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This classic macaroni salad is studded with chunks of ham and cheddar cheese, and sprinkled with colorful tidbits of bell pepper, celery, and cherry tomatoes. The whole thing is bathed in a creamy dressing. It's just the kind of food that makes you think of summer picnics, pool parties, and family reunions.
Did you know this is one of my most popular gluten free recipes?
There are plenty of reasons why:
- It is flavor perfection - juicy, salty, tangy, zesty, colorful and sweet - with a creamy dressing swirled into every nook and cranny of that gluten free elbow macaroni pasta. It’s got a tiny little tang from yellow mustard and dill pickle relish, but they aren’t too bossy.
- Bright colors - you eat first with your eyes, and this great side dish is full of vibrant color. Nature has given us these gorgeous veggies for such a time as this!
- Memorable Side dish - you better believe this perfect side dish is going to shine next to burgers, chicken and hot dogs, and it will soon be a favorite at all kinds of family gatherings and picnics.
- Versatile - call it a side dish, but you can eat it as a main dish. It’s got protein, fats, and carbs (all the macronutrients) so it makes a great lunch or light dinner.
How Ham and Cheese Macaroni Salad was Born
I first tasted this salad at a girl's camp when I was about 12 years old. I couldn’t believe how delicious the combo of ham, cheese, tomato and pepper was with the macaroni and that tangy dressing. I couldn’t get enough of it!
I was so happy to find that there were leftovers the next day, and I have to say - it tastes even better after it’s been chilled overnight.
I was too young and too shy to ask for the recipe, because I thought none of my friends liked to cook like I did and I was just at that age where I didn’t want to stand out too much.
So, I never got that recipe but I never forgot it either! After I was married, I STILL could remember how good that cheddar macaroni salad was, so I set out to create my own version. It’s a family favorite that I’ve been making for decades now.
And after I found out I was gluten intolerant, I adapted it to be gluten free.
Ingredients in this Delicious Macaroni Salad
Salad Ingredients:
- Pasta - A blend of corn and rice seems to work best in this salad. I like to use elbow macaroni or small shell pasta, but most small pasta shapes will do. I’ll show you some good gluten free brands below.
- Ham - look for uncured, nitrite free ham if possible. This recipe is perfect for using up leftover ham.
- Cheddar cheese - we like extra sharp cheddar here, but I have no doubt you can find many delicious cheese options that work in this salad!
- Veggies - celery, tomato, sweet bell pepper. Multi-colored cherry tomatoes and bell peppers are perfect in this recipe.
Corn and Rice Pasta
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Full circle Market gluten free macaroni
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Dressing Ingredients:
- Mayo - I use full-fat mayonnaise here, not Miracle Whip (which is a little too sweet)
- Sour cream - also the full fat version.
- Vinegar - apple cider vinegar is my top choice, but white vinegar will also work
- Yellow mustard - classic yellow mustard is best for this recipe. Dijon mustard does not play well with the rest of the ingredients in this case.
- Pickle relish - both sweet pickle relish and dill work well in this recipe
- Spices - scroll down to see the recipe card for details
Here's How to Make It
Step 1. Boil pasta until it's soft. Drain and rinse with cold water. Shake the excess water off. Ideally, store in a large bowl with a lid, in the fridge.
Step 2. Finely dice ham, cheese, peppers, tomato, and celery. Dice these ingredients very small. *A good rule is to keep them as small or smaller than the size of the macaroni.
Step 3. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, vinegar, mustard, sour cream, pickle relish, and spices.
Step 4. Bring pasta to room temperature before stirring. Add the diced ham and cheese.
Step 5. Add the diced peppers, celery, and tomato to the pasta.
Step 6. Stir gently - the gluten free macaroni mixture can be fragile at this stage.
Step 7. Add the dressing and gently stir until all ingredients are incorporated.
Step 8. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve, or chill until 30 minutes before serving.
Gluten Free Pasta Tips
⓵ Pasta ingredients make a difference. First of all, use pasta made of corn and rice. This type will have the best texture for a cold pasta salad. Pasta made with 100% rice tends to get mushy if cooked even a little bit too long, and pasta that contains quinoa or beans/lentils tends to be more brittle once it's cooked and cooled, making it hard to mix with the other ingredients.
⓶ Cook pasta, then chill before making the salad. Boil the macaroni ahead of time, ideally a day ahead. Cook it until it's soft but not to the point of being mushy ( al dente). Drain well, rinse with cold water and keep in a covered container in the fridge. Gluten free pasta (like other food made with gluten free flour) is fragile when hot, so it needs to be cooled thoroughly before it's handled or even stirred very much. It also gets hard and crumbly when it’s ice cold, but that can be fixed with the next tip. ⤵️
⓷ Take the chill off. After chilling it for a few hours, take it out and let it come nearly to room temperature. I call it “taking the chill off”. You will know when it’s ready to be stirred together with the other salad ingredients because you can handle it without it breaking into smaller pieces, and it will be nice and soft - not chewy. Taking the time to chill the macaroni in advance and then bring it to room temperature makes a huge difference when working with gluten free pasta.
