Ed loves macaroni salad, a fact I've either never known or had forgotten. And on a week like this, with temperatures in the 90's I'm looking for cool summer food like macaroni salad.
I have been intimidated to make macaroni salad in the past. There are some I like and some I truly dislike. When I looked at recipes, I didn't know which ones were good. But after discovering that Ed loves macaroni salad, I figure it is worth the effort to find a recipe that we both love.
I started with a recipe for Amish macaroni salad, which tends to have a sweet creamy dressing, upped the mustard by Ed's request, added more veggies, tweaked a few other ingredients, and the result is a macaroni salad that Ed and I both love.
This recipe is adaptable. If you don't like mustard, decrease it. I don't always have celery or a sweet pepper or dill weed. Use what you have and change as you wish.
Macaroni Salad
1 lb uncooked macaroni pasta
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 small onion, finely diced
3 celery ribs, diced
1 small sweet pepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
Dressing:
3 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup yellow mustard
3 T. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp salt
1 T fresh dill weed
Cook macaroni until just barely soft. Rinse in cold water and drain well. Chop all veggies and eggs and mix with macaroni. Mix dressing ingredients until well blended. Stir dressing into macaroni and vegetables. Dressing will soak into macaroni as it sets. Refrigerate for at least one hour, preferably overnight, before serving.
I am not a macaroni fan but this salad did make me hungry.
ReplyDeleteOh, that sounds similar to the one I grew up on! Now that I married and live in the South for almost 20 years, I rarely have the chance to eat it. Around here everyone makes one with a dilly-ranch dressing, with similar veggies and sometimes cheese. It's good, but I miss my mustard dressing!!
ReplyDeleteI will prepare this for my family Saturday ! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Anne
My husband also likes macaroni salad. I prefer potato salad, but I rarely make either. There is a version that combines macaroni and potato, and we both enjoy that. You could use your same dressing recipe. I should make some, too, since I'm trying to find "cool" foods to make on these hot days!
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of my grandmothers recipe! Love it!
ReplyDeleteThat kind of macaroni salad is popular here in the delis and you always see it at a restaurant salad bar. It usually shows up at church and family potlucks, weddings and parties. I don't like mayonnaise myself (or miracle whip), so I don't eat it. When I make anything that need mayonnaise I often use all plain yogurt or partial plain yogurt, like in deviled eggs or vegetable dips, "taco dip" etc. For my cold potato salad I use some French dressing and only a small amount of mayonnaise. I can't use mayo on sandwiches either! Never figured out the reason for this but my mother says has been life long as far as she can remember. My family has adjusted...I do keep mayo in the house for their use :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I make pasta salad I use the rotini twirls, chopped vegetables whatever is available and I sprinkle it all with Italian dressing. Then I sprinkle on finely grated Parmesan cheese until it clings all over when mixed. When I make tuna macaroni salad I use some mayo and a lot of bread and butter pickles chopped plus the juice including all the nice little mustard seeds to moisten.
We make a lot of cold salads in the summer too. Sometimes I will have my husband cook the pasta outside in the garage if I don't want any more heat and humidity in the house. We have a cooktop out there.
This is basically the macaroni salad from my family on my dad's side. They are originally from Somerset county, Pa.I prefer Mac salad..but hubby likes potato. My kids are split, so I make both.I agree,it has been way too hot for hot food! Any and all salads are great now. The grill is also a blessing.. I have been canning and the kitchen is HOT!!
ReplyDeleteDo you mean 'dry' mustard or 'squeeze bottle' mustard? Thanks
ReplyDeleteSqueeze bottle mustard is what I used.
DeleteGina