Mexican Macaroni Ham Salad

Mexican Macaroni Salad (ensalada de coditos) recipe it's an authentic, simple and flavorful pasta dish that comes together with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Serve as a light main dish or as a side dish.

Before you head over to the recipe, make sure you read all the information regarding this recipe.

Let's begin.

What goes with Macaroni Salad?

Mexican Macaroni Ham Salad is a great side dish for grilled meats, hamburgers, or sandwiches like any other macaroni salad recipe.

However, since it already has meat in it, it’s also a great one-dish meal. But you can’t go wrong with some grilled chicken. It’s a great side dish for the summer months.

You might like these Mexican recipes:

• Chicken Macaroni Salad Recipe
• Puerto Rican Macaroni Salad | Ensalada de coditos

How do you keep macaroni salad from drying out?

Toss your pasta with a small amount of olive oil before mixing your pasta with the salad dressing. This will give your pasta a protective layer that prevents the pasta from soaking up all the dressing. Not only will your salad stay moist, but your pasta won’t become mushy either.

Can you freeze macaroni salad?

You never want to freeze Mexican macaroni salad, or any simple macaroni salad for that matter. The mayonnaise and sour cream will separate. Once the salad thaws out, this will leave you with a watery nasty mess.

How do you keep mayonnaise from separating in macaroni salad?

There are actually a couple of tips you can do to prevent mayonnaise from separating in macaroni salad, and they are, and you will find them below:

First, make sure to cool your pasta before mixing your salad. Otherwise, the heat will break your mayonnaise.

Second, you want to use a mayonnaise with oil as the first ingredient. Some brands use water, which will separate in macaroni salad.

What’s the difference between Mexican macaroni salad and Puerto Rican macaroni salad?

The two salads are actually quite similar. The Puerto Rican version has more ingredients, including cheese, olives, red onion, hardboiled eggs, and a few others. Both do include ham and carrots, though.

What are the ingredients to make Mexican Macaroni Ham Salad?

To make this ensalada de macaroni recipe, you are going to need the following ingredients:

• Small macaroni noodles
• Mayonnaise
• Mexican sour cream or crème fraiche
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sliced ham
• Can of mixed vegetables
• Pickled jalapenos, if desired

How to make Mexican Macaroni Ham Salad

Now that you have gathered your ingredients, it is time to make the Mexican macaroni salad. All you have to do is follow the steps below:

First things first. Cook your pasta according to the directions for al dente pasta.

Drain the pasta and then allow it to cool. You can also run the pasta under cold water to help it cool faster. Remember, it’s important to cool your pasta before adding the dressing or the mayonnaise will separate.

You can then toss your pasta in a little oil to prevent the pasta from soaking up the dressing and creating a dry salad.

Mix the mayonnaise, Mexican sour cream, salt, and pepper until well combined.

Toss the pasta with the dressing until well combined. A great tip is stir the salad in a bowl with a tight-fitting lid.

Put the lid on and turn the bowl upside down a few times to coat the pasta with the dressing.

Stir in the additional ingredients and then store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will give the flavors time to combine.

Your Mexican Macaroni Ham Salad is ready to serve!

Mexican Macaroni Ham Salad with Ham Recipe

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