This Ham Pasta Salad is loaded with pineapple and veggies. It is a refreshing play on my favorite Hawaiian Pizza flavors (which is not actually Hawaiian at all)!
A quick and easy homemade pineapple dressing is tossed with pasta, ham, and bell peppers for a uniquely delicious side dish!
It’s potluck perfect and makes a great side dish or light meal.
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A Fresh and Flavorful Pasta Salad
If you are looking for a pasta salad that’s a little bit different, this ham pasta salad is it!
- Pasta – Use any medium shaped pasta, farfalle, shells, and rotini are favorites.
- Add Ins: In this easy recipe, ham and pineapple are the stars, inspired by flavors on a Hawaiian pizza. Red peppers add crunch and color while green onions add flavor.
- The dressing is a quick creamy pineapple dressing and it’s so good that I always double it for salads (it’s excellent over strawberry spinach salad too).
This recipe is not a Hawaiian dish, and it is not Hawaiian pasta salad like a Macaroni Salad found on a typical Hawaiian Plate Lunch. In a Hawaiian plate lunch, generally, macaroni salad is a tangy combination of mayo & macaroni, sometimes with a few other ingredients. You can find a great Hawaiian macaroni salad here.
The Pineapple Dressing
You can use almost any dressing on pasta salad. This recipe includes a fresh and zesty pineapple dressing. Making homemade dressing is very quick and easy, and the flavor is much better than store-bought dressing.
- Mayonnaise and sour cream are the creamy base
- Pineapple (and a bit of cider vinegar) add tang and freshness
- Dijon and garlic powder add flavor while honey balances out the dressing.
Tips for Pasta Salads
- Don’t overcook the pasta, it will soften as it soaks up the dressing.
- Add extra dressing, as some will be absorbed by the pasta.
- Pasta salad is best made at least a couple of hours ahead of time so the flavors have a chance to blend.
- Season the salad generously.
Perfect Pasta Salads
Did your family love this Ham & Pineapple Pasta Salad? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rotini or bow tie pasta
- 1 can pineapple tidbits (14 ounces) with juice reserved for dressing
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 cups diced ham
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup pineapple juice
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and run it under cold water to cool.
- In a bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, ham, pineapple, bell pepper, green onion, and dressing. Gently toss to combine.
- Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Pasta, Salad, Side Dish
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Very good, dressing is excellent, does not soak up the noodles, very creamy.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
can this be made the night before?
Yes, I think it tastes even better on the second day as the flavors have extra time to blend.
This recipe is amazing!!!! I made it for my daughters little bday get together and everyone loved it….but instead of the bow tie pasta i used the vegetable rotini… Delish!!
I would like to make this for a croud of 50 or more. How do i do that?
This serves 8 so I would suggest making 7x the recipe.
thanks for such a wonderful recipe i made it for my lunch but ham was not available so i used boiled chicken taste was good
Love this recipe. Have made it a couple of times for events and its always gone! Is a great meal on its own
Love this recipe!!! Have made it a couple of times and taken it to an outdoor event and it always goes!! This is good on its own as a meal.
Someone had mentioned that the salad need something to put it over-the-top. I would suggest try bacon added to it that puts most recipes over the top when making any kind of a recipe. Just a suggestion
Yummy idea!
Has anyone made a different dressing as I can’t eat mayonnaise or salad cream and would love to make this any suggestions please x
Plain Greek yogurt!
Made this with gluten free pasta for my celiac grandchildren. Was an amazing success with nothing left on the plates. Defendantly a keeper in my book.
I am so glad that your family enjoyed this dish!
This is a family favorite. I sometimes will put cut up egg in it. This is so yummy.
Egg sounds like a great addition! I am glad your family likes the recipe!
2nd time making this ;) using bowties this time around. Made this for a more relaxed Easter supper.
Happy Easter! I am so glad to hear that you like the recipe!
I’ve made this many times…It is delicious and refreshing. I’ve always had it alone, as it has meat, veggies & fruit all in one. I’m always looking for something ‘different’ and this definitely fills the bill.
I need this Hawaiian Pasta Salad in my life TODAY!!!!
looking forward to making the Chicken Pasta Salad and the Hawaiian Pasta Salad this summer!!
Made this salad today for us to try tonight, my son loves Hawaiian pizza made as is except added lite spam and some fresh cilantro and parsley mix. I tried it before putting in the fridge tasted really good
Great additions! Thank you for sharing!
Holly, I made you Hawaiian Pasta Salad it was to die for. I just did half the ham cause I’m not crazy over ham & added some extra pineapple, red peppers and did a whole box of spirals and doubled the dressing. I Love It.
Great Job, Enjoyed it very much.
Mil
I’m so glad you loved it Mil!
Good salad. It was missing some flavor. I didn’t add slat since I figured the ham would be salted enough but I think the dressing and pasta absorb so much flavor that I found it bland. I let it sit a few hours in the fridge to let the flavors meld and set. Tasted it again and still found it bland.
Overall, I like the idea of the pineapple and ham but I’m going to play with the ingredients to get it to my liking.
Love all the salad recipes.
Wow this is good! Just made it for a BBQ. Doubled whole recipe, extra green onion, and added minced jalapeno, bacon and tomato. Excellent!
Love the addition of jalapeno for a little bit of heat! So glad you enjoyed it!