Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Pasta/Macaroni Salad

My oldest son is coming over for supper tonight. He's going to take his bike back to his apartment. My husband is unnaturally excited about the bike leaving. 


If you are in our house or garage at 6 pm, you are going to eat supper here or make up an excuse why you have to leave. That's just how it is. 

Whenever I plunk down a bowl of pasta/macaroni salad (when guests are here), someone asks, "where did you get this?" I'm not kidding, I have heard that many times. I cannot imagine going to a store and paying for some salad in a deli. Ick. I'm lying, I have bought salad in a deli.

No skill is required to make this (as with every recipe on this blog), you start with the basics and make the rest up as you go along.  


Pasta/Macaroni Salad

  • Pasta (any type/shape)
  • Olive oil
  • Mayonnaise
  • Sugar
  • Milk
  • Some kind of fresh chopped/cut vegetables (such as bell pepper, broccoli, onion)
  • Spices (dill weed, pepper, paprika - whatever you like)

Cook pasta according to directions, but do not overcook, use the shortest cooking time.

Immediately drain pasta and cool down with cold water. Shake off excess water and pat dry with a paper towel or clean towel. Transfer to a big bowl and sprinkle with a little olive oil and stir. Put in refrigerator.

Mix mayonnaise, sugar, and spices. I usually start with almost a cup of mayonnaise and about 2 tbsp. of sugar, and sometimes I add more. Once mixed, add a little bit of milk to thin it to about the consistency of salad dressing. If it's too thin, add more mayonnaise. You can add any kind of salad dressing you have on hand to add extra flavor or replace spices that you don't have. You might not need all the dressing, you'll just know - save what is leftover because you might want to add to any leftover salad.

Pour the mixture over the pasta and mix. Add fresh vegetables and mix again. 

Optional add-ins (this list could be endless):


Disclaimer: I do not own these recipes. I cook from memory and often adapt things I've seen, tasted, heard about, or read about.

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