• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
My Therapist Cooks
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Fourth of July
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Fourth of July
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
×
Home » Recipes » Pasta

Macaroni Salad with Ham and Cheese

Published: May 11, 2015 Last Updated: Aug 2024 by Lindsay This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and enjoy. 15 Comments

Jump to Recipe
5 from 13 ratings

Utterly delicious and classic, this creamy Southern macaroni salad has a delicious dressing, fresh herbs, and chunks of ham and cheese for sustenance. This is a delicious summer side dish or make ahead lunch item! Try it alongside BBQ Sandwiches for a real summer treat.

close up bowl of creamy macaroni salad southern style

Want to Read Later?

You can email this post to yourself (or anyone else!), so you can come back to it later!

HELLO creamy, dreamy pasta salad. I am wildly into classic Southern-style side dishes: I think it comes from hardly eating them growing up. Church potlucks, though? Right up my alley.

You've had Southern macaroni salad, right?  It's found at diners, sometimes at picnics, and at family gatherings all over the south.  It's really basic, really creamy, and can go all wrong, in my opinion, with the wrong ratio of mayo to other stuff in the dressing.

I've had versions of this salad before that were just GOOEY with too much mayo, and that simply will not do.  In this recipe, we go really light on the mayo and add some vinegar, sour cream, and a sprinkle of SUGAR to the dressing.  Then we pour it over al dente pasta, and add some other flavors to balance out the dish. Ham, cheese, fresh herbs, all good stuff.

Jump to:
  • Macaroni Salad Ingredients
  • Ingredient Notes and Recipe Variations
  • Step By Step Instructions
  • Expert Tips and Make Ahead:
  • Recipe
  • More Easy Summer Side Dishes

Macaroni Salad Ingredients

macaroni salad ingredients on a brown board.

You need pasta, of course.  Use any kind you like, but I like macaroni or something else bendy and curly that really grabs onto all the dressing and other ingredients in the salad.

Then for the dressing you need sour cream, mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.  For the salad itself you need some fresh herbs (dill and parsley kind of give that ranch flavor we all know and love), spring onions or scallions (or just one, this guy was enormous!), ham, and cheddar.

Ingredient Notes and Recipe Variations

  • If you don't have a crazy spring onion like this you can use 4-6 scallions depending on your desire for onion flavor.
  • Feel free to add other veggies to this! Cherry tomatoes are great, celery is lovely, cucumber is nice and fresh, really anything you like can be used to customize this macaroni salad recipe.
  • For a spicy version, add ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper to the dressing.
  • If you are vegan, this vegan pasta salad is really yummy as an alternative to classic macaroni salad!

Step By Step Instructions

  1. Start some water for the pasta with SALT so the pasta tastes good.  Cook the pasta to al dente, drain it, rinse it so it isn't all sticky.  While that's happening, make the dressing and prep the rest of the ingredients.
  2. For the dressing, just dump everything in the bottom of a bowl. Then, stir it together!  Taste the dressing to see how it tastes to you.  I like a tangier dressing, so I added a little more vinegar.  I also added LOTS of salt and pepper to make everything taste a little stronger since the sour cream and mayo are kind of blah flavors until you add to them.
  3. When the pasta is cooked, add it to the bowl with the dressing and toss it with the cubed ham and cheese, herbs, and onions.

Pro Tip for Vegetarians: I often make two versions of this: identical, but one little bowl with no ham for any vegetarians who we love and want to be able to eat pasta salad.

ingredients for southern macaroni salad in a bowl not stirred up

Just stir everything together, taste for salt and pepper, and we eat!

Expert Tips and Make Ahead:

  • These pictures were taken right after I made the salad, and it's ever so slightly goopy.  But, just one hour after I made it nearly half of the dressing had absorbed into the pasta, which makes for huge flavor but not a ton of the goop that you get sometimes in grocery store versions of this salad.
  • If you want to make this way in advance, I suggest stirring in half the dressing and saving half for right before you serve so the macaroni salad doesn't dry out too much.
  • If you'd like to simply prep the salad, cut up the ham, cheese, onions, and herbs. Store them separately. Do the same with the dressing - mix it up, store it in a container. To "make" the macaroni salad, simply boil the noodles and toss everything together right before serving.
  • If you don't like mayo, you can use all sour cream or half Greek yogurt.
spoonful of southern style macaroni salad.

I've eaten a lot of macaroni salad, and just trust: this is one of the very best. The combo of the sour cream, mayo, and vinegar in the dressing is so yummy, and leftovers of this pasta salad are delicious for a few days in the fridge.

The point of the story is this: This Southern macaroni salad is delicious, very simple, and tastes kind of like church and summer and neighborhood parties all rolled into one, you know?

But, like, a good version that doesn't come in a tub from Walmart.  Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with that, but this is easy and delicious and also HAM.  

Add it to your summer potluck rotation.  The end.  

Recipe

flat bowl of southern macaroni salad with ham and cheese and silver serving spoon

Southern Macaroni Salad with Ham

Lindsay Howerton-Hastings
Creamy, tangy classic pasta salad is perfect for summer with tons of fresh herbs and chunks of ham and sharp cheddar. 
5 from 13 ratings
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • Large Pot
  • Measuring Cups And Spoons
  • Chef Knife

Ingredients
  

  • 16 ounces cavatappi or other short pasta cooked to al dente and rinsed under water
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • black pepper
  • 4 scallions thinly sliced
  • ½ pound thick cut sweet ham diced
  • 6 ounces sharp cheddar diced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions
 

  • In the bottom of a large bowl, combine the sour cream, mayo, vinegar, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Whisk to combine, and taste: adjust to make the dressing creamier, tangier, or saltier, to your preference.
  • To the dressing, add the cooked pasta, ham, cheese, onions, and fresh herbs. Stir to coat, and taste again, add salt and pepper to your preference. Enjoy!

