My Ham Roll Up Pasta Salad is inspired by the addicting and classic ham roll ups. With salty ham, dill pickles, crisp green onions, and a rich cream cheese dressing, this unique salad is sure to become a family favorite.
Best part, it comes together in about 30 minutes making it an easy side dish or dish to pass for your next potluck or backyard BBQ.
This idea for this recipe came from Riley, my boyfriend. We were sitting in the kitchen brainstorming new recipes and this one was the front runner. We both love ham roll ups and they are a Midwest favorite, so it seemed natural.
If you’ve never heard of a ham roll up before, they are a tortilla topped with cream cheese, ham, and either dill pickle or scallion. They are then rolled up and cut into 1 inch pieces. We have them at every party and they are the first to go because they are addicting and mini (so you don’t feel bad eating 5 or 10 of them).
This pasta salad encompasses all those flavors and textures, except we swap out the tortilla for pasta. It’s easy to make, deliciously addicting, and you can scale up the recipe to feed a crowd. It’s so unique that everyone will be asking you for this recipe.
For more delicious pasta salads, try my Pesto Pasta Salad or this Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta.
Ham Roll Up Pasta Salad Ingredients
This flavorful pasta salad is super easy ingredients. Keep reading for very important notes and potential substitutions.
- Pasta: Shapes with crevices work best for pasta salads because they catch the dressing. I used rotini but elbow macaroni, shells, and cavatappi are all good.
- Ham: It’s got to be sliced Polish Ham! If you’re from the Midwest you’ll understand. If you cannot find polish ham you can always use regular lunch meat ham.
- Dill Pickles: For a pickle that stays crunchy I highly recommend splurging on Grillo’s classic dill pickle spears. They are in the cold section at your grocery store and beat the slimy texture of jarred pickles.
- Green Onions: These add a crisp note to the salad. Feel free to use the whole onion or just the green tops.
- Cream Cheese: Use full fat cream cheese that is super soft. If it is evenly slightly cold, your dressing will be chunky and not mix together well.
- Mayonnaise: Bring it to room temperature.
- Sour Cream: This should also be room temperature like the others, and make sure it’s full fat sour cream.
- Milk: This is used to thin out the dressing and it can be any type of milk.
- Salt and Black Pepper: Season the pasta salad to your taste preferences, or you can follow the measurements I use.
- Fresh Dill: I use this as a garnish to amp up the dill pickle flavor. It’s completely option but it does look pretty and add a wonderful aromatic note.
How to Make Ham Roll Up Pasta Salad
1. COOK THE PASTA as directed on the package, rinse with cold water, and add it to a large bowl.
2. WHIP TOGETHER THE DRESSING with a hand mixer or whisk – cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, dill pickle juice, and milk. Season it with salt and pepper to your taste preferences.
3. MIX IN THE TOPPINGS – ham, dill pickles, green onion, and the prepared cream cheese dressing. Stir it together well until everything is well coated. Top it with more green onion, black pepper, and even fresh dill. Serve!
Storing Information (Freezing, Make Ahead, Etc.)
Store your Ham Roll Up Pasta Salad in an airtight container and in the refrigerator. It’s typically best to eat within 5 to 7 days.
The dressing will slightly thicken as it refrigerates, so keep that in mind. I like to set it at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before re-tossing and serving.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
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Ham Roll Up Pasta Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 16 ounces pasta - rotini, or other similar shapes
- 1 cup sliced polish ham - chopped in 1/2" pieces
- ¾ cup dill pickles - Grillo's brand. Chopped in 1/2" pieces, plus more for topping
- ¾ cup green onions - chopped in 1/4" pieces, plus more for topping
- 8 ounces cream cheese - softened to room temperature
- ½ cup mayonnaise - room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream - room temperature
- 3-4 tablespoons pickle juice
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper - optional garnish
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill - optional garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook the pasta according to it's package instructions. Rinse with cold water and shake off as much excess water as possible. Set aside.
- In a small bowl add softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, milk, and salt. Use a hand mixer to combine everything until it's light and well combined. NOTE: Alter the consistency and taste of the dressing by adding more or less pickle juice and milk
- To a large bowl add the cooked pasta, polish ham, dill pickles and green onion.
- Pour the cream cheese dressing over top of the pasta and toppings. Combine until everything is coated well.
- Top with more green onion, fresh dill, and black pepper before serving.
RECIPE NOTES
STORING INFORMATION:
- Refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to 7 days. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes and lightly toss before re-serving.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
