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I needed a side dish for lunches last week. This old fashioned macaroni salad was just what I was looking for. This brought back memories of the macaroni salad people would take to pitch-ins. It is deliciously creamy and has some crunch from the carrots and celery. It has a hint of sweetness from the sugar which is tamed by the apple cider vinegar. Elbow is my preferred pasta for this salad, but you could use whatever you have on hand.
Don’t Be Afraid To Add A Few Things!
I like that the sauce in this salad isn’t runny like a lot of recipes or the kind that you buy in the deli at the grocery store. The next time I make this old fashioned macaroni salad, I will add peas to it. You could also add cheese, ham or bacon to make it your own.
I almost always use Blue Plate mayonnaise in the dishes I make. I think it is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.
Also try our creamy pasta salad.
Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 ¼ cups mayonnaise
- ¼ cup milk plus more if needed
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups carrots peeled, shredded
- 3 green onions sliced thin, separated into white and light green parts, and dark green parts
- 2 stalks celery finely chopped
- ½ small yellow onion grated
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Salt a large pot of water and bring to a boil.
- Add the macaroni and cook per package instructions, but add 2 extra minutes to the cooking time.
- Drain well and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Gently stir in the apple cider vinegar and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
- Add the carrots, the white and light green parts of the green onions, celery and yellow onion. to the pasta.
- Sprinkle the top of the pasta with 1 teaspoon of pepper.
- In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, milk and sugar and gently fold the mixture into the pasta.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Before serving, stir the salad. If too thick add a bit of milk (about 1 tablespoon at a time) and stir. Also add salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve garnished with the green onion slices.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.