Ham Macaroni Salad

I have Spring fever. I can barely wait for the weather to start warming up here in the North. Please, green grass, come soon!

When I think of Spring and Summer, I tend to think of barbecue foods, like pasta salads, potato salads, grilled burgers and chicken. This recipe for Macaroni Salad came from Favorite Family Recipes. For our optional add-ins we used diced red bell pepper and celery. Very tasty stuff. Be warned, it makes a HUGE bowl. Enjoy!

Macaroni Salad
Makes a VERY large bowl, enough for a party.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. (1 lb) pkg. macaroni (or shells)
• 1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. mustard
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste)
• ground black pepper (to taste)
• 1 c. ham steak, cut into small cubes
• 1 c. cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
• 2/3 c. frozen peas, thawed
• 2-3 carrots, shredded
• Optional mix-ins:
• cucumber, peeled and diced
• dill pickles, diced
• tomato, diced
• red bell pepper, diced
• celery, diced

Directions

1. Prepare macaroni to al dente according to package directions. After macaroni is cooked, drain and rinse in cold water. Once macaroni has cooled down, drain well.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
3. In a large bowl toss macaroni with ham, cheese, peas, carrots, and other mix-ins.
4. Fold in mayonnaise mixture until pasta is well coated.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight.
6. If the salad seems a little dry after setting up overnight, add some milk a little bit at a time until salad becomes nice and creamy again.

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.