Simple and delicious, extra creamy macaroni salad
Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad is is so simple and so good. With it’s soft pasta curls, crunchy celery, sweet carrot shreds, and scallions all dressed in a creamy mayonnaise, what’s not to love?!
One of my favorite things on a hawaiian BBQ plate is that yummy Mac Salad!
A perfect pairing for any kind of BBQ, Hawaiian or any other style. Especially good with spicy foods (spice rubbed meats, hot wings, spicy shrimp) as the creamy mayonnaise base helps cut the heat.
Tips for making the perfect macaroni salad:
- Make some you cook you pasta in plenty of water, pasta soaks that water up so make sure you have plenty to start with. About 4 quarts water per pound of pasta. There is nothing worse than a clumped up sticky mess of pasta. Give those babies plenty of room to float around in.
- Be sure to add plenty of salt to the pasta water. The ratio of salt to water varies depending on the type of salt you are using. I always cook with kosher salt and add about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons per quart of water.
- Cook the pasta until it is soft (not mushy but not al dente’ either). If the pasta isn’t cooked enough then it will soak up all of the dressing in the salad. For a creamy mac salad the pasta needs to be soft.
- Cool the pasta under cold running water. This stops the cooking process and cools the pasta thoroughly. When making mayonnaise based salads all of the ingredients should be properly cooled before combining.
- finely chopping (mincing) the celery, onions and garlic helps it to be more evenly distributed throughout the salad.
What serve Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad:
Servings: 6
Calories: 339kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 Pound elbow macaroni
- 1/2 cup celery finely minced
- 1/4 cup scallions finely minced
- 1/2 cup grated carrot
- 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup real mayonnaise best foods
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 clove minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Instructions
- Cook macaroni until soft (not al dente) . Drain and rinse with cold water. Stir vinegar into cooked macaroni and let sit about 15 minutes. In a bowl, add celery, scallion and carrots. in another bowl mix remaining ingredients to make dressing. Place the cooled macaroni in the bowl with vegetables and stir to combine. Add dressing and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings, to taste. Place in the refrigerator to cool. Once salad has chilled, stir and serve
Nutrition
Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 592mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1881IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Drink Pairings:
- Mai Tai
- Blue Hawaiian and other Island Inspired Cocktails.
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