This easy Ham Pasta Salad is a scrumptious approach to make use of up the leftover cooked ham! Made with contemporary cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and inexperienced onions, this recipe is bursting with colours and freshness! The creamy salad dressing is comprised of scratch with mayo, bitter cream, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice. It is a crowd-pleasing facet dish (or lunch or dinner) that may be made in 20 minutes on busy weeknights and is ideal for sharing at events, picnics, and potlucks.
Fast and straightforward 20-minute ham pasta salad
There’s nothing sophisticated about this recipe. Merely mix cooked ham (leftover ham works nice!) along with contemporary veggies (cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and inexperienced onions) and pasta (I used farfalle or bow-tie pasta). Shortly whip up the do-it-yourself creamy salad dressing, and the ham pasta salad is prepared in 20 minutes! Straightforward sufficient to make on busy weeknights as lunch or dinner. Excellent for sharing at events, picnics, BBQs, and different festive occasions. It is a crowd pleaser identical to this creamy hen pasta salad.
What makes this salad totally different from different ham salads?
It is filled with contemporary elements, similar to cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and inexperienced onions. Add extra greens in the event you like. Different veggies that I like to make use of in a ham pasta salad are diced bell peppers, broccoli, celery, inexperienced peas, or crimson onion.
Salad elements
- Ham. I used common pre-cooked ham which I diced into small cubes. This recipe is nice for ham leftovers!
- Pasta. Quick pasta works greatest in pasta salads because it simply absorbs the dressing and is bite-sized identical to different elements. You should utilize bow-tie pasta (farfalle), rotini, fusilli (spiral pasta), penne, or rigatoni.
- Cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes) are sliced in half and are an ideal bite-size for the ham pasta salad. You too can use diced common tomatoes.
- Cucumbers. I used 1 small cucumber which I sliced into bite-size items.
- Inexperienced onions have a milder taste than common onions and I like utilizing them in pasta salads.
- Salad dressing elements embody mayo, bitter cream, freshly squeezed lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and salt.
Do-it-yourself salad dressing
Each time I make a pasta salad, I like combining mayo and bitter cream collectively for a creamy salad dressing and it is a pretty taste mixture! I additionally add Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt. When you don’t love bitter cream (or haven’t got it), be at liberty to make use of Greek yogurt rather than bitter cream for an equally good taste! Mix all salad dressing elements collectively in a medium bowl or in a mason jar and whisk nicely. You should utilize this do-it-yourself dressing not solely with this ham pasta salad however with some other salad of your alternative!
Tips on how to make ham pasta salad
- Prepare dinner pasta in a pot of boiling water in accordance with package deal directions.
- Slice cherry tomatoes in half.
- Reduce the cucumber into small, bite-sized items.
- Chop up inexperienced onions and ham.
- In a big bowl, mix all of the salad elements collectively: ham, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, inexperienced onions, and cooked and drained pasta.
- In a small bowl, stir collectively mayonnaise, bitter cream (or kefir or Greek yogurt), lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and salt.
- Add the dressing to the bowl with the ham pasta salad and stir all the things collectively.
Cooking suggestions and recipe notes
- Prepare dinner pasta al dente for the most effective texture. Which means the pasta ought to really feel agency to the chew whereas being gentle but not mushy. This sort of texture works greatest with pasta salad particularly if you wish to make it forward.
- Rinse pasta underneath chilly water after you cooked it. I at all times do it for pasta salads as that stops the pasta from getting softer and mushy. It additionally prevents the short-cut pasta from sticking to one another.
- Make it gluten-free. Use the gluten-free pasta of your alternative. Lentil or chickpea gluten-free pasta will style nice right here. If utilizing gluten-free pasta, rinse it underneath chilly water after cooking to maintain it from getting mushy.
- Serve it heat or at room temperature. This ham pasta salad tastes the most effective when it is a bit warmed up or dropped at room temperature. Not fridge chilly.
Variations
- Add extra veggies, similar to diced bell peppers, broccoli, celery, inexperienced peas, or crimson onion.
- Add pickles or pickle relish.
- Add chopped boiled eggs.
- Add shredded or cubed cheese: Cheddar, Pepper Jack. Small Mozzarella balls (pearls) work nice, too.
- Add chopped cooked bacon or cooked prosciutto.
- Season the salad dressing with smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, or garlic powder.
Storage Ideas
- Retailer leftover creamy ham pasta salad in an air-tight container within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
- It is a fantastic recipe to make forward! In reality, you may discover that it tastes even higher the subsequent day because the flavors mix collectively. Serve it heat or at room temperature (not fridge chilly).
Different recipes for leftover ham
Different pasta salads you may like
Creamy Ham Pasta Salad
This easy Ham Pasta Salad is a scrumptious approach to make use of up the leftover cooked ham! Made with contemporary cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and inexperienced onions, this recipe is bursting with colours and freshness! The creamy salad dressing is comprised of scratch with mayo, bitter cream, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice. It is a crowd-pleasing facet dish (or lunch or dinner) that may be made in 20 minutes on busy weeknights and is ideal for sharing at events, picnics, and potlucks.
Elements
Salad Elements
- 8 oz farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
- 1 pound ham cooked, diced into ½ to 1 inch cubes
- 8 oz cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 cucumber giant, sliced
- 4 inexperienced onions chopped
Salad Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup bitter cream or Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
Prepare dinner pasta
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Convey a pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and prepare dinner in accordance with package deal directions. Drain.
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When the pasta is completed, rinse it nicely with chilly water and drain.
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Whereas the pasta is cooking, proceed with the remainder of the recipe.
Salad dressing
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In a medium bowl, mix all dressing elements: mayonnaise, bitter cream (or Greek yogurt), Dijon mustard, and lemon juice. Whisk till nicely mixed. Add salt, to style.
Meeting
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In a big bowl, mix all salad elements: cooked and drained pasta, sliced cooked ham, sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and chopped inexperienced onions.
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Add salad dressing (to style, you do not have so as to add all of it) and toss to coat. Add salt, to style, if wanted.
Diet
Diet Info
Creamy Ham Pasta Salad
Quantity per Serving
% Each day Worth*
* % Each day Values are based mostly on a 2000 calorie weight-reduction plan.
The dietary info on this web site is just an estimate and is supplied for comfort and as a courtesy solely. The accuracy of the dietary info for any recipe on this website isn't assured. It shouldn't be used as an alternative to knowledgeable nutritionist’s recommendation.