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Crunchy bite-sized pieces of fresh vegetables, herbs, and ham, combined with a light and creamy dressing, make this ham pasta salad a standout.
Ham Pasta Salad
I’m not sure about you, but I don’t want to spend a lot of time working in a steamy kitchen when it’s hot outside. But we all have to eat, so pasta salad often becomes my go-to in the summertime.
It only takes a few minutes to boil the pasta, and once you’ve drained it, all the hot work is done. Rinse that pasta in cool water, chop up some vegetables and ham, and stir it all together with dressing. If you ask me, meat, vegetables, and pasta equals a full meal.
Macaroni and Ham Pasta Salad
What kind of pasta makes the best pasta salad? Very small, one-bite or smaller size pasta is the winner when it comes to pasta salad.
Ideally, the pasta should be small enough to get a piece or two in each bite. The best pasta for the job, in my opinion, is ditalini or elbow pasta.
Ham Pasta
Sweet peas enter the arena with this excellent warm Ham and Pea Pasta. And chunks of savory, smoky ham are added to perfectly seasoned, gooey, cheesy pasta fors macaroni and cheese with ham.
Looking for more hearty salad recipes? It isn’t often that a salad manages to qualify as a full meal for my crew, but this Italian chopped salad checks all the boxes for us, with plenty of meat and cheese, crunchy fresh vegetables, tangy olives and pepperoncini, tossed in a zesty Italian dressing.
Ham Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 16 ounces tiny elbow macaroni or ditalini pasta
- 3 cups tiny broccoli florets
- 2 cups cooked ham cut into ½" pieces
- 1 English cucumber chopped into ½" pieces, about 1 cup
- 1 red pepper finely diced, about 1 cup
- ½ small red onion very thinly sliced and then diced, about ½ cup
- 2 green onions very thinly sliced, about 3 tablespoons
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley finely chopped, about 2 tablespoons
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, adding a generous tablespoon or so of kosher salt to the water as it cooks. Just before the noodles are done cooking, add the broccoli to the pot. Let the broccoli boil for about 30 seconds and then drain everything into a large colander. Rinse well with cold water.
- Stir together the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the bowl and stir well to coat.
- Add the ham, cucumber, pepper, red and green onions, amd parsley and stir again. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir again just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fantastic! The vinegar gave it just enough kick🤩. I made this exactly by the recipe (choosing ditalini) except I left out the cucumber because I knew my family couldn’t eat it fast enough for it to stay firm. But for a picnic I would definitely add the cucumber! Delicious! Thank you!
I’m glad you like it so much!
i liked it
I’m glad it’s a hit!