Creole Macaroni Salad

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 (Anita’s favorite) olives. Her motto is: You can’t have too many olives.

Creole Macaroni Salad

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
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5 from 1 vote

Creole Macaroni Salad

It doesn’t take a whole lot of changes to make a pretty much run-of-the-mill pasta salad different. 
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword pasta salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 325kcal

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 stuffed green olives halved

For the dressing

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

Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 430mg | Potassium: 226mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Easy Creole Meatloaf

There’s one rule I have about meatloaf: the veggies have to be chunky. I want some crunch to offset what is essentially a large brick-of-meat. Nothing wrong with a brick of meat, but put some nice chunky vegetables in it. This easy Creole meatloaf hit the spot and it definitely did not break my meatloaf rule. Chunky vegetables everywhere, in every bite. Great flavor. Moist. And just a hint of spiciness.

Easy Creole Meatloaf

Now, I will say that leftover super chunky easy Creole meatloaf does make for a pretty messy sandwich. But then, who really sits around dreaming of a nice, neat leftover meatloaf sandwich? Not me. It is not something to be ashamed of if you have to go open-faced with your meatloaf sandwich.

Grab a meatloaf pan, some ingredients, and get to meatloafing!

Also try my Cajun meatloaf and my copycat of the meatloaf from Cracker Barrel.

Easy Creole Meatloaf
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5 from 1 vote

Easy Creole Meatloaf

his easy Creole meatloaf hit the spot and it definitely did not break my meatloaf rule. Great flavor. Moist. And just a hint of spiciness.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword meatloaf
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 353kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • Spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with non-stick spray.
  • Place the bread in a large bowl and add the milk. Let soak for a few minutes.
  • Add the remaining ingredients to the bread except for half of the ketchup and combine well.
  • Form into a loaf in the baking dish.
  • Spread the remaining ketchup over the top of the meatloaf.
  • Bake, covered, for 45 minutes.
  • Remove cover and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
  • Let stand 5 -10 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 202mg | Potassium: 446mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 364IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Creole-Style Bean Soup

You had me at ‘okra’. I love okra. Grilled, fried, sauteed, roasted… or tossed into this Creole-style bean soup. The okra helps thicken up the broth and adds such a great flavor. All the flavors of a gumbo, along with some hearty beans to boot. Easy to make and fantastic on a cold day.

Creole-Style Bean Soup

I don’t add the shrimp to the entire pot of Creole-style bean soup if I’m not going to eat the entire batch at once. Reheated shrimp are not my favorite thing. They get too tough. Instead, I transfer some of the soup (just enough for dinner) to a separate pot and then add the shrimp. It’s a bit more trouble but I think it’s worth it. I could leave out the shrimp entirely and still have a great soup, but it wouldn’t be the same, that’s for sure.

I like to use my good ole trusty Dutch oven to make this soup and pretty much darned near anything like it on my stovetop. It’s nice and big and sturdy. That extra weight helps it maintain and distribute heat perfectly. As an added bonus, it’s actually pretty easy to clean up too!

Also try my smoked turkey and file gumbo pie.

Creole-Style Bean Soup
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5 from 1 vote

Creole-Style Bean Soup

You had me at ‘okra’. I love okra. Grilled, fried, sauteed, roasted… or tossed into this Creole-style bean soup. 
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword beans, Creole, soup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 202kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients except the okra and shrimp into a large pot or Dutch oven.
  • Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 45 minutes.
  • Add the okra and shrimp.
  • Return to a boil and boil for 5 minutes then reduce again to a simmer and simmer until the shrimp are done.

Nutrition

Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 961mg | Potassium: 410mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 462IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.