MACARONI SALAD

This is a great salad you can bring to your next gathering. While macaroni salad seems simple, the results are definitely a hit for a lot of people, and a lot of individuals who like macaroni salad will be impressed with this.

You can add different ingredients as needed, or create your own, and the beauty of this is show simple, and effective this can be for your next get-together. Try this and see what will happen.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/3 cup finely chopped carrot
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
1/4 cup finely minced onion, I use dehydrated onion
2 tablespoons sweet relish
3/4 teaspoon dry ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 dash paprika
3 quarts water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

DIRECTIONS:

Get a large pot and put about three quarts of water in there. Let this boil and let it rolling boil. Add the salt to this, and then, slowly add in your elbow macaroni that’s dry.

Let it sit and boil without a covering for up to 8 minutes, or until it’s properly cooked.

Drain this using a strainer, and then, rinse all of the pasta with some cold water. Drain all of this again. this helps to harden up the macaroni parts to this.

Get a bowl and add all of the ingredients into there for the salad. Combine all of this to it so that you have it all properly mixed.

Put the macaroni that’s cooked in there, tossing this in a thorough manner with the rest of the items the ingredients call for.

Cover this whole mixture, put it in the fridge for an hour, and then serve it.

Tips

What’s the best dressing for this?

The best dressing for this is something that’s rich and creamy. Go for one that’s kind of thick, such as a ranch dressing. If you have a favorite dressing that you believe works in this, try it! There’s not a ton of things you have to include for the dressing, so get a little creative with this.

Can I add other ingredients to this?

You can! Some people like the veggies that are included in this, but you also may want to add a few more veggies to help give this a boost of flavor. There’s nothing stopping you from doing that, and it can be good.

Ideally, keep it mostly vegetable0-focused, and try not to put anything too bitter into there.  A good veggie with lots of water to it also works well in this.

You can also add other veggies that have a rainbow color to this to create a rainbow macaroni salad.

What’s a good vinaigrette for this?

You can use different vinaigrettes, provided that they’re creamy, and offer a good, rich texture to the salad. Basaltic does work if you’re a little stumped on what to make, although it’s not the ideal for this salad.

How long in advance can I prepare this?

This is one you shouldn’t prepare too well in advance. You can make it a few hours beforehand, or up to a day beforehand as needed.

Sometimes making it a little bit before is good, but the ingredients start to get a little bit soft, and the noodles get a bit hard after about a day or so.