Benefit from the nostalgic flavors of Traditional Macaroni Salad. A staple at potlucks within the South, this pasta salad recipe is a simple and filling facet dish!
As a child, I all the time feared potlucks. Primarily as a result of I had this bizarre worry of consuming different folks’s meals. I’m fairly certain this stemmed from a tragic incident when a household potluck yielded some type of jiggly mess that had fruit loops and different unidentifiable objects in it. I assume that simply burned me.
After that, I all the time caught to what the parents I knew introduced. It typically jogs my memory of that scene in Nationwide Lampoon’s Christmas Trip when Aunt Bethany reveals up with the lime jello mould topped with cat meals. Ugh! I’ve gotten higher through the years, however there are occasions after I get just a little weak-kneed heading right into a potluck.
What’s Traditional Macaroni Salad?
A potluck within the South simply isn’t a potluck with no few staple dishes like macaroni salad, some type of congealed salad, banana pudding, in all probability a cobbler or two, and sufficient casseroles to feed a military.
Macaroni salad usually consists of cooked elbow macaroni pasta blended with a creamy dressing, which can embrace elements like mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and varied seasonings. My macaroni salad recipe incorporates diced celery, onions, and bell peppers. Different conventional southern macaroni salads may function hard-boiled eggs, candy relish, and/or diced pickles.
Traditional Macaroni Salad contains a creamy texture with tangy and savory flavors. This can be a beloved facet dish at most all picnics, barbecues, and potlucks round these components.
Suggestions for making the most effective macaroni salad ever…
- Shock the pasta with chilly water instantly after cooking! This stops the cooking and washes off the surplus starch to make sure the pasta doesn’t stick collectively as badly.
- Soak your diced pink onion in cool water earlier than including the dressing! To keep away from the flavour of your pink onion being too overpowering, soak it in cool water for about 5 minutes. Then drain it and add it to your dressing. This can tone down the sharpness of the onion with out altering the flavour.
- Add half the dressing first. Then refrigerate earlier than including the remainder of the dressing. This salad is greatest after it has a while to relaxation, however because the pasta will frequently take in the dressing, it may be kinda dry when you’re able to eat. To fight that, I add about half of the dressing, refrigerate, after which add the remainder of the dressing when able to serve so that you get all of the yummy creaminess.
- Style check and add extra salt and pepper! Because the salad rests, the flavors will change. Because of this, I all the time counsel that you just style the salad and add extra salt and pepper to style proper earlier than serving.
Ingredient FAQs
Elbow Macaroni – I suppose you can strive a unique kind of macaroni however I’ve all the time used and liked elbow macaroni.
Crimson Onion – I feel pink onion is your best option right here due to the flavour and the colour, however one other kind of onion ought to work.
Celery – Not a lot so as to add right here besides you solely want one rib or about 1/3 cup of diced celery.
Inexperienced Bell Pepper – You want half of a inexperienced bell pepper. Once more, I just like the inexperienced one due to the flavour and colour. Every colour bell pepper comes with its personal distinctive taste, however you’re welcome to make use of one other colour. The flavour will get sweeter as the colour modifications from inexperienced to yellow to orange to pink – with pink being the sweetest.
Mayo – And never simply any mayo! You realize I’m going to advocate my tried and true Duke’s model mayo. Clearly you should utilize one other model, however I by no means use every other form. Duke’s is superior in my e book.
Yellow Mustard – Not brown or spicy mustard… yellow mustard is what I take advantage of.
White Vinegar – Any outdated white vinegar will do the trick!
Salt & Pepper – Sure & Sure, please!
White Sugar – Or, “granulated sugar” in case you desire that title. 😉
Granulated garlic – Granulated garlic just isn’t the identical as garlic powder. Granulated garlic has a rough texture much like sand. If you can’t discover granulated garlic, you should utilize garlic powder as an alternative.
Onion Powder – Any model or generic will work on this recipe.
Recipe Card
Traditional Macaroni Salad
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Directions
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Prepare dinner macaroni in response to bundle instructions utilizing salted water. Drain and run cool water over the pasta till it’s cooled.
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In one other bowl stir collectively mayo, mustard, vinegar, pepper, sugar, salt, garlic, and onion powder. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Combine nicely.
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In a big bowl, add the pasta and about half of the dressing and toss to coat. Cowl and refrigerate the pasta and remaining dressing for not less than 2 hours.
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When able to serve, add remaining dressing and toss to coat. Add further salt and pepper to style.
Video
Notes
I like the chunk of pink onion, however typically it could overpower a dish. As soon as it’s diced, soak the pink onion in cool water for about 5 minutes, then drain earlier than including to the dressing. This can tone down the sharpness of the onion with out altering the flavour.
Vitamin
Energy: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 7g | Fats: 22g | Saturated Fats: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 13g | Monounsaturated Fats: 5g | Trans Fats: 0.1g | Ldl cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 494mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
* If dietary values are supplied, they’re an estimate and can fluctuate relying on the manufacturers used. The values don’t embrace elective elements or when elements are added to style. If calorie rely and different dietary values are vital to you, I like to recommend grabbing your favourite manufacturers and plugging these elements into an internet dietary calculator.
