Primo Pasta Salad

At the last minute, I was told to bring something for a potluck at work. Not having the time to go shopping, I used whatever I had on hand and used a dressing my mother always used on her potato salad. The salad was a hit at work. Takes a little time to make but is well worth the effort.

• Preparation Time: 45 mins
• Cooking Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Calories: 323 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (16 ounce) package rotini pasta
• ½ cup frozen green peas, thawed
• ½ cup diced red onion
• ½ cup diced red bell pepper
• ½ cup diced celery
• 1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®), or to taste
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• ½ cup diced fully cooked ham
• ½ cup diced cooked shrimp
• ½ cup small Cheddar cheese cubes
• ½ cup small Monterey Jack cheese cubes
• ⅓ cup diced dill pickle
• ½ (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix, or to taste (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook the rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain. Rinse with cold water until completely cooled; drain.

Step 2

Mix pasta, eggs, artichoke hearts, celery, bell pepper, onion, ham, shrimp, peas, Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, pickle, and olive together in a large bowl.

Step 3

Whisk sour cream, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, ranch dressing mix, mustard, and hot pepper sauce together in a separate bowl; season with salt and black pepper.

Step 4

Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator 3 hours to overnight. Stir enough of the reserved artichoke marinade into the salad so it is just moistened before serving.