Hearty Sea Shell Pasta Salad

I’ve been making this hearty sea shell pasta salad for years and it’s always a crowd-pleaser! Great for summer picnics and fall tailgates/football parties, alike. Packed with ham, cheese, and a mustard-flavored dressing, you won’t be able to contain yourself to just one serving.

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Nobody puts together a cookbook like church groups or Junior League members across the south! One of my all-time favorites is Putting on the Grits – a cookbook chock full of wonderful recipes created by the Junior League of Columbia, SC in the mid-80s. The recipe below is just one of many from that book that I make year after year and that continues to stand up to the test of time.

Sea Shell Pasta Salad

12 ounces pasta shells, cooked & drained
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups cubed cooked ham
1 cup cubed Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped black olives (I like a salty variety like Kalamata)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons prepared mustard (I used Dijon-style mustard)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Marinate cooked shells in Italian dressing at least 2 hours. Add onions, green pepper, celery, ham, and cheese. In a separate bowl, combine olives with the mayonnaise and the remaining four ingredients. Toss with the pasta mixture.

NOTE: For this batch, I had summer sausage on hand which I used in place of the chopped ham. I also usually cook the whole box of pasta (16 ounces) and increase the Italian dressing marinade slightly.