 1 red onion sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 cans of chicken broth
• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 12 oz penne pasta
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp water
• 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A sprinkle of parsley

Instructions

• 1. Add diced chicken breast to an 8 quart slow cooker, add 1/2 tbsp of cajun. Add all the peppers, onions and garlic on top and add the remaining Cajun.
  2. Add in the chicken broth, tomatoes and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Cook on high for 3 hours or until the chicken is cooked.
  3. About 30-40 minutes before done, add in the uncooked pasta and stir. Add the cornstarch and water mixture and stir again, put the lid back on and stir every 10 minutes until pasta is cooked.
  4. Once done add in the 1/4 cup heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Stir and serve with topped parsley (optional)

Notes

David's Tips for Success

Spice level: Reduce Cajun seasoning to 1 tbsp for milder flavor.
Pasta tip: For firmer texture, cook pasta separately and add before serving.
Extra creamy: Stir in 4 oz cream cheese at the end.
Meal prep: Stores well in the fridge for 3 days (add splash of broth when reheating).
Cooking Time: You can change the timing to cook on LOW heat for 4 -5 hours

Nutrition

Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 304mg | Potassium: 601mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2081IU | Vitamin C: 65mg | Calcium: 197mg | Iron: 2mg

FAQ: Let’s Troubleshoot Your Dinner

“Can I use frozen chicken?”

You can, but I wouldn't. Frozen chicken releases a lot of extra water, which can thin out that beautiful Cajun sauce. If you must use it, add an extra hour to the cook time and maybe an extra teaspoon of cornstarch to the slurry.

“How do I keep the pasta from getting mushy?”

This is the big one. Do not—I repeat, DO NOT—add the pasta at the beginning. It only needs that final window of time. If you’re really worried, you can boil the pasta separately and toss it in at the very end, but then you’ve got another pot to wash, and who has time for that?

“What if I want it spicier?”

The recipe as written is “family-friendly” (Angela-approved!), but if you want to break a sweat, add an extra tablespoon of Cajun seasoning or a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce at the end.

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star  rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.

Be sure to check out my FREE Meal Planner and Kitchen Organizer!

The post Creamy Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Pasta (Easy Weeknight Dinner) appeared first on FoodnService.

Recipe Snapshot

• Simple Everyday Side Dish: These oven roasted vegetables turn basic fresh veggies into a colorful flavorful side dish with crispy edges and tender centers.
• Easy to Customize: Mix and match vegetables based on the season, what’s already in your fridge, or what pairs best with dinner that night.
• Roasted for Bigger Flavor: Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in the vegetables while giving them that slightly caramelized texture you just can’t get from steaming or boiling.
• Best For: Weeknight dinners, holiday side dishes, meal prep, healthy eating goals, sheet pan meals, and cleaning out leftover vegetables from the fridge.

David’s Tip: Spread the vegetables out in a single layer with a little space between them. Overcrowding the pan traps steam and prevents the vegetables from getting those golden roasted edges everyone loves.

I absolutely love oven-roasted vegetables, and luckily so does my family!  I'm sharing one of my personal favorite dishes that I love to cook! It's always a huge hit in my family, especially when you have a ton of great vegetables in stock! Squashes and root vegetables are definitely my favorite!  Fair warning:  I like to cook in big batches, so I don't have to cook a lot later! Let's get started!

Why You’ll Love This Side

• Hands-off cooking – the oven does all the browning.
• Crowd-pleaser – naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
• Customizable – any sturdy veggie works; clear that fridge drawer!
• Meal-prep friendly – leftovers reheat beautifully or tuck into frittatas.

Flavor Swaps & Pro Tips

• Veggie mix-and-match: Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sweet potato cubes, or mushrooms roast at the same temp; cut everything to a similar size for even cooking.
• Add protein: toss drained chickpeas on the pan for extra plant protein.
• Citrus pop: finish with a squeeze of lemon juice for brightness.
• Cheesy upgrade: dust with grated Parmesan during the last 5 minutes.
• Storage: cooled veggies keep 4 days in an airtight container; reheat at 400°F for 5 minutes to revive the crisp edges.

