Easy macaroni salad recipe

[Smilner]

The wife made 32 oz of noodles when it should as been 16. Never made macaroni salad before. What’s a good one?

[WI Bubba]

Smoked Mac and Cheese

[Smilner]

Thanks for the recipe (saved it) but we used the first half on Mac and cheese. Trying macaroni salad on the second half

[Jim White]

I've made this pasta salad a couple of times recently: https://thefoodieandthefix.com/balsa...l-pasta-salad/

[RonB]

Cut some veggies you like into bite size pieces. Grill some protein of your choice and cut into bite size pieces. Add both to the macaroni and pour some Italian salad dressing over the whole shebang. Go easy on the dressing 'cause you can always add more, but you're stuck if you use too much.

Eat.

[smokin fool]

Could always boil more pasta....
Italian is the way we go here, always a winner.

[bbqLuv]

Italian salad dressing for the win
Also great for 3/4 bean salad

[MBMorgan]

Macaroni Salad
★★★★
Pasta, Salads/Slaw/Dressing
Difficulty: Medium | Servings: 12

Description:
BEST MACARONI SALAD EVER
(MBM Adaptation – 23 April 2016)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (4 cups) uncooked elbow macaroni, completely cooked in well-salted water (NOT al dente)

For the Dressing:

• 1 cup mayonnaise, plus an extra spoon as needed (real, full-fat mayo)
• 1/4 cup white vinegar (plain, white, distilled vinegar … nothing fancy)
• 1-2 TBSP white sugar
• 2 TBSP Dijon mustard (no substitutes)
• 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 TBSP (approx.) finely diced green onions, white and light parts only (the original recipe called for a cup of onions … but that seems like serious overkill)
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper (roughly two medium peppers)
• 1/2 cup grated carrot

Note: The original recipe called for 3/4 cup red pepper plus 1/2 cup green pepper (poblano and jalapeño and 1/8 tsp cayenne … go for it if you like spicy).

Directions:
Prepare the dressing first:

• In a large mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise
• Add the Dijon mustard
• Add the vinegar
• Add salt and pepper
• Whisk to mix before adding other ingredients
• Add sugar (probably 2 TBSP) and whisk to incorporate
• Add the veggies
• Blend in using a spatula
• Refrigerate until the pasta is ready

And then the pasta:

• Cook pasta in a generous amount of well-salted boiling water. Cook it completely … you’re not looking for al dente texture.
• Strain/drain thoroughly in a colander … shaking periodically. DO NOT RINSE!!!
• Once thoroughly drained (about 5 minutes), transfer into a large mixing bowl.
• Toss and/or stir occasionally (using a spatula to avoid damage) as the pasta cools to room temperature. You’ll know it’s ready when the pasta sticks to your hand.

Put it all together:

• Add all the dressing into the pasta bowl; Stir gently to incorporate.
• Cover completely with plastic wrap (pressed right on the pasta to keep air away).
• Refrigerate overnight (or 4 hours minimum if you’re in a big hurry).

To serve:

• Remove from refrigerator and fluff with a spatula.
• Freshen with a spoon or two of mayonnaise and a TBSP or two of cold water.
• Taste for seasoning (salt) and adjust as needed.
• Transfer to serving dish; Optionally garnish and serve (Hint: It's even better after 48 to 72 hours in the refrigerator).

[Mosca]

There aren’t really any set recipes for macaroni salad, even though there are lots of recipes… ie, there are so many, and none are wrong.

Just cut up a lot of salad vegetables. Mix up some colors, mix up some flavors. Get some red peppers in there, grate some carrots, toss in some frozen corn and frozen peas, some purple onion or shallots, some green onion, some green pepper, add some celery for crunch. Don’t forget the salt and pepper!

Unusual additions that work are the big 3: bacon, shredded or cubed cheddar, and hard boiled eggs. Or, sub cubed ham for the bacon. Get wild and dice some kielbasa. Or, don’t use any of these.

Tomatoes don’t work. Cruciform vegetables don’t work (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, etc.). Radishes don’t work. Garbanzos would work, though! And, zucchinis and yellow squashes would work, too.

When it comes to dressing, there are lots of ways to go. Start with mayonnaise. Then, common additions are Dijon or yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, and red wine vinegar. Important advice: mix your dressing before adding it to your ingredients. Nothing pisses me off more than trying to correct a macaroni salad dressing after it’s already mixed. Also: use more than you think you should. A lot more. You are going to let this sit for at least a few hours, and as it sits, the dressing sinks into the salad. Invariably you’ll be adding more when it’s time to serve, and you’ll be chasing ratios again.

I think you get the picture. Just toss stuff in a bowl and stir. Everyone will love it no matter what, just pick things that play well together.

[Pobeque]

I actually made this one last night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp0uO_pcbdA

it was delicious...in all my years of cooking, I don't think I've ever made macaroni salad before. The technique of adding the vinegar to the hot drained macaroni really made it taste a lot lighter than it should be