Notes

The salad may seem a bit goopy at the beginning, but it will absorb the dressing as it sits and become slightly less creamy. If you make this the day before, you may need to make a bit more dressing and pour it over the salad right before serving.
The herbs are optional here; you can skip them or sub any other fresh herbs you like.
To prep this but still make it fresh: stir together the dressing and store it in a container in the fridge. Chop the ham, cheese, onions, and herbs and store them separately as well. When you'd like to make the macaroni salad, cook the pasta, toss everything together, and serve!
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

More Easy Summer Side Dishes

  • A hamburger with lettuce, tomato, and pimento cheese on parchment paper.
    15 Easy Memorial Day Recipes
  • Large blue skillet of caprese pasta topped with burrata and fresh basil.
    Pasta with Tomatoes and Mozzarella (Caprese Pasta)
  • grilled chicken cobb salad
    Summery Kale Cobb Salad with Pesto Salad Dressing
  • Ceramic plate of grilled bacon wrapped shrimp with a small dish of garlic lemon aioli.
    Grilled Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

More Yummy Pasta Recipes

  • bowl of pasta with sausage and large skillet in the background.
    17 Valentine's Day Pasta Recipes
  • White ceramic skillet with lemon garlic butter pasta topped with fresh parsley.
    Lemon Garlic Butter Pasta
  • Blue and white skillet of tortellini alfredo with a wooden spoon.
    5-Ingredient Tortellini Alfredo
  • large pan of steak and ricotta pasta.
    Easy Steak Pasta with Ricotta

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. swathi iyer

    July 05, 2023 at 3:02 pm

    5 stars
    classic macroni salad looks delicious perfect meal.

    Reply
  2. Jean

    July 04, 2023 at 3:04 pm

    5 stars
    Left out the ham. It was still great.

    Reply
    • Lindsay

      July 11, 2023 at 3:16 pm

      I'm so glad you liked it!

      Reply
  3. Jerika

    July 04, 2023 at 9:34 am

    5 stars
    I love the fresh herbs, and chunks of ham and cheese on this macaroni salad, all the ingredients complement each other well, so delicious!:)

    Reply
  4. andrea

    July 04, 2023 at 9:27 am

    5 stars
    This macaroni salad turned out delicious! Such a great side for the fourth!

    Reply
  5. Elizabeth

    July 04, 2023 at 8:52 am

    5 stars
    Such a great side dish. Perfect for summer! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Amy Liu Dong

    July 04, 2023 at 4:39 am

    5 stars
    Oh my, this macaroni salad looks amazingly delicious and very yummy! Everybody will gonna love this!

    Reply
  7. Liz

    July 03, 2023 at 5:54 pm

    5 stars
    This was a hit when I took it to a picnic last weekend. I even got a couple of requests for the recipe---really tasty!

    Reply
  8. Megan

    July 17, 2022 at 9:19 pm

    5 stars
    Looks great. Cant wait to give it a go.

    Reply
  9. nancy

    July 16, 2022 at 12:01 am

    5 stars
    tasty classic macaroni salad. It was great for backyard party

    Reply
  10. Amy

    July 15, 2022 at 10:58 pm

    5 stars
    Love a good pasta salad. Made some for work and school lunches. So good!

    Reply
    • Lindsay

      July 18, 2022 at 4:22 pm

      Agreed, I really like this for lunch!

      Reply
  11. Mary

    July 15, 2022 at 7:41 pm

    5 stars
    Macaroni for me all summer long. This one is winner.

    Reply
  12. Emily

    July 15, 2022 at 7:01 pm

    5 stars
    We really enjoyed this with the fresh herbs! This will be on rotation all summer long!

    Reply
  13. Bernice

    July 15, 2022 at 6:31 pm

    5 stars
    This is my ideal summer salad for barbecues. I could eat bowls of it!

    Reply
5 from 13 votes

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Image of Lindsay Howerton-Hastings smiling sitting on dark gray couch wearing chambray blue shirt.

Hi! I'm Lindsay. I'm a maternal mental health therapist, a recipe developer, food writer, and taker of all kinds of pictures. Thank you so much for being here! This blog is about how to take care of yourself and your people without taking anything too seriously.

More about me →

Yummy 4th of July Recipes

  • Vegan Tabouli Salad
  • Black Bean Salsa with Avocado
  • Watermelon Juice with Lime and Mint
  • bowl of vegan potato salad
    Vegan Potato Salad
  • Gray plate with burrata, pesto, and roasted tomatoes surrounded by grilled bread.
    Burrata Pesto Dip with Yogurt + Roasted Tomatoes
  • White plate with tofu steak, baked potato and steamed broccoli.
    Marinated Tofu Steak

Most Popular Recipes

  • Black skillet with sliced steak and shallot sauce.
    Cast Iron New York Strip
  • indian butter chicken served with rice in a white bowl.
    Easy Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
  • homemade hibachi shrimp bowl in white serving bowl with asparagus and white rice.
    3-ingredient Hibachi Shrimp
  • white plate of asparagus casserole with a silver fork.
    BEST Easy Asparagus Casserole
  • Braised Chicken Thighs with Leeks and Lemon
    One-Skillet Chicken and Leeks
  • Brown Butter Blondies

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About
  • Privacy Policy

Emails

  • Sign Up! to get new recipes in your inbox

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

Loading Comments...
 

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.