This Ham Pasta Salad is tasty enough for your family, pretty enough for your guests.
What is it we love about macaroni salad? Everything! The traditional one—at least, the one I grew up eating—was nothing more than elbow macaroni with chopped-up onion and celery tossed in some mayo mixed with a bit of lemon juice or red wine vinegar…and yet, it is so delicious that we used a similar formula for coleslaw and potato salad. Sometimes (many times!) “simple” is simply the best.
But now we have this Ham Pasta Salad, which takes the old standby macaroni salad idea and blasts it into the culinary stratosphere by adding salty, smoky ham, sharp cheddar cheese, and the earthy flavor of peas. Plus, you may not think there’s much difference between elbow macaroni and medium-sized pasta shells, but in fact, the shells fill with delicious dressing, making this dish even creamier (no offense, elbows–I love you, too, but shells are best for pasta salad!).
Ham Pasta Salad is perfect for weeknight meals, picnics, and potlucks. It can even be served on special occasions because all the colors make it so pretty (I’ve made it for baby showers and book-club luncheons). It’s also simple to make and takes no time to assemble. I encourage you to make it ahead of time; the extra few hours in the fridge let all those yummy flavors meld together. And since you’ll chill it in the bowl it’s made in, all you have to do is remove the plastic wrap and it’s ready to serve!
Variations on this Ham Pasta Salad recipe
While I really love this recipe just as it is, sometimes I’ll mix it up based on what I have on hand or what I’m in the mood for. I think the shell pasta is perfect in Ham Pasta Salad, but any small pasta will work (yes, elbow macaroni, including you!). Cubing the meat and cheese adds a level of heartiness, but you can certainly use shredded cheese and cut your ham in thin julienned slices. And speaking of ham, any kind is delicious here: Deli, Black Forest, Honey Maple…whatever kind you like best. You can even switch out the ham with your favorite deli turkey.
And what about the cheese? Well, it will come as no surprise to you that cheddar is wonderful here, mirroring that classic combo ham & cheddar! But I also love Swiss in this salad, as well as Colby or Monterey Jack. Ultimately, any combination of meat and cheese is going to be great in this pasta salad.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium pasta shells
- 10 ounces frozen peas thawed
- 1 cup diced Cheddar cheese
- 1/4 pound deli ham diced
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
How to Make Ham Pasta Salad
Step 1: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil.
Step 2: Add the shell pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 10 to 11 minutes. Drain well.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, combine the thawed peas, diced Cheddar cheese, diced ham, and chopped onion.
Step 4: Whisk together the mayonnaise, vegetable oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Step 5: Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients, add the drained pasta, and toss to coat evenly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours to allow flavors to meld.
FAQs & Tips
How do I prep and store this salad?
This Ham Pasta Salad needs to be refrigerated for 2-3 hours before serving, so the flavors will meld. For leftovers, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. We don’t recommend freezing Ham Pasta Salad (the mayonnaise-based dressing doesn’t do well once thawed).
Salt your pasta water!
Even though there’s salt in the recipe, you really need to salt your pasta water; not only does it flavor the pasta, which is necessary, but it also helps to keep the shells from sticking to each other when you drain them.
Thaw your peas!
It may seem like a small thing, but you don’t want to toss frozen peas into the salad and think, Well, they’ll thaw during the 2-3 hours the salad chills in the fridge. That may be true, but those frozen peas will also leave water behind as they defrost, and no one wants a watery pasta salad!
Serving Suggestions
Cold pasta salads are really versatile–they can be main dishes or side dishes (and the leftovers make the best midafternoon snacks). But these kinds of salads always make me think of summer, so I love to serve this one with Texas Tommy Dogs. But, of course, Ham Pasta Salad is not just for summer meals: it’s a great addition to Mummy Hot Dogs on Halloween!
The smoky flavor of the ham makes this pasta salad a wonderful side to Ribs, but also to Barbecue Chicken (and my favorite, The Best Hamburger Ever). I usually round out all three of these meals with Coleslaw and Biscuits.
Here’s another thing I love about Ham Pasta Salad. By adding an ingredient or two, I can transform this dish into something that transports me somewhere…sometimes I add pineapple chunks and then serve this salad alongside The Best Homemade Poke Bowl and pretend I’m in Hawaii…and sometimes I replace the cheddar with feta, add olives, serve it with Lamb Chops (with a side of Tzatziki Sauce) and pretend I’m in Greece. A girl can dream…
Ham Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium pasta shells
- 10 ounces frozen peas thawed
- 1 cup diced Cheddar cheese
- 1/4 pound deli ham diced
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil.
- Add the shell pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 10 to 11 minutes. Drain well.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the thawed peas, diced Cheddar cheese, diced ham, and chopped onion.
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, vegetable oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients, add the drained pasta, and toss to coat evenly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours to allow flavors to meld.
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