More Delicious Side Dish Recipes

• Cucumber Salad Wrap Recipe
• Vegetarian Stuffed Sweet Peppers
• Mini Caprese Appetizers
• Potatoes Au Gratin

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Oven Roasted Vegetables

This will be your new favorite side dish, or enjoy the oven roasted vegetables as a main course!

Course Side Dishes

Cuisine American

Keyword easy healthy vegetable recipe, oven roasted vegetables, vegetarian side dish

Calories 244kcal

Author David Murphy

Ingredients

• 1 bundle of asparagus
• 1 small bag of snow peas
• 1 medium to small yellow squash
• 1 zucchini
• 1 small bag of baby carrots
• 1 package of grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
• 1 small bag of baby red potatoes a.k.a. red bliss or you can use fingerling potatoes
• EVOO extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Rosemary If you are using fresh, then it would be 3 tablespoons
• 1/2 tablespoon Basil If you are using fresh, then it would be 1/3 cup basil
• McCormick’s steak seasoning’s pepper mix-it’s part of their Grinders series
• Sea Salt
• 1/2 tablespoon Garlic Powder

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees
• Cut squash and potatoes into chunks. For the asparagus snap at the appropriate areas for them. This is usually about 1 to 1 1/2 inches from the bottom of the asparagus. Then cut Asparagus in half. Not down the middle in half, but across. We want to leave the spears intact.
• Next you will want to mix the vegetables in one bowl. Unless you have a really HUGE bowl, then do like me and use 2 separate bowls.
• Once the vegetables are in the bowl sprinkle your EVOO all around the top of them. This will probably wind up being about 1/4 cup.
• Add all of the seasonings on top. Now Use the salt and McCormick's pepper mix to your own liking. Everyone has their own salt and pepper threshold. Some might even want to add more rosemary and less basil, but to each their own. With a wooden spatula, fold all of the vegetables and seasoning together. Keep mixing until you are sure that the ingredients are nice and spread out.
• When done place your vegetables into a deep baking dish. I had to use two! lol..don't judge me. Cover the dishes with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Then, take off the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. If you like your vegetables more al dente, then lessen the covered cooking time.
• Voila! You're all done! Now just enjoy it! This makes a great “anytime-of-the-year” dish or side dish to appeal to the masses

Nutrition

Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 2162mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 2567IU | Vitamin C: 92mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 4mg

Here are some other great vegetarian recipes that you might enjoy, too!

And in case you're interested, this is the pyrex dish that I used. You can purchase it on Amazon or at one of your local retailers. It's a 3 qt dish.

The post Oven Roasted Vegetables appeared first on FoodnService.

This is the best of both worlds: creamy stovetop mash + bubbly baked casserole. It holds beautifully on a holiday table and turns an ordinary weeknight into “please pass the pan” territory.

Why You'll Love My Recipe

• Ultra-creamy texture: Cream cheese + butter make the potatoes silky, not gluey.
• Serious cheesy pull: Triple cheddar inside and on top for melty goodness.
• Smoky crunch: Bacon folded in and sprinkled over keeps every bite exciting.
• Make-ahead friendly: Assemble, chill, and bake when you’re ready.
• Holiday Perfect and Feeds a crowd: An 8×8 pan serves a full table or makes dream leftovers. You'll have the best holiday side dish for your turkey or ham.
• Flexible: Easy swaps for different cheeses or add-ins.

David

Ingredient Notes

• Yukon gold potatoes (3 lb): Naturally buttery and creamy so you can mix without turning gummy. Cut into large, even cubes so they cook at the same pace.
• Cream cheese (6 oz): Adds body and tang; it stabilizes the mash so it bakes up silky. Soften to room temp for easy blending.
• Triple cheddar cheese mix (2 cups, divided): Mild + sharp notes and great melt for that gooey center and bubbly top.
• Parmesan (¼ cup, shaker style): Savory, salty backbone that seasons the whole pan and helps the top brown.
• Unsalted butter (½ cup): Luxurious mouthfeel and flavor; melt-on-contact richness.
• Dried parsley (1 tsp + extra): Gentle herbal pop; sprinkle more on top for color.
• Cooked bacon (1 cup, chopped): Smoky crunch that plays perfectly with creamy potatoes. Save some for the top so it stays crisp.

Best potatoes: Yukon Gold vs Russet for creamy texture

Potato choice shapes the bite. Here is how they differ.