⓸ Take the chill off again before serving. When the salad is assembled you will need to chill it if you won’t be serving it right away. You can make this work if you allow about 20 minutes or so to “take the chill off” the finished salad again before serving it.
⓹ Let the flavors blend with more time. We noticed this last tip almost by accident because I had to make this recipe and keep it in the fridge for an extra day before I photographed it. If you have time, let the macaroni salad stay in the refrigerator overnight, or even for 24 hours. The texture and the flavor were greatly improved - after more than 24 hours, the pasta softened even more with some extra time to absorb the dressing. After taking the chill off just a little bit before serving it, the texture was just right and the flavor was delicious!
Storage
Store this in an airtight container with a tight lid. Keep in the fridge, ideally for at least 24 hours before serving it. If you didn't read “Gluten Free Pasta Tips” above already, you should. 😊
Other Perfect Picnic Recipes
- Healthy Rainbow Fruit Salad
- cornbread
- Sweet Chili Cucumber Salad
- Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Gluten Free Baking for Beginners
Let’s say you’ve tried the ham and cheese macaroni salad recipe, your family loved it, and now you want to know what else you can make that’s gluten free. I’ve got you - sign up for my FREE ebook, Gluten Free Baking for Beginners. It's now updated with extra information and tips to cover the basics of what you need to know to get started baking some very simple bread recipes - biscuits, cornbread, and flatbread (which makes excellent and super fast breadsticks seen in the image below). Plus I've added new recipes, and lots of extra information too! Click on the image below to go to the sign up page:
Ham and Cheese Macaroni Salad | Gluten Free
Old fashioned macaroni salad is a hearty salad studded with bites of ham and cheddar cheese, and sprinkled with colorful tidbits of sweet pepper, celery, and tomato. All bathed in a creamy, tangy dressing.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
1 box macaroni, 12 oz.
1 cup green pepper, finely diced
1 cup cooked ham, finely diced
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 cup celery, finely diced
¼ cup pickle relish
Dressing:
1 cup mayo
½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 teaspoons mustard
2 tablespoons vinegar
½ teaspoon dried dill
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika, or regular paprika
¼ teaspoon celery seed
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. Boil the macaroni. Drain and rinse with cold water. Shake the excess water off. Ideally, store in a covered container and chill in the fridge.
2. Finely dice ham, cheese, peppers, tomato, and celery. Dice these ingredients very small. A good rule is to keep them as small or smaller than the size of the macaroni.
3. Whisk together the vinegar, mayo, mustard, sour cream, pickle relish, and spices.
4. Remove the chilled macaroni from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Add the ham and cheese.
5. Add the peppers, celery, and tomato to the macaroni mixture.
6. Stir it gently, since gluten free pasta can be fragile.
7. Add the dressing and stir gently until it’s very well incorporated.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve, or chill until 30 minutes before serving.
Gluten has a natural elasticity that is missing from gluten free foods. So when gluten free pasta turns cold, the lack of elasticity causes it to become hard and crunchy. Bringing it back to room temperature (or reheating it) is the best way to restore the tenderness. See the “Gluten Free Pasta Tips” above for more info.
You can salt the water to add flavor, but it isn’t necessary. I usually don’t.
The taste and texture of gluten free pasta is very similar to pasta made with wheat, depending on what ingredients are in it. Typical gluten free pasta ingredients can include quinoa, chickpeas, and lentils among other things. Most people agree that brown rice, or a combination of corn and rice has the most similar flavor to regular pasta.
If you use a lot of water and add the pasta when it has come to a rolling boil, then stirring frequently is less important. But there is no harm in stirring the pasta as it cooks.
Because of the steps that have to be taken to avoid cross contamination issues, like using factory equipment that is dedicated for producing gluten free products only, gluten free pasta costs more than pasta made with wheat. And since a relatively small percentage of the population follows a gluten free diet there isn’t as much demand as for wheat based pasta, which would require the seller to increase the price to be able to make a profit.
If you are gluten intolerant or have celiac disease, the biggest benefit of eating gluten free pasta is that you won’t have the negative side effects that come from eating gluten containing foods. This is typically gas, bloating, stomach upset, or diarrhea.
The meat, cheese, veggies, and pasta have plenty of time to absorb the flavors from the dressing and seasonings which will intensify the flavor.
Elbow macaroni, small shells, or other small pasta shapes are best for this easy macaroni salad recipe. People seem to enjoy this salad more, and it's easier to eat when all the components are bite sized. I have also use rotini pasta with good results, but macaroni is the favorite in our family.
Russ the onion hater says
Oh baby, I love me some macaroni salad. I noticed that there are no onions. I would actually marry you for leaving out the onions. You must be a queen of some sort.
russ says
Love it
russ says
I would love me some Mac salad with some cheese. I noticed that you don't add onions. For that reason alone I would marry you! You must be a queen or something.