Table of Contents
We LOVE a good pasta salad, but this macaroni salad with ham is one of the BEST!
It’s our default recipe for sharing and one the kids will devour – always a bonus. How could they not love it, though? It’s packed with kid-approved ingredients like macaroni, ham, and peas (a veggie our kids happen to love).
This particular recipe is one mom made for us growing up, and it always made an appearance at our Luna family gatherings. We especially love that it is SO easy – a few simple ingredients, and it’s ready in just 20 minutes!
When we are looking to make it a little more hearty, our Chicken Macaroni Salad is great, too!
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Quick & easy crowd-pleaser. This is packed with kid-approved flavors, making this perfect for sharing as a BBQ side dish for potlucks or a quick weeknight dinner idea.
- Extra hearty. This easy side dish is packed with protein and veggies, making it filling enough to be served as a main dish (perfect for lunch)!
- Budget-friendly. The ingredients are simple and few, making this a cost-effective side or meal. It’s also great for using up leftover ham.
Macaroni Salad Ingredients and Substitutions
- 24 ounces (or 6 cups) elbow macaroni – We prefer classic elbow noodles, but small shells, wagon wheels, bow ties, penne, or ditalini also work.
- 1½ cups cubed ham – or tuna or diced chicken
- 1 (12-ounce) bag frozen peas thawed – We love to keep it simple, but you can also use diced celery, tomatoes, red bell peppers, black olives, or sliced radishes.
- 1½ cups mayonnaise
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- salt and black pepper to taste – or add garlic powder or fresh parsley
- paprika to taste
How to Make Macaroni Salad With Ham
- COMBINE. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked macaroni, ham, and frozen peas.
- DRESSING. In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, milk, and ranch dressing.
- Add dressing to the pasta and mix until coated.
- SEASON. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. Stir in any additional desired mix-ins and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- We love making this for events because it feeds a crowd and can be made ahead of time.
- Try a different pasta. We prefer elbow macaroni, but anything that is bite-sized and has grooves works: salad shells, wagon wheels, ditalini, or bow ties.
- While you can add extra ingredients, be careful not to add too many as you won’t have enough creamy mayo mixture to coat it all.
Macaroni Salad With Ham
Equipment
- wooden spoons
Ingredients
- 24 ounces (or 6 cups) elbow macaroni
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1½ cups cubed ham
- 1 (12-ounce) bag frozen peas, thawed
- 1½ cups mayonnaise
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- salt and pepper, to taste
- paprika to taste
Mix-Ins (Optional)
- diced boiled egg, diced bell peppers, cheese cubes
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt. Cook macaroni in salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked macaroni, ham, and peas.
- In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, milk, and ranch dressing.
- Add dressing to the pasta and mix until coated.
- Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir in any additional desired mix-ins and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes enough for a large gathering. Go ahead and halve the recipe to serve closer to 8 people.
- Try a different pasta. Anything that is bite-sized and has grooves works well, such as salad shells, wagon wheels, ditalini, or bow ties
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Food should not be left out for longer than 2 hours at room temperature and less in the heat, especially mayo-based dishes like this one.
Only set out a little at a time and leave the rest in a cooler with ice.
Set the bowl of macaroni salad inside a large bowl with ice in it.
Macaroni salad can be made 24 hours ahead of time. Mix most of the dressing in before storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reserve a little dressing to add right before serving to freshen up the salad in case it is a little dry.
Leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge for about 3 days. If it gets dry, mix up a little more macaroni salad dressing and re-toss.
Complete The Meal
Main Dish
Desserts
Homemade Brownie Recipe
45 mins
Fruit Pizza Cookies
18 mins
Fruit Salad Recipe
1 hr 20 mins
How to Cut a Watermelon
5 mins
Pasta Salads
Pasta Salad Recipe
2 hrs 27 mins
Chicken Macaroni Salad
18 mins
Layered Pasta Salad
13 mins
Greek Pasta Salad
20 mins
Collections
This recipe was originally published March 2020.
I made this today with some leftover ham. This is what I did different: I used rotini noodles because it was what I had on hand. I also added green onion and celery for the crunch. Because my pasta is gluten free it absorbs more liquid so I added a little more milk and some dried ranch powder. Totally making it for my next potluck!!
