Ham and Pasta Salad

  

  We tend to get in a rut with pasta salads at our house. This year I have been making a effort to try some new ones. This recipe for Ham pasta salad looked good, (no peas, a pet peeve of mine) so I adapted it to suit our tastes. This meant cutting back on the amount of green pepper for one thing, older stomachs don’t handle that so well. 

  If you alter the amount of one ingredient, you need to make up for the amount in another way. For me, that meant adding chopped de-stringed celery. You just take your paring knife and start at the cut end and you can pull the strings right down the stalk. It makes it much easier to handle and eat. If you decide to try other vegetables remember to keep the same amount so you have adequate dressing for the salad.

  I did use fresh grated Parmesan cheese in the recipe as called for. Just before serving I took the vegetable peeler and shaved some more over the salad. For the ham, I cut up a small ham steak. It needs to be already cooked which most ham is. 

  I also used the new three minute spiral pasta Creamettes brand. This is small and cooks in exactly three minutes and is great in a salad. If you can find this or a similar type in your area, you might want to give it a try.

  When you are making pasta for a salad, draining it and rinsing well in cold water will help it cool down faster.

   Everyone enjoyed it and requested it again, so now I have another recipe to add to the rotation. I am going to give you the recipe as I altered it and feel free to change it to suit your family. Do use the Parmesan cheese though as this makes the dressing.

Ham and Pasta Salad

1 package (7 ounces) small pasta, cooked, and drained

2 cups cubed cooked ham

½ cup green or red pepper chopped

½ cup sliced celery

1 cup fresh tomato peeled and chopped

¼ cup chopped onion

DRESSING

½ cup salad dressing

¼ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons milk

¼ teaspoon salt 

Additional parmesan cheese

  In a large bowl, toss macaroni with the ham and the vegetables. In a small bowl, combine salad dressing, Parmesan cheese, milk and salt. Pour over paste mixture and stir to coat. This might not seem like enough dressing, but it is. After it sets and chills it is quite enough for the salad. Cover and chill.
Top with additional Parmesan cheese before serving.