There are two things I never say no to — free pizza and pasta salad.
In fact, for the past years I’d been begging my mom to make pasta salad for Christmas instead of our traditional spaghetti (only one pasta dish, please), which is cooked either with sweet tomato or carbonara sauce. Unfortunately — and for an unknown reason — I’m the only one in the family who finds this dish especially delectable, so my request often falls to deaf ears.
I can’t remember my mom’s recipe, but I knew that it was minimalist: chicken strips, cheese, mayo dressing, a dash of pepper, sometimes cheese. There’s a lack of colour, but it has always been delicious.
So, I’d adapted another recipe when I started making my own, one with a “classic” dressing. Personalise the salad however you want, but the dressing is perfect on it’s own. I was uncertain about the mustard at first, since I know that my mom doesn’t use any, but alas, the overall flavour is just mmm-mmm. But don’t take my word for it. Try it.
Creamy Classic Macaroni Salad
Servings: 10
Ingredients:
- 420 g uncooked elbow macaroni
- 235 ml mayonnaise
- 60 ml distilled white vinegar
- 40 ml prepared yellow mustard
- 50 g white sugar
- 9 g salt
- 1 g ground black pepper
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
- 1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 35 g grated carrot
- In a large pot, salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender. Rinse under cold water and drain.
- In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining ingredients and the macaroni until thoroughly blended.
- Refrigerate overnight. Serve chilled at room temperature.
I’d emphasise this just in case: the secret to getting creamy dressing is to refrigerate it overnight. The dressing will be a little bit runny otherwise.
Other sources I’ve found useful: 7 Secrets to Perfect Macaroni Salad. Though honestly, I don’t know where you can go wrong in this recipe te-he-he.
In your case, what ingredient do you like to put in your pasta salad?
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