Served this with burgers tonight and it was so wonderful! Absolutely loved it!
This macaroni salad was everything that I wanted it to be and more! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe
Can I use canned peas instead of frozen peas?
I would recommend frozen. But if you use canned, make sure to drain them.
I used corn it was good the kids loved it ♡
Love this recipe for Macaroni Salad! Perfect.
I’m going to be making the (American) Macaroni salad on your website. Would perhaps adding sour cream enhance the overall flavor ?? Just curious.
We love the macaroni salad as is, but you can certainly try it!
Mine turned out really good! Will definitely make again.
I’d like to suggest Kielbasa as a substitute for cubed ham. It adds a smoky spicy kick and is VERY tasty. It’s precooked and ready to go, just cut into medallions and quarter. Even the turkey version is delicious!
Perfect macaroni salad. Used packaged diced ham so there was no chopping. Ideal for large gathering and potlucks. Thanks
Easy, tasty, and just a great side salad or main dish for lunch or brunch!
A lot of macaroni! Not much flavor. Would not make again!
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try.
Love your blog it’s always fun with amazing recipes and great ideas 😊
Thank you so much!! So happy to have you here!
I just had this at a get together and loved it, but when she sent me your recipe to make it I was shocked at the amount of salt in it. Is there truly 1/4 cup of salt in this? When I spoke with the one who made it she said she did not put that in because she thought it was a typo.. Thank you for a great recipe !
I’m so glad you enjoyed the macaroni salad! The salt is added to the pasta water… you can definitely adjust the amount used. Just as long as the water is salted a bit before cooking the pasta. 🙂 No other salt is added into the salad though.
The salt goes into the water when you boil the noodles.
Looks yummy a typical Pilipino favorites
Do you use smoked paprika or regular? Also, can I cut the recipe in half?
I just use regular, but you can use smoked if you prefer that flavor. And yes, you can certainly half the recipe!
Very tasty but the milk made it too “loose”. I think minus the milk it would be perfect. I also added some hard boiled eggs and onions. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
You’re welcome! The addition of the eggs and onions sound tasty! Thanks for giving the recipe a try.
I depend on LI’L LUNA RECIPES. ALWAYS EASY N AWESOME
Oh thank you so much for your sweet words. That means so much!
Help!! This salad sounds amazing, but I only have about 1/4 a cup of ranch & I don’t have time to run & get more! Any suggestions for a substitute for the rest of the called for 1/2 cup??
You could improvise a bit and add to the ranch dressing you already have by combining together about 2 Tbsp mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp sour cream and a little bit of milk until smooth. You could also add dill, parsley, chives, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper if you have any on hand. Hope this helps!
It is such a simple and very easy-to-make macaroni salad recipe. Very delicious and highly recommended!
Wonderfully easy! So full of great flavor! I whipped this up in no time and let it sit in my fridge overnight. The flavor of this was fantastic and I loved how easy it was to get prepped ahead of time! I only needed a tiny bit of extra dressing to freshen it up. Perfect.
I served it with grilled chicken and we could not get enough, the bowl was cleaned out!! Awesome side.
Yay! That makes me so happy! Thanks for sharing!
I added celery, onion, RADISHEs and hard boiled eggs, so good with the ranch dressing!
Perfect!! Thank you for sharing that! That would be good!
I never keep milk in the house. How would this be without it? Add a little more ranch perhaps?
Hmm..good question. I haven’t left it out before, so not sure how it would turn out.
Do the peas get cooked before addi to salad?
Nope 🙂 You can cook them, if you prefer them that way, but this is perfect without cooking them.
Great Recipe. I also like to add chinese noodles on top for a bit of crunch.
We definetly have our favorites and this is one of them. Its always at our barbecues because its so good.
Adding ranch dressing really makes a delicious difference. I like adding Chinese noodles for a bit of a crunch.
This is the perfect salad! Such delicious ingredients!
This was the perfect way to use up some leftover ham we had in the fridge! Loved it!
I love macaroni salad! This is so easy to make. 🙂
This is one of my favorite summer/spring salads to take anywhere! It is very simple to make & tastes great!
such a nice recipe .. i m going to try it
Thank you! I hope you like it!