Picnic Pasta Salad -- One Dish Meal

A terrific, portable, one-dish meal made from items you probably have in your pantry and fridge. Good for a packed lunch when you don't want sandwiches (just keep it chilled in the cooler), or good for a cold meal at home on a hot day. Best made the night before.

• Ready In: 15 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• Salad ingredients

• 1  lb macaroni, cooked and cooled (or other preferred pasta)
• 1 -2  cup  diced ham (ham you cut from a real ham is leaner than lunch meat ham or other processed ham products)
• 1⁄2 lb  diced mozzarella cheese or 1⁄2 lb  diced swiss cheese or 1⁄2 lb  diced provolone cheese
• 1⁄4 cup  minced sweet onion (optional)
• 1  lb frozen green beans, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 4 -6  hard-cooked eggs, chopped
• 12  ounces  marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

• Dressing

• 1⁄4 cup cider vinegar
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil or 1⁄4 cup canola oil
• 1⁄4-1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  italian seasoning
• 1  teaspoon prepared mustard (I prefer Heinz brown)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon celery seed

Directions

1. Mix all salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Whisk dressing ingredients together until smooth and well-blended.
3. Toss salad ingredients with dressing until well-blended.
4. Let sit, refrigerated, at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
5. Note: Additional vegetables can be added substituted if desired. Frozen broccoli florets or chopped cucumber are particularly good. But if you add a lot of extra veggies you might need an extra half batch of dressing.
6. Note: It is not necessary to thaw the frozen veggies if making it the night before.
7. Note: Fresh beans, snapped to size, can be used raw for a crisper texture or they can be blanched and cooled first.