Show Off Salad

By foodfixer

People tell me they can't stay away from this fresh-tasting salad, with its layers of lettuce, green pepper, cucumber, macaroni, hard-cooked eggs, ham and more. Mustard and pepper give a little zip to the creamy mayonnaise dressing. -C. Neomi Drummond, Des Moines, Iowa

Make 1 and 1/2 of the dressing and put some in the middle of the salad - - all the reviews were excellent except the dressing runs out before the salad!

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• 3 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 cup diced fully cooked ham, optional
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup Miracle Whip
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions, divided
• 1 tablespoon spicy brown or horseradish mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Drizzle with oil; toss to coat.
Place lettuce in a shallow 3-qt. dish; top with the green pepper, cucumber, macaroni, eggs, cabbage, red onion, carrots, ham if desired, peas and cheese.
In a small bowl, combine the Miracle Whip, sour cream, 1/4 cup of green onions, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper; spread over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Just before serving, sprinkle with remaining green onions. Yield: 16-18 servings.