Quick Ham & Peas Pasta Salad

This cool and satisfying pasta salad can be ready in 15 minutes or less. It's perfect for a night when you are out of time for dinner and it's too hot to spend much time in the kitchen, anyway. If you like sweet relish better than dill, switch it up, and add extra dill if you'd like a bit more fresh herb taste.

This salad comes together even quicker if you buy pre-shredded cheese and cubed ham.

Ingredients

1 box pasta shells (or other medium pasta)
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
10 oz ham, cubed
8 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup dill pickle relish
2 cups Cheddar Bacon Ranch dressing (more or less, to taste)

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Add the peas to the boiling water 3 minutes before the pasta is done. Drain the peas and pasta and rinse with cold water. Keep in the freezer while you chop up the other ingredients.

Stir together the chopped vegetables, ham, and cheese. In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the pasta, vegetable mixture, and salad dressing. Serve immediately, or chill until ready to serve.

Makes 6 main-dish salads.