Soups & Salads · American

Macaroni Salad

Name: Macaroni Salad
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 lb macaroni (elbow); 1 cup mayonnaise; 2 tbsp vinegar (cider); 1 tbsp mustard (Dijon); 2 tsp sugar; 2 unit celery (fine dice); 1 unit onion (red, minced); 1 unit bell pepper (fine dice); 1 tsp salt; ½ tsp black pepper

10 ingredients · 40 minutes · 8 servings

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410kcal7.9g protein21.6g fat45.1g carbs~$0.48/ serving*

VegetarianPescatarianNo porkNo alcohol

Contains: gluten, egg · May contain: soy

Ingredients

Servings:

1 lb	macaroni (elbow)
1 cup	mayonnaise
2 tbsp	vinegar (cider)
1 tbsp	mustard (Dijon)
2 tsp	sugar
2 unit	celery (fine dice)
1 unit	onion (red, minced)
1 unit	bell pepper (fine dice)
1 tsp	salt
½ tsp	black pepper
2 tbsp	sweet pickle relish (the deli direction)optional
2 unit	hard-boiled eggs (chopped in)optional

Method

boil10 min
salted water, a minute past the package — the cold rule again
the elbows a step past al dente for the same refrigerator physics as the pasta salad — drained, spread, and cooled to warm-not-hot
whisk2 min
dressing: mayo + vinegar + Dijon + sugar + salt + pepper
tasted sharp — deliberately sharper than seems right, because the pasta will absorb the acid first and the chill will mute what's left; this is the anticipatory seasoning that deli counters do by habit and home cooks learn by disappointment
fold4 min
warm pasta + dressing + the crunch trinity
everything folded while the pasta can still drink — then refrigerated at least two hours; served after a stir and a taste, with the near-universal morning discovery that it wants one more splash of vinegar and a pinch of salt, which is not a failure but the recipe's second half