My mac salad is always a hit. It gets cleaned out on block parties and my wife can't stop eating it, even when she knows she should be having a Cesar salad. As gratitude for the help y'all have given me in my quest to cook the perfect fried chicken, I present to you benny6's mac salad.

Ingredients (Makes enough for 8 to 10 people:
-One box of Ditalini pasta, or Rotini pasta
-olive oil
-4 hard boiled eggs, shelled, diced
-6 celery stalks, rinsed, chopped into small pieces
-3 large carrots or 5 medium sized carrots, peeled with a potato peeler, chopped into small pieces
-1/2 jar of sweet relish
-1 can of black olive, chopped
-Kosher salt
-Black Pepper (I use a pepper mill)
-Mustard
-Mayo (I use Best Foods olive oil mayo)

Fill a large stew pot with hot tap water. Turn the stove to high, add a few swirls of olive oil. Add about 2 or 3 pinches of salt. Boil the pasta until it's al-dente. Strain the pasta into a large strainer or colander. Rinse it with cold water until all the pasta is cold. Let it drain for 5 or 10 minutes.

Find the largest salad bowl or mixing bowl you have and pour in the pasta.

Add all the chopped veggies, eggs, relish, a couple of pinches of kosher salt and about 5 or 10 turns of the pepper mill. Add about a half of a large jar of mayo and a few squirts of mustard. Mix thoroughly. Add enough mayo and mustard to lightly coat every bit of pasta. You don't want it too dry or too creamy. Taste-test and add salt, pepper, mayo or mustard to your liking. You'll get the hang of it.

Although this is not a pic of my mac salad, it should look a lot like this...


It should have a slight yellow tint to it.

Enjoy!
Tony.

Looks delicious!

Sounds delicious except for the sweet pickles, I have a dislike for them.

Looks good!

Is it better the second day ,after a night in the fridge ?

Just killed it on the third day!

Looks like a solid recipe and I love mac salads. Looks like there's a lot of room to riff on the recipe. I could see some red pepper added maybe some popcorn shrimp for a little protein.

Looks good!

For those that don’t know, Best Foods is the Hellman's brand west of the Rockies, or at least here in CA.

Fantastic! I'll be making this tomorrow!

Looks great.

I have a very similar recipe, but I use chopped bacon, and the only veggies are onions, green onions, and green bell pepper.

Just like my wife makes with the exception of the 6 stalks of celery, carrots and the sweet pickle relish. I prefer 2-3 dill pickles (depending on size), 2 stalks of celery and 1/2 of an onion. She also will add radishes at times. She also uses mayo with just a touch of mustard and tops the dish with paprika.

Occasionally she’ll make the macaroni salad and add a can of tuna or chicken to add another layer of flavor.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sig Marine,

quote:

Originally posted by rsbolo:
Fantastic! I'll be making this tomorrow!

Did you ever make this? How did it turn out?

Tony.

you had me at...

...no onions, green onions, chives, etc.

My favorite Mac salad is very simple... and one that I've never seen anyone else make, yet it's a hit at the summer potluck dinners.

1 box of elbow macaroni
2 cans tiny shrimp, drained
5-6 stalks celery, cut to 1/4 inch slices
6-7 radishes, cut in half, sliced thin
3 Tablespoons Mayonnaise

It's a very light side dish perfect for burgers, dogs, or chicken... easy to make and surprisingly flavorful (if you like shrimp, that is).

quote:

Originally posted by Gibb:
My favorite Mac salad is very simple... and one that I've never seen anyone else make, yet it's a hit at the summer potluck dinners.

1 box of elbow macaroni
2 cans tiny shrimp, drained
5-6 stalks celery, cut to 1/4 inch slices
6-7 radishes, cut in half, sliced thin
3 Tablespoons Mayonnaise

It's a very light side dish perfect for burgers, dogs, or chicken... easy to make and surprisingly flavorful (if you like shrimp, that is).

Another winner. And indeed never heard of shrimp in this type of salad.