Hit me with your best macaroni salad recipe

[abjcooking]

I'm getting ready to do some research to find one I like. I'll post it if it turns out good.

[marmalady]

Oh, gosh, I don't really do a 'recipe', but here's the ingredients I usually put in it -

elbow mac
hard-boiled eggs, chopped
red onion, chopped (or scallion, or shallot - oh, heck, it's whatever's on hand!)
celery, chopped
finely grated carrot
sometimes some chopped bell peppers
mayo, to which has been added a tiny bit of cider vinegar, dry mustard, celery seed, garlic powder, salt/pepper

Sorry I can't give you quantities - it's one of those 'eyeball' things!

[DampCharcoal]

Delicious, marmalady! If I may add a few personal touches: Halve the mayo and add sour cream and dice sharp cheddar into 1/2 inch cubes. :D

[kansasgirl]

Well regular macaroni salads bore me. I like those with different flavors. Here are two favorites.

Oriental Pasta Salad
8 oz Pasta, uncooked (macaroni, bow ties, radiatore, etc)
1/3 lb Fresh snow peas, trimmed
2 Red bell peppers, seeds removed, cut in strips
4 Scallions, thinly sliced
3 c Fresh broccoli florets
2 c Cooked meat (chicken, turkey, shrimp, pork)
1 tb Sesame oil
1 tb Peanut butter
2 tb Rice wine vinegar
Hot sauce to taste
2 ts Honey
1 ts Garlic powder
1/2 ts Ground ginger
1/4 c Sesame seeds, toasted
Salt and pepper to taste

1.Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and cool.
2.Add the snow peas, red pepper, scallions, broccoli and diced meat.
3.Combine dressing ingredients, whisking until creamy; pour over the pasta mixture. Toss lightly. Cover and chill.

Caesar Pasta Salad
6 slices Bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled
1/2 c Extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices Italian bread, 1/2-in thick
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon rind, grated
1/4 c Lemon juice
3 Garlic cloves, minced
6 Anchovy fillets
1/2 c Parmesan, freshly grated
12 oz Pasta, cooked al dente, drained (macaroni, penne, rotini, etc), reserve 1/2 c of cooking water
2 c Romaine, coarsely shredded

1.Brush 2 tb of the oil over both sides of bread. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes and toss with salt and pepper. Toast on baking sheet in oven for 10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Set aside.
2.In food processor, puree lemon rind and juice, garlic, anchovies and salt and pepper. Drizzle in remaining olive oil. Blend in half of the cheese.
3.Toss pasta with garlic mixture and enough of the cooking water to moisten. Toss with croutons, bacon and romaine; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

[SierraCook]

Macaroni Salad

4 cups cooked salad macaroni, cooled
1 cup finely sliced celery
½ cup diced red onion or sliced green onion
1/2 cup coarsely chopped green, red, or orange bellpepper (I use all 3 to add more color to the salad)
1-4 oz. can sliced black olives
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt, to taste

Combine macaroni, celery, onion, bell pepper, olives, and parsley in large bowl. Toss to mix. In small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and vinegar together until smooth. Add to the macaroni mixture. Add black pepper and salt. Toss and mix well. Chill several hours before serving.

[abjcooking]

I am definitly trying some of your ideas next time. I can't seem to get enough of this stuff. I usually buy it from the store, but I would rather know what is going into it and it is more cost effective. I never thought about eggs, sour cream, cheese, or snow peas. Those are some of my fav. ingredients.
I combined some ingredients from different recipes and it came out ok. Here is what I added

macaroni
green pepper
onion
celery
mayo
mustard
salt/pepper
white vinegar

I think the problem was as I was putting the mustard in I ran out. The only other thing I had was grain mustard. So I used a little touch of that, but I think it overpowered the dish for me.

Kansasgirl- the ceasar salad looks really good.

[choclatechef]

I got bored with the same old macaroni salad also. I like to make salad with spaghetti or one of the fancy pastas.

Again, I don't use a recipe, I just throw together:

spaghetti or fancy pasta
black olives - sliced
diced red onion
grated parmesan cheese
green pepper and/or red pepper
grated carrot
celery
julienned pepperoni or salami



salad dressing:
olive oil
wine vinegar
salt
pepper
sugar

[debthecook]

I use the classic recipe off the Hellmann's Mayo Jar. I think it needs a spoon or two of sugar, mixed up well, let chill several hours in the refrigerator.

[debthecook]

Chocolate Chef, sounds like a real classic SPAGHETTI SALAD. They were GREAT FUN for a party back in the 70s when I was in high school.

[choclatechef]

Deb, I was always little slow. I just got the recipe about 8 years ago.