#Macaroni pasta salad with ham full
#Macaroni pasta salad with ham mac

Not only is pasta the main ingredient in the recipe for macaroni salad it is what can make or break the recipe. Add a bit of crunch with chow mein noodles.Add a dab of Dijon mustard or a splash of apple cider vinegar.Season with garlic powder, fresh parsley, and paprika.Add cheese chunks-cheddar cheese or Colby jack is yummy.Use sweet pickles or even sweet pickle relish.Add diced celery, tomatoes, red bell peppers, black olives, or sliced radishes.You can even have the mix-ins on the side for people to add themselves. The mix-ins can spruce up the flavor as well as add texture and color. However, there are so many delicious mix-in ideas that you can use for your family. I like to keep my macaroni salad recipe simple especially when I’m serving it for a large crowd. Stir in any additional desired mix-ins and refrigerate until ready to serve. Add dressing to the pasta and mix until coated. In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, milk, and ranch dressing.ĬOMBINE. In a large bowl, combine cooked macaroni, ham, and peas.ĭRESSING. Cook macaroni in salted water according to package directions. You basically can’t go wrong with bacon.PASTA. This is an authentic macaroni salad recipe from when I lived in Hawaii and it is perfect for luaus! You can also try our Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.

#Macaroni pasta salad with ham mac

If you want to check out more ideas for macaroni salad, check out our Hawaiian Mac Salad. Read Next: Best BBQ Side Dishes Looking for More Great Pasta Salad Recipes? However, this will rinse off some of the starch and salt on the pasta, and it will lose some flavor. If you are in a time crunch, you can also just run cold water over the pasta to cool it quickly while draining. You can also place the macaroni on a cookie sheet while cooling. Add a little back at a time if it is getting too dry while cooling. Additionally you can save a little of the pasta water that you drained off.

We usually just run the pot we boiled the noodles with under cold water before adding the pasta back to it after draining (not rinsing the noodles, just cooling down the pot, itself). How do I keep my macaroni from sticking together when cooling?Ī.

We love getting comments from our readers! Since a lot of questions have been asked multiple times below, we thought we would answer them all up here! We have had such a great response to this macaroni salad recipe. Garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, and other seasonings can add flavors to your taste. Dijon mustard can be used instead of yellow mustard. Depending on your tastes, you can add in or substitute ingredients to the dressing as well.

#Macaroni pasta salad with ham full

If you don’t want to make the full thing ahead of time, just making the macaroni salad dressing can save you time later (mayo, mustard, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, pepper, and salt).

If it seems a little dry when ready to serve, just add a splash of milk before serving and stir for a few minutes.

When making ahead, store in Ziplock bags until ready to serve, this way you save on dishes too.

This gives the flavors a chance to blend.

I like to make this salad a day ahead and let it chill overnight.

Additionally, some other mix-in ideas include: Usually, we start with ham, cheese, and peas and go from there. The great thing about this salad is that you can switch up the macaroni salad ingredients depending on what you have in the fridge and what your family will eat. I especially like elbows and shells because they catch little pockets of dressing that are oh-so-yummy! Here are some more pasta ideas for macaroni salad: However, sometimes it’s fun to switch things up a bit. Obviously, elbow macaroni is the preferred pasta for macaroni salad. What Kind of Pasta is Best For Macaroni Salad?