It doesn’t take a whole lot of changes to make a pretty much run-of-the-mill pasta salad different. This Creole macaroni salad has buttermilk in the dressing, giving it that wonderful tangy flavor. I love buttermilk so I instantly thought how great . Buttermilk fried chicken and this salad are a great match too. Trust me, I tried it. The salad also has tomatoes and (my wife’s favorite) olives. Her motto is: You can’t have too many olives.
This recipe comes from Paul Kirk’s Championship Barbecue Cookbook, a huge book of everything barbecue. Get it. It’s packed with recipes like this great salad and whole lot more.
I would (and did) add more cayenne pepper to give this Creole macaroni salad even more kick. Plus, I think the dressing has a somewhat cooling effect, so a bit more heat isn’t going to hurt anything.
I recently discovered Blue Plate mayonnaise, which I think is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.
Also try my Hawaiian-style potato and Mexican macaroni salads.
Creole Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 pound elbow macaroni or whatever pasta you prefer
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese diced
- ½ cup celery diced
- ½ cup onion diced
- 1 small green bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup pimento-stuffed green olives halved
For the dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl or resealable container.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad. Toss gently to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
