Now that we’ve had a few warm spring days, I am obsessed with having dinner out on my deck as frequently as possible. We love grilling all types of meat, from whole chickens to simple burgers, but one of my favorite sides to accompany the main course is Macaroni Salad. I came up with this recipe last year, after bemoaning the fact that I could never find a Macaroni Salad that I liked. They were either too gloppy or too sweet or both gloppy and sweet at the same time (ew). This one has a nice amount of vegetables and is beloved by both adults AND kids in the house. Enjoy!
Foodmomiac’s Macaroni Salad
1 box elbow macaroni
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 sweet white onion, cut into 3-4 big chunks
2 stalks celery, cut into 3-4 big chunks
2 carrots, cut into 3-4 big chunks (you can use a handful of baby carrots if that’s all you have on hand)
3 hard boiled eggs, diced
2 dill pickles, diced
Cook macaroni for eight minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and set aside.
Mix together the mayo, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
In a food processor, mince the onion, celery and carrots. (You can also just dice these finely on your own, but the food processor does a great job and is super fast.)
Add the veggies to the sauce in the bowl, along with the macaroni, eggs and pickles. Mix to combine, cover, and refrigerate for at least two hours (overnight is fine, and probably preferable!)
