Hawaiian Pasta Salad
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Hawaiian pasta salad is a creamy, cold pasta salad made with ham, pineapple, and crisp vegetables, all mixed with a lightly sweet, tangy dressing. It’s the kind of side dish that shows up well at potlucks and summer gatherings because it feels familiar, but the pineapple keeps it from tasting boring.
This version uses diced ham, pineapple, bell pepper, carrots, and onions tossed with pasta and a mayonnaise-based dressing made with pineapple juice and apple cider vinegar. You can serve it right away, but it also holds up well once chilled, which makes it easy to prep ahead and stir again before serving.
Ingredient Notes Before You Start
Rinsing the pasta with cold water after cooking is important here. It stops the cooking process and keeps the pasta from absorbing too much of the dressing. The pineapple should be diced into small pieces so it distributes evenly through the salad instead of overpowering each bite.
Diced ham works better than shredded ham. As always, I recommend real mayo over salad dressing.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces of pasta, cooked and rinsed with cold water
- 1 cup diced pineapple, about 5 slices from a 20-ounce can of sliced pineapple
- 1 cup diced ham
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Dressing
- 1/2 cup real mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
How to Make Hawaiian Pasta Salad
Add the diced pineapple, ham, red bell pepper, carrots, red onion, and green onions to a large bowl and mix until evenly combined. Add the cooked, cooled pasta to the bowl and toss gently to distribute the ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar, and sugar until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the dressing over the pasta mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl so the dressing doesn’t settle to the bottom.
Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir well before serving to redistribute the dressing.
Serving Notes
This Hawaiian pasta salad serves about 8 to 12 people, depending on portion size. It works well as a side dish for cookouts, potlucks, and summer gatherings, especially alongside hamburgers. Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator, covered, and stirred before serving again.
This Hawaiian pasta salad pairs well with ham pasta salad or a simple ham and pea salad when you’re putting together a cold side dish spread for summer gatherings.
Hawaiian Pasta Salad with Ham and Pineapple
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta cooked and rinsed with cold water
- 1 cup pineapple diced (about 5 slices from canned pineapple)
- 1 cup diced ham
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup real mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice reserved from the can
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and cool the pasta completely. This also helps keep the pasta from absorbing too much dressing later.
- In a large bowl, add the diced pineapple, ham, red bell pepper, grated carrots, red onion, and green onions. Stir until the ingredients are evenly combined so the pineapple and ham are distributed throughout the salad.
- Add the cooled pasta to the bowl and gently mix until everything is evenly incorporated.
- Add the mayonnaise, reserved pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar, and sugar, then stir until the salad is evenly coated. The dressing should be creamy with a light sweetness from the pineapple juice, not runny.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir again. Taste the salad and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. If the salad is chilled, stir well before serving to redistribute the dressing, as it may settle slightly while sitting.
Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.
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