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Macaroni Salad
A classic Macaroni Salad recipe that’s one of the best around!
Ingredients
3 hard-boiled eggs, click here for our Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs tutorial
1 teaspoon kosher salt to salt the pasta water
12 ounces dry Cavatappi or elbow noodles
2 cups good quality mayonnaise, see our homemade recipe here
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup celery, finely diced
1/4 cup sweet onion, finely diced
1/4 cup dill pickles, diced medium and drained
1/2 red bell pepper, diced medium
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Optional: See Notes below for other ingredients you could add to your macaroni salad.
Instructions
- Cook the eggs following this method. Cool and chop. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil under high heat. Once boiling, salt the water with a teaspoon of kosher salt. Add the pasta and cook just to al dente – the pasta should be a little firm to the bite.
- While the water heats/the pasta cooks, in a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, brown mustard, vinegar, celery, onion, pickles, bell pepper, celery salt, sugar, garlic powder and white pepper.
- Pour the pasta into a colander and drain very well but DO NOT RINSE OR COOL.
- Shake and toss the hot pasta to remove any traces of water. Use a few paper towels to blot the hot pasta to absorb any last drops of water.
- Pour the drained, still hot pasta into the bowl with the mayonnaise mixture, along with the chopped hard-boiled eggs. Stir to combine.
- Pour the warm macaroni mixture onto a sheet tray and place uncovered in the refrigerator for one hour to chill. The warm pasta will absorb some of the liquid in the mayonnaise mixture as it cools – making the mixture thick and creamy. As well, the flavors will meld together better while warm. (Don’t worry about adding something hot to mayonnaise since you’ll be cooling it down quickly on a flat sheet tray.)
- After the pasta salad has chilled, use a rubber spatula and scrape the Maraconi Salad into a serving bowl.
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Notes
Additional optional ingredients you could add to this Macaroni Salad:
- Crème Fraiche
- Cream cheese
- Dijon mustard
- Yellow salad mustard
- Cheddar cheese
- Capers
- Green peas
- Scallions
- Sweet pepper relish
- Black olives
- Yellow, orange or green bell peppers
Find it online: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/macaroni-salad/
