by Diana Rattray
This macaroni salad is hearty enough to serve as a lunch or dinner main dish, and it will be especially welcome on a hot summer day or evening. Feel free to use diced chicken instead of ham, or omit the ham and add extra veggies. I used peas in the salad, but feel free to use cooked and chilled asparagus, artichokes, or green beans.
How To Store Pasta Salad
Refrigerate homemade pasta salad in an airtight container for up to 4 days. If you’re serving the salad outdoors, it should be served from a cooler or nestled in a larger bowl of ice. It’s important to keep the salad below 40 F if kept out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours, (or no more than 1 hour if the temperature is 90 F or above).
PrintMacaroni Salad With Ham
This macaroni salad is hearty enough to serve for dinner or lunch on a summer day. Feel free to omit the ham and use chicken or more veggies.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salads, Pasta Salad, Ham, Peas
Ingredients
- 1 cup macaroni (4 ounces, uncooked)
- 1/2 head lettuce, iceberg or romaine (plus some whole leaves for the serving bowl)
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 cup cooked ham, diced
- 1 cup English peas, steamed and cooled
- 1/2 to 1 cup mayonnaise, as desired
- 1/3 cup chopped sweet pickle, such as bread and butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni following the package directions. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water; set aside.
- Arrange a few lettuce leaves in the bottom of a serving dish or large plate.
- Shred the remaining lettuce.
- In a bowl, toss the drained macaroni with the shredded lettuce, diced celery and onion, ham, and peas.
- In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup of mayonnaise with the chopped sweet pickles. Add the dressing to the macaroni mixture and toss to blend. Add more mayonnaise, as desired. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.
- Spoon the macaroni salad into the lettuce-lined serving dish or plate.
- Shred the inside leaves of the lettuce, In another bowl, toss the shredded lettuce with the celery, macaroni, onion, chopped sweet pickle, peas, tomatoes, and ham. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
- Mound the salad in the bowl lined with lettuce leaves. Chill before serving.
