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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Macaroni Salad


"Yankee doodle went to town, riding on a pony. He stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni." Remember that little ditty. I remember singing that fondly as a little child. What does that have to do with macaroni salad? Absolutely nothing. Just thought I'd throw that out there for fun.

I had some last pieces of celery and carrots I needed to use up. It wasn't a lot andn I figured there's no point in making soup or something like that with it. But them i thought back to my crab salad. Suddenly remember that I still had a bunch of pasta in pantry. I had been thinking of cooking up a little pasta fix lately. One thing for sure I haven't done yet was another picnic/party essential as in a good ol' macaroni salad. I already did potato salad, so why not make its cousin. This one is simple to make. Very little ingredients. The reddish color comes from the paprika I added. I do love my paprika.

I guess my making this, I'm eager for winter to be over.

Serves 3-5



Macaroni Salad

1 celery stick - fine chopped
1 small carrot - peeled and fine chopped
1 small yellow bell pepper  - deseeded and fine chopped
2-3 c uncooked macaroni pasta
2 tsp sweet pickle relish
1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 Tbsp mayo
pepper to taste
1 tsp paprika
5 oz pineapple chunks
1 c shredded chicken - optional



Bring a pot of water to a boil. Season liberally with salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Cook the pasta until tender. Roughly 10 minutes. Be sure to drain and cool completely. (You can run it through cold water to let it cool faster)

In a large bowl, combine the celery, carrot, bell pepper, pineapple chunks and macaroni. You may also add the optional chicken. Toss together. Add in mayo, sweet pickle relish, rice wine vinegar and paprika. Season with a little pepper to taste. Toss together thoroughly coating everything.

Place in a container and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.

19 comments:

Unknown said...

The pineapple is a really cool addition. :)

Tangled Noodle said...

I do like that subtle pinkish tinge and the rice wine vinegar! I miss a good macaroni salad like this.

Lana from Never Enough Thyme said...

Macaroni Salad! One of my favorites although I don't often make it. Goes with just about anything...chicken, fish, pork. Yum.

vanillasugarblog said...

do you know that in summer I always put on weight because I make a LOT (I mean a lot) of mac salad? Don't know why, but I crave it like crazy in summer. I always wondered why.

Debbie said...

Wow... my macaroni salad looks bland compared to yours. Love all the additions in yours and I'll have to try this one when the weather here warms up!

Dewi said...

Simply comforting, and delicious.

Pam said...

Mmmm. It's been way too long since I had macaroni salad.

Bob said...

Heh, I've been craving macaroni salad wicked bad. You're not helping, it looks wicked good. ;)

CinnamonAndSass said...

Absolutely ♥ macaroni salad. It must be my Minnesota upbringing but I can't resist!

Anonymous said...

Delicious macaroni salad, I love your addition of paprika!

lisaiscooking said...

The paprika sounds great, and so does the pineapple!

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

I haven't made Macaroni Salad in a long time. I love the sweet pickle relish and the pineapple in your salad!

Diana said...

Paprika! I do believe that is missing from my spice collection! I love the color it gives potatoes.

Sook said...

This is a lovely recipe. I love how little amount of mayo is in this salad. I'm saving this page. Thank you!

teresa said...

oh yum, i love salads like this, makes me think of days at the pool!

Parita said...

Oh i love the addition of pineapple chunks! So yumm!!

theUngourmet said...

I've never really understood that song but I still love it!! :)

Great salad! I love the idea of the relish. Nice!

Phyllis said...

I love pasta salad! The pineapple chunks are a nice surprise. And i can't wait for winter to be over either :)

Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction said...

Ooh yum! I'm so glad that warmer weather is around the corner. I'm ready for some macaroni salad!

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