Recipe: Classic Macaroni Salad

There is nothing like a Classic Macaroni Salad… oh everyone has their little touches … they add this or that… and for the most part… they are all great….

This recipe for macaroni salad is a true classic… the basic salad from which you can be as creative as you want...very easy to make and very easy to adjust the amounts to larger batches. I have also listed some add-ins for you to choose from… pick and choose what you like…

TIPS

The age old problem of the mayo dressing getting “sucked into” the macaroni can be prevented for the most part by making sure your macaroni is ice cold. I boil it and drain it… run cold water over it… drain it some more… than put it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate a couple of hours before adding all the other ingredients. Another “must do” to avoid the problem is the addition of vinegar and sugar to the dressing.

I wrote the recipe for 2 cups uncooked macaroni which will yield approximately 4 ½ cups of cooked macaroni…. This is about half a one pound box. I keep elbow macaroni in a large jar… this way I can buy the economy size that’s cheaper and I can make whatever amounts I want and store the rest.

For the mayonnaise, I used Hellman’s Real Mayonaise.

I hope you enjoy!



Recipe: Classic Macaroni Salad

All you need:

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons vinegar
¼ cup chopped red pepper
¼ cup chopped green pepper
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Ground pepper to taste

Other Add-ins – Optional:

Chopped hard boiled egg(s)
Chopped celery
Shredded carrot
Celery seed
Tuna
Chopped black olives
Pimento
Halved grape tomatoes

All you need to do:

Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain and rinse with cold water and drain again.

Allow to cool.

Place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for about two hours.

In a small bowl mix thoroughly the mayo, sugar, salt and vinegar.

To the macaroni bowl add the remaining ingredients, toss to mix well.

Add the mayo dressing, mix well.

Add ground pepper and mix well.

Cover bowl and refrigerate until serving.