Southern Style Ham Pasta Salad

Salty ham and feta cheese are mixed with bright, crunchy vegetables and pasta. This makes a delicious pasta salad that’s a perfect side dish or a light meal! Ham Pasta Salad is easy to make and a crowd pleaser too. It’s great for a barbecue or on the buffet at your next family gathering.

Ham Pasta Salad is a great salad for your next barbecue!

Living in California and specifically the Central Valley sometimes skews your weather outlook. We’ve been barbecuing and enjoy easy summer foods for some time now.

Weekends have consisted of long drives in the country enjoying the wildflowers and my favorite are these amazing California Poppies!

What does that have to do with this recipe… nothing, but I just love this picture and wanted to show it to you! 😀

During a drive in the country last week I focused on taking pictures of the beautiful California poppies!

Now as we’re approaching Mother’s Day I’m thinking about beautiful buffets filled with piles of delicious food closely followed by Memorial Day full of grilling fun! Have you been planning your menu yet?

We were just talking with Dan’s Mom yesterday. Dan suggested a home cooked meal for Mother’s Day and Lawanda thought that was a great idea, I’ll be making her Mom’s Meatloaf Recipe, a delicious southern style ham pasta salad and dessert? I think I’ll swing by a bakery to pick up her favorite Coconut Cream Pie.

I was teasing her when we had her on the phone last night. I told her since we’d be feasting on her favorite meatloaf recipe she probably wouldn’t be hungry enough for dessert right? She cackled so loud and said no dessert are you crazy? That’s the best part! 😀

My mom-in-law definitely has a sweet tooth!

So as I mentioned I’m going to put together an easy salad. I try and sneak some extra veggies in whenever I have the opportunity to cook for her and that’s why this salad came to mind.

Ok… let’s talk pasta salad!

Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad is a great use of leftover ham!

Perfectly cooked pasta, salty ham and feta cheese with crunchy fresh vegetables all topped off with a creamy southern style salad dressing – YUM!!

The ham from this salad was leftover from Easter. That’s one of the things I really like about ham, you can stretch it out and remake it a hundred different ways. Deviled Ham, Instant Pot Potato Soup with Ham or Ham and Bean Soup (one of my personal favorites!).

I love this salad because… 1. it uses everyday ingredients (in fact you may even have everything you need!) 2. It’s quick and easy to make. 3. Uses up leftovers – always a bonus, right? And 4… that same family that loved your holiday ham is going to gobble up pasta salad with ham!

Shopping list for Ham Pasta Salad

• ham
• feta cheese
• pasta
• red bell pepper
• green onions
• broccoli
• celery
• carrot
• red onion
• carrot

Ham Pasta Salad is a crowd pleaser that’s easy to make!

Steps to make Ham Pasta Salad

1. Cook the pasta and allow it to cool completely
2. Dice ham into half inch cubes
3. Clean and dice the vegetables. Dicing the veg into small pieces will allow you to get a scoop of everything when you grab a big forkful!
4. Make the dressing by combining mayonnaise and vinegar. Mix until creamy and add to the salad bowl

Easy right?!!

Tips to make pasta salad – cook the pasta ahead of time and allow it to cool completely. Why? Because if you try and dress the salad when the pasta is hot it will soak up the dressing and you’ll end up using twice as much! Cook the pasta ahead of time and tuck it into the refrigerator to cool.

Grab your fork or even better yet a spoon so you can scoop up a big bite of Ham and Pasta Salad

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Items you made need to make this salad –

• Stainless Steel Colander – great for draining the pasta.
• Mixing Bowl Set – This is the set I have and I love them, the bright colors are so pretty, plus they are light and easy to handle when they are full of food.

Ham Pasta Salad

5 from 11 votes

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Ham Pasta Salad

Ham Pasta Salad is easy to make and a real crowd pleaser! Salty ham and feta cheese mixed with bright, crunchy vegetables and pasta. This combines to make a delicious pasta salad that's a perfect side dish. It's great for a barbecue or on the buffet at your next family gathering!

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword Ham Pasta Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 18 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 313 kcal

Author Souper Chef Deb

Ingredients

• 1 16 oz. pasta cooked according to package directions, drained and chilled
• 1-2 cups ham 1/2 inch dice
• 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
• 1/2 bell pepper diced
• 3 green onions thinly sliced
• 1 carrot peeled and diced
• 1 stalk celery diced
• 1/2 red onion diced
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp seasoning salt
• 1 cup broccoli diced

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions to al dente. Drain well, place in a large bowl. 

2. Add the olive oil and seasoning salt to the pasta. Toss well and refrigerate. Allow it to cool completely.
   

3. Dice the bell pepper, celery, broccoli and red onion. Peel and dice the carrot. Slice the green onions. Mix the vegetables into the pasta.

4. Dice the ham, crumble the feta cheese. Add to pasta also.

5. Mix the mayonnaise and vinegar together and toss everything with the pasta and vegetables. Mix well to combine. 

6. Serve chilled - refrigerate leftovers. This will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. 

Nutrition Facts

Ham Pasta Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 313 Calories from Fat 261

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 29g 45%

Saturated Fat 7g 35%

Cholesterol 39mg 13%

Sodium 899mg 37%

Potassium 178mg 5%

Total Carbohydrates 4g 1%

Sugars 2g

Protein 7g 14%

Vitamin A 34.8%

Vitamin C 26.2%

Calcium 10.9%

Iron 3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Looking for more pasta salad recipes? Here are a few more delicious ideas!

Easy Pasta Salad Recipe from Wonky Wonderful

Bow Tie Pasta Salad from yours truly, this is one of my most popular recipes!

Creamy Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad – Sugar Me Dish