Okay, so this isn’t really a main dish but it’s one of my new favorite summer side dishes. My great aunts used to make the best macaroni salad. I could never find the perfect recipe and had never gotten theirs. This summer, while surfing around All Recipes, I found this one and it’s perfect. It brings back childhood memories of visiting my aunts in the summertime. Awesome!
Classic Macaroni Salad
4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup grated carrot (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers (optional)
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain.
In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the onion, celery, green pepper, carrot, pimentos and macaroni. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight.
I didn’t modify anything. I did use the carrots but did not use the pimentos. I waited overnight as the recipe suggests, but did notice that a lot of the dressing rests at the bottom of the bowl. Before serving, this works best if you have it in a bowl with a sealed lid, shake the bowl to evenly distribute the dressing. This does make a very large bowl of macaroni salad. Great for bringing on a picnic or family reunion. Yum!
Here’s a link to the recipe on All Recipes. There are more than 700 reviews you can checkout and some alternate versions.
Enjoy!
