Ensalada de Coditos Recipe (Macaroni Salad)

Ensalada de coditos was a classic at my family's get-togethers growing up. It is a macaroni pasta salad that is best served cold and makes the perfect side dish for carne asada, sandwichon, even a Thanksgiving turkey. This macaroni salad is now a go-to of mine for potlucks with my own friends. I recently made a large batch for a few friends during a cabin getaway, and my friends devoured it -- asking why I had never made it before.

My ensalada de macaroni recipe contains elbow macaroni, ham, mayonnaise, celery, and pineapple for a wonderful fusion of flavors! You can adjust the creaminess by adding or limiting the amount of mayo you use. You can also opt to replace the pineapple with apple, or just leave the fruit out altogether. However you decide to make this Mexican macaroni salad with ham, it'll be a hit with your loved ones!

Why You'll Love This Ensalada de Coditos Recipe

• Easy to Prepare - Just boil some macaroni, chop up the remaining ingredients, and mix with mayo! This recipe is quick and easy to prepare, though it should be refrigerated and served cool.
• Perfect for Potlucks - Macaroni salad is a great dish to bring to potlucks, as you can make it ahead and doesn't have to be heated up.

Recommended Tools for This Recipe

• Cutting Board - You'll want a cutting board big enough to cut your ham, celery, and pineapple.
• Mixing Bowl - Use a bowl that’s deep enough, so you can combine your ingredients without having to worry about ingredients falling out of the bowl.

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Ingredients You'll Need

• Elbow Macaroni - A classic you likely already have in your pantry, elbow macaroni is the star of this dish! I personally prefer to use the smaller elbows. You can also make this recipe fun by using different shapes of pasta.
• Cooked Ham - Make this dish savory with the addition of cooked ham! This can be replaced with turkey ham or omitted all together if you're a vegetarian.
• Mayonnaise - Use your mayonnaise of choice, and adjust how much you add based on how creamy you want your macaroni salad.
• Celery - Add crunch to your ensalada de coditos with chopped celery.
• Pineapple - Macaroni salad with pineapple just hits different. The small chunks of tangy pineapple help to break up the flavor of mayonnaise in this recipe.