Low-carb shiratake noodles make this keto macaroni salad with ham less than 1 gram carb per serving. It's a perfect recipe for summer picnics!
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Pasta salad is the perfect side dish at summer potluck picnics. They go so well with hotdogs and hamburgers!
I thought it would be great to have a little "pasta" salad at the next barbecue. So I modified an old recipe for ham and cheese macaroni salad to use keto-friendly pasta.
The conversion was really easy! I just used Miracle Noodle Ziti in place of traditional wheat pasta. They are super low in calories and have virtually no carbs.
Now you don't have to skip this favorite picnic food just because you follow a low-carb diet! I never thought I could continue to eat pasta salads on low carb. But, shiratake noodles make this possible.
📋 Ingredients
This is a really simple keto macaroni salad recipe. It's also a great way to use up leftover ham from dinner.
Here's what you'll need to make the dish.
- Keto pasta
- Cheddar cheese
- Cooked ham
- Dill pickles
- Eggs
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard
Most commercially prepared mayonnaise uses seed oil. I find avocado oil based mayo is the best. And, it's super easy to make your own. I just whip up two egg yolks with a cup of avocado oil along with a bit of sea salt and mustard with a stick blender.
🔪 Instructions
The prep time for this low-carb macaroni salad with ham is easily done within fifteen minutes. Just prep the noodles then stir in the rest of the ingredients! It will go quick if you have your eggs already hard boiled.
Prep shiratake noodles
The great thing about shiratake noodles is that they don't require any cooking. However, they taste much better if boiled dry after soaking and rinsing.
To prepare the noodles, drain the liquid , soak in water for 5-10 minutes, drain again, then stir fry them in a dry pan. They are done when they feel like they are sticking to the pan.
Combine
Place the prepared shiratake noodles into a large bowl. Toss in the chopped ham, cheese, pickles, and hard boiled eggs.
Then top the mix with mayonnaise and mustard.
Give the mixture a good stir until everything is well combined.
The salad can be served immediately, but it will taste better if you let it chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. I like to make it the day before and let it chill overnight.
💭 Quick tips
- Cut the noodles. The Miracle Noodle ziti noodles tend to be longer than standard macaroni. I like to cut them into smaller bite sized pieces with kitchen shears.
- Use dijon mustard. Regular yellow mustard has a mild taste. I prefer to use dijon mustard which is has a spicier flavor.
🍽️ Serving suggestions
You'll want to take along this super easy low carb ham and cheese macaroni salad to your summer picnics. It goes great with marinated grilled chicken, shish kabobs, and chimichurri flank steak.
It's also a great dish to enjoy for lunch with a tall glass of strawberry limeade in the summertime. If you want a suggestion for dessert, I'd recommend my gluten-free strawberry rhubarb crisp topped with a scoop of low-carb vanilla ice cream.
🙋 FAQs
Most types of pasta are not keto-friendly due to their high carbohydrate content. However, there are some keto-friendly pasta alternatives available, such as zucchini noodles or shirataki noodles.
The answer to this question depends on the recipe. Typically, macaroni salad contains between 20 and 30 grams of carbohydrates per serving. However, this low-carb macaroni salad has less than 1g carb.
Yes, Dijon mustard is okay for a keto diet. It is low in carbs and has a moderate amount of fat.
Leftovers can last for up to five days in the fridge.
📚 Related recipes
Now that you've tried this keto macaroni salad, you may be looking for other recipes made with shiratake noodles. These are some of my favorites.
- Baked Mac and Cheese is perfect for a simple, yet delicious, dinner.
- Tuna Noodle Casserole is a comforting dish that is perfect for any time of the year.
- Crock Pot Lo Mein a great option for busy weeknights.
- Keto Ramen can be prepared in just a few minutes and is sure to satisfy your hunger.
- Sausage Goulash is a hearty and delicious dish that cooks up quickly.,
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📖 Recipe
Ham and Cheese Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 14 ounces shiratake ziti Miracle Noodles 2 packages
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese cut into small cubes
- ½ cup cooked ham cubed
- ½ cup dill pickles chopped
- 2 hard boiled eggs chopped
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Prep Miracle Noodles by draining, soaking for 5 minutes, draining again, and then stir frying in a dry pan over medium heat until noodle feel like they are sticking to the pan. You may want to cut up an longer noodles into smaller pieces.
- Mix together first five ingredients.
- Blend together mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.
- Stir mayonnaise mixture into pasta mixture until well combined.
- Store in refrigerator. Serve chilled.
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First published on May 28, 2012. Updated on May 15, 2022, with new images and additional recipe information.
April
This sounds wonderful! It is a reminder of a salad my mother made years and years ago, only hers had "real" macaroni and thin rounds of hotdogs instead of ham! I don't have ham but I do have hotdogs (and pepperoni might be good too)! Definitely making it today. Thanks!
Lisa MarcAurele
Great idea on the hotdogs! I may try that when I don't have any ham as we usually have hotdogs in the freezer or fridge in summer. Pepperoni is a nice alternative too. Thanks for sharing!
April
I made it and like it! It is a keeper. It was a little bland, so I added just a little more mayo and mustard, a Tbl of dill relish and some black pepper. That did it! Thanks for the "memory" and the recipe!
Lisa MarcAurele
Love the addition of dill! I usually just eyeball the mayo and mustard and adjust to taste if needed. Thanks for sharing your mods!
Emily Kemp
This is perfect for barbecues!