PICNIC PASTA SALAD -- ONE DISH MEAL

Picnic Pasta Salad -- One Dish Meal image

Provided by 3KillerBs

Time 15m

Yield 8-10 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 13

1 lb macaroni, cooked and cooled (or other preferred pasta)
1 -2 cup diced ham (ham you cut from a real ham is leaner than lunch meat ham or other processed ham products)
1/2 lb diced swiss cheese or 1/2 lb diced provolone cheese
1/4 cup minced sweet onion (optional)
1 lb frozen green beans, cut in 1-inch pieces
4 -6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
12 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil or 1/4 cup canola oil
1/4-1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 teaspoon prepared mustard (I prefer Heinz brown)
1/4 teaspoon celery seed

Steps:

Mix all salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
Whisk dressing ingredients together until smooth and well-blended.
Toss salad ingredients with dressing until well-blended.
Let sit, refrigerated, at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
Note: Additional vegetables can be added substituted if desired. Frozen broccoli florets or chopped cucumber are particularly good. But if you add a lot of extra veggies you might need an extra half batch of dressing.
Note: It is not necessary to thaw the frozen veggies if making it the night before.
Note: Fresh beans, snapped to size, can be used raw for a crisper texture or they can be blanched and cooled first.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 490.3, Fat 20.4, SaturatedFat 6.4, Cholesterol 126.7, Sodium 564, Carbohydrate 54.1, Fiber 7.2, Sugar 3.7, Protein 23