Thursday, July 15, 2021

Mac Salad

Ingredients

  • 8 oz macaroni noodles 
  • ½ cup finely diced sweet gherkins usually 4-6 sweet gherkins for me 
  • ¾ cup finely diced red bell pepper about ½ pepper 
  •  cup thinly sliced celery about 1-2 stalks 
  •  cup finely diced red onion 
  • 2 large hard boiled eggs, finely diced

Macaroni Salad Dressing

  • ¾ cup mayonnaise I use olive oil mayo 
  • ¼ cup sour cream 
  • 2 Tablespoons sweet pickle juice
  • 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar*
  • 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  •  teaspoon garlic powder
  •  teaspoon crushed red pepper optional

Instructions

  • Prepare macaroni noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water, then drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and gently stir so the noodles don't stick together as they sit.
  • In a large bowl, combine macaroni noodles, sweet pickles, red pepper, celery, red onion, and eggs. Stir until well-combined. Set aside and prepare your dressing.

For the dressing

  • To prepare your macaroni salad dressing, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, red wine vinegar, sweet pickle juice, sugar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper (if using) in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until ingredients are well-combined.
  • Pour dressing over your macaroni salad ingredients and toss until well-combined.
  • For best flavor, cover bowl and allow macaroni salad to chill for at least one hour. Stir once more before serving and enjoy!

Notes

*If you don't have red wine vinegar on hand, white wine or apple cider vinegar would also work well.
Double this for a crowd.