Simple macaroni salad recipe how to#
Simple macaroni salad recipe full#
Simple macaroni salad recipe mac#

Simple macaroni salad recipe mac#

And always remember to taste again before serving to decide if more salt and pepper seasoning needs to be added.Īnd really it’s as simple as that, and way better than mac salad served from a box. Allow for at least an hour of chill time before serving, or make it the night before for the best, flavorful taste. This salad tastes best when it’s had some time in the refrigerator for the flavors to meld and the mayo sauce to permeate the noodles. But for me, it’s sweet pickle juice all the way. Taste as you go to get the right balance. If you’re not a fan of pickles, you could substitute vinegar or lemon juice. I always use sweet pickles, so if you use another style, taste test it to your liking. Pickle juice is the secret! The dressing for this salad is a mayonnaise base that’s been thinned out with pickle juice reserved from the sweet pickles added to the salad. Pickles, eggs, celery and more! Grandma’s recipe had the same basics as this one, but I added more sweet pickles-because I could eat pickles on dirt if I had to-and hard boiled egg-because in my humble opinion, mayo based salads always taste better with a touch of a hard boiled egg. As the pasta cools, toss it a bit with your hands or a spoon so it stays loose and doesn’t clump together. Rinsing the pasta under cold water stops the cooking time and removes some of the starches created from cooking.

The macaroni salad trick I learned from my mom is to rinse the pasta after cooking and drain it really well so there’s no residual water lurking in the pasta nook and crannies. And to be sure, taste test every minute or so when coming to the end of your cooking time.Īfter cooking, rinse the macaroni so it doesn’t stick. Watching your cooking time and cooking to the package directions should ensure the perfect bite. Cook the macaroni al denté as you would your favorite Italian pasta. Overcook it and you’ll end up with mushy bites that won’t stand up to the mixing with the vegetables.

Simple macaroni salad recipe how to#

How to Make the Best Creamy Macaroni Salad RecipeĬooking the macaroni correctly is essential to a good mac salad.

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

I use ditalini (these extra short tubes) but classic shells or elbow macaroni works great too.

Simple macaroni salad recipe full#

This recipe is list is short but fresh and full of flavor. Like many of my favorite classics, I found the base of this recipe in a recipe collection of one of my grandmother’s. I really do love this salad but I’m going to defer to my husband on this one, who as a self-proclaimed macaroni salad connoisseur did attest, “Honey, this is still the best macaroni salad I’ve had. And the pasta is neither clumpy nor starchy, but smooth and satisfying with every bite. It’s dressed just right with a tangy but light mayo dressing.

First off, it’s homemade-toss the box! It’s simple but well-seasoned. You’ve been there.īut, this old-fashioned macaroni salad from scratch is everything those others were not. There’s nothing worse than that acrid taste of fake mayo macaroni salad. They were either too dry, too plain, or too heavily loaded with a goopy, flavorless mayo dressing that coated the macaroni like oil on a dipstick and likely came from a pre-packaged box from the deli counter-yes! That stuff usually comes from a box!

The reason being is that every time I tried one, it was never a good one. While I’ve always been a fan of potato salad ( my mom’s potato salad recipe is THE BEST!) it’s taken me years to come around to macaroni salad. While some might look at this macaroni salad recipe and think it’s too simple (where’s the twist? what makes it special? shouldn’t it be harder than this?) that’s exactly why it’s a time-proven favorite. Sometimes you just don’t mess around with the classics. Nothing says summertime eating like a serving of the best, classic, old-fashioned, creamy macaroni salad with eggs and crisp vegetables dressed in a simple and creamy but still light mayonnaise dressing for any picnic, potluck, or barbecue.