Boiled macaroni, cubes of salty ham and cheese, sweet crushed pineapple, pickle relish, sliced celery and chopped carrot are tossed with mayo to make this lovely pasta and meat salad.

Cook’s notes

To make the flavors blend better, let the salad sit in a covered container overnight in the fridge. During that time, the noodles will soak up the saltiness of the ham and cheese, and the sweetness of the pineapple and pickle relish.

To make sure that the flavor balance is correct, taste the salad before serving, add salt and pepper, if needed.

And because the noodles will soak up the mayo too, check if the salad looks and tastes dry. Toss in more mayo, a couple of tablespoons at a time, to achieve an overall creamy but not soppy texture.

No, I never add sweetened condensed milk and raisins to my macaroni salad.

Ham and macaroni salad

Prep: 20

Cook: 10

Total: 30

Servings: 6 people

Course: Salad, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Modern Filipino

Label: Leftover Christmas ham, Pasta salad

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Ingredients

200 grams macaroni (7 oz) cooked al dente, drained and cooled
2 cups cubed salty ham
1 cup cubed cheese
⅓ cup mayonnaise I recommend Japanese mayo
½ cups crushed pineapple (canned) well drained
¼ to ⅓ cup sweet pickle relish
¼ to ⅓ cup slightly boiled and chopped carrot
¼ to ⅓ cup finely sliced celery
1 salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar only if the pineapple is not sufficiently sweet

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, toss everything together until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Cover the bowl tightly, pop into the fridge and leave to rest for several hours, preferably overnight.
Take the salad out of the fridge, and give it a taste.
Add salt, pepper and sugar, as needed for a well-rounded flavor profile.
If the salad appears dry, add more mayo and toss.
Put the salad back in the fridge for at least an hour to allow the flavors to blend once more.
Serve chilled.