Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

As part of our pantry / fridge / freezer purge I have thrown a few things together to try out new combos / flavors and try to use up some ingredients. I had some cooked penne and edamame in the fridge along with some thawed chicken and decided to throw these ingredients together into a summer pasta salad and was really happy with how it all came together. Easy to tweak with more / less of ingredients, different cheese, different dressing, etc. Make it your own! I like it better the second day after the flavors had a chance to meld together and mellow. Yumm!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Ingredients
4 cups cooked penne pasta, cooled (about half a 16-oz box)
1/2 cup cooked edamame
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup ranch dressing
2 - 3 TBS bacon, chopped into small pieces
6-oz chicken, cooked and diced into bite sized pieces (season lightly with salt and pepper when cooking)

Directions

1. Combine ingredients in a large bowl (or Tupperware), mix gently until evenly combined.
2. Refrigerate and allow flavors to meld, if desired, or serve immediately.