Ham Pasta Salad

This Ham Pasta Salad with cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and olives is a perfect main or side dish for summer season. It is made with a light dressing and, thus, healthier than a mayo dressing.

Wild Times

Hello folks! I hope you are doing well, and you are enjoying June weather. I hope it’s not too hot in your area.

In Nova Scotia, last ten days or so have been quite abnormal in terms of temperature; it reached high 20s (and even above) for a couple of times. Plus, it’s been dry. Normally, average temperature in May is around 15 degrees C plus many rains.

As a result, there have been many wildfires across Nova Scotia lately. More than a dozen, with few of them being currently out of control. In fact, one of the fires – Tantallon wildfire – is happening just around 25 kilometers from Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia. It has affected the lives of thousands of people with 16 thousands being evacuated and with 150 houses being either damaged or lost. Wild!

Indeed, our house is located in the neighborhood that falls under the local state of emergency meaning we should be ready to leave the house on short notice.

Luckily, we expect the colder and rainy weather this weekend – hopefully that will be the turning point for the province!

Ham Pasta Salad

Hot weather means pasta salads, right? (Also, potato, egg, and other salads.) Cold food is what we crave. So I am sharing a super easy yet tasty salad. It is filling but not too heavy, and it’s packed with different textures and flavours. Actually, you can use this recipe for whipping up something different. Have grilled leftover veggies or meat? Add the to the salad! Prefer a more traditional creamy dressing? You can surely stir in some mayo or yogurt. Want something piquant? Add in some capers or hot peppers. Optional additions include cheese (think of feta, mozzarella, or parmesan), pine nuts, and deli meats (i.e., salami, prosciutto, etc.)

For this version I used cooked lean ham, fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, olives, and fresh herbs. I added just of a touch of olive oil and balsamic, but actually the vegetables make the salad already juicy. As mentioned earlier, you can use some mayo instead if you prefer a creamier version.

More Salads for Summer

Looking for more pasta, egg or potato salads? Here we go.

Pasta Salad with Creamy Lavender Sauce

Prosciutto Egg Salad

Egg Chive Salad

Creamy Potato Salad

Potato Egg Prosciutto Salad

I hope you like this Ham Pasta Salad, and you will give it a try soon! If you make it, let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share you photos adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.

Cheers!

Print

Ham Pasta Salad

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Salads, Pasta SaladsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6-10

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Chilling time (recommended)

1

hour (or longer)

Ham Pasta Salad with cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and olives is a perfect main or side dish for summer season. Serves about 6 as the main course or more as a side dish.

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Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked until al-dente small-shaped pasta (~ 800 gr. cooked pasta or 2 cups dried)

• 1 1/2 cups (~300 gr.) cherry tomatoes, halved if large

• 1 1/2vcup (~150 gr.) English cucumber, sliced

• 1 bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced or cubed

• about 1 1/2 cup (~200 gr.) cooked ham, diced

• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced

• 1/2 cup olives (100 gr.), sliced or halved

• 1 – 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh herbs (I used chopped parsley, thyme, and oregano)

• 1 tsp. or more, to taste balsamic vinegar, optional

• 1 tsp. olive oil, optional

• black pepper, to taste

• pine nuts or/and parmesan, optional

Directions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (check the package for recommended cook time). Drain and rinse well under cold water to stop the cooking process.
• In a large bowl combine together pasta, ham, vegetables, and herbs. The salad will be quite juicy thanks to the vegetables, but I’d recommend adding 1 tsp. (or to taste) of balsamic vinegar, for acidity. Optionally drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Season with black pepper. Mix well to coat. Try and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
• You can serve it right away, but ideally chill it for at least one hour. If desired, sprinkle with pine nuts or parmesan, when serving. Keep the leftovers refrigerated for 2-3 days. Enjoy!