• Yukon Gold: medium starch, naturally buttery, and silky when mashed. They hold together and stay lush without getting gluey.
• Russet: high starch, very fluffy, and thirsty for butter and milk. They drink in dairy and turn airy.
• Mix both: you get silk plus fluff. Many cooks love a 50-50 mix.

Start potatoes in cold, well salted water. This helps cook them evenly from edge to center and prevents a firm ring under the surface.

Finish on the stove or bake as a loaded casserole

• Stovetop finish: serve right away, topped with extra cheese, bacon, and chives.
• Baked casserole: spread in a buttered dish, top with cheddar, and bake at 350°F until hot and melty. Broil 1 to 2 minutes for golden spots. Want crunch? Sprinkle a light panko and butter mix on top. Use gluten free crumbs if needed.
• Instant Pot option: pressure cook salted potato chunks with water for 8 minutes, quick release, drain, then follow the same finishing steps.

Easy flavor twists that still taste like home

• Smoked Gouda and scallions
• Pepper jack and jalapeño
• Roasted garlic and Parmesan
• Ranch seasoning and cheddar

For a lighter touch, swap some sour cream for Greek yogurt. Pork-free? Use turkey bacon or sautéed mushrooms with smoked paprika.

What To Serve With It

• Garlic Butter Steak Bites, Baked Salsa Chicken, Dutch Oven Orange Roasted Chicken, or Oven Roasted Vegetables
• Simple green salad with vinaigrette
• Warm dinner rolls for cleaning the plate

For even more delicious side dish recipes, you may like these:

Sweet Potato Pudding

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

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Cheesy Mashed Potatoes with Bacon

Ultra-creamy cheesy mashed potatoes with bacon, cream cheese, and triple cheddar. Fluffy inside, bubbly on top, and perfect for holidays or weeknights.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword baked mashed potatoes, cheesy mashed potatoes with bacon, creamy mashed potatoes casserole, easy side dish, make ahead mashed potatoes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 8 Servings

Author David Murphy

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
• 6 ounces cream cheese
• 2 cups triple cheddar cheese mix
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese the shakeable kind used for spaghetti
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley plus extra for topping
• 1 cup cooked bacon chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil on the stovetop. Peel the potatoes, cut them into large cubes, and place them in the pot. Boil for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
• Strain the water from the potatoes and add them to a large mixing bowl.
• Add the cream cheese, butter, and parmesan cheese to the mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
• Add 1 cup triple cheddar cheese, salt, parsley, and ¾ cup bacon to the mixing bowl and mix with the electric mixer until well combined.
• Scoop the mashed potatoes into an 8×8 baking dish and smooth out the top with a rubber spatula.
• Sprinkle the remaining triple cheddar cheese and bacon evenly over the top of the potatoes.
• Bake the potatoes in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned and the cheese is melted.

Notes

Pro Tips

• Dry = creamy: After draining, let potatoes sit in the hot pot 1–2 minutes to steam off extra moisture.
• Warm mix-ins: Room-temp cream cheese blends smoother; cold dairy can clump.
• Season at the end: Bacon and parmesan add salt—taste after mixing, then adjust.
• Don’t overmix: Stop when creamy; over-beating can make potatoes gluey.
• Scale it up: Double into a 9×13 for holidays; add a few extra minutes of bake time.

 

Comfort in a bowl, that is what this dish delivers. You get silky potatoes, melted cheese, and crisp bacon in every bite. Use warm dairy, fresh-shredded cheese, and save a little bacon for the top to keep texture lively. Make it ahead, reheat gently, and pair it with almost anything. Ready to scoop into a potluck hero or a holiday staple? Grab your potatoes and make these cheesy mashed potatoes with bacon tonight.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use russet potatoes instead of Yukon gold?

Yes—russets mash fluffier and a little lighter. Be gentle when mixing and add a splash more butter if they seem dry.

How do I keep the potatoes from getting gummy?

Use Yukon golds, drain well, and mix just until creamy. Overworking releases starch and creates gluey texture.

Can I double the cheesy mashed potatoes recipe?

Yes. Use a 9×13 dish and add a few extra minutes of bake time until hot and bubbly.

The post Cheesy Mashed Potatoes with Bacon appeared first on FoodnService.