Pasta salad is an amazing side for pretty much any summer meal and this ham and pineapple pasta salad is one of my favourites! A pasta salad is a salad that has a base of pasta with other ingredients in a dressing (or a sauce) and it’s generally served cold or at room temperature. This pasta salad has a base of cooked and cooled pasta (I like macaroni) along with a Hawaiian themed ham and pineapple with red bell pepper, carrots, green and red onions. The dressing has a creamy mayonnaise base with tangy pineapple juice, tart vinegar, a touch of sugar for sweetness and some salt for a salty aspect. The juicy pineapple and salty ham combo in this salad is simply amazing, especially when combined in the creamy dressing! I like to serve this Hawaiian pasta salad with huli huli grilled chicken sandwiches but it’s great with pretty much and meal!
Hawaiian Pasta Salad
A Hawaiian inspired pasta salad with ham and pineapple in a sweet, tangy and creamy dressing!
ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (gluten-free for gluten-free)
- 1 cup pineapple, diced
- 1 cup ham, diced (optional)
- 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup carrot, grated/shredded
- 1/4 cup red onion, grated
- 1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Cook the pasta as directed on the package, drain and rinse in cold water until the pasta has cooled.
- Mix the pasta, pineapple, ham, bell pepper, carrot, red and green onions.
- Mix the mayo, pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
- Mix the dressing into the salad and enjoy!
Tip: Make a day ahead of time and let it chill in the fridge overnight.
I made this salad this week and loved it! My husband is not a huge fan of macaroni salads, mostly because of the creamy sauce, so this recipe was perfect! I did think the proportion of pasta to the other ingredients was off balance (and also not to waste anything) I added 2 cups of ham, the whole red pepper and the whole can of pineapple. I also added capers and poppy seeds. This is a keeper!!
I don’t eat ham.
What other meat do you suggest??
You could used cooked chicken, smoked turkey, shrimp, etc. or you could simply omit the ham.
In theory this salad should be great. But, I added extra Mayo because 1/2 cup is not enough for a pound of pasta. I added extra pineapple because it was dull. It refrigerated for a couple of hours and soaked up all of the dressing. I really wanted it to work but this was the most boring salad I worked hard to make.