Macaroni Salad

This is a very tasty macaroni salad and a good alternative to potato salad. The most important things are to not rinse the macaroni, and to let it cool before adding the dressing. If you add it while the pasta is too hot, the mayo sort of melts, and you get a greasy salad. By letting it cool, while tossing, the macaroni gets nice and tacky, and will grab the sauce a lot better.
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar, or more to taste
  • 1 cup finely diced celery
  • 3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup minced shallots
  • 1/2 cup grated carrot
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions, white and light parts
  • 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper (poblano pepper may be substituted)
  • 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked elbow macaroni
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise (optional)
  • 1 tablelspoon water (optional)

Whisk 1 cup mayonnaise, vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl until well blended; whisk in sugar. Stir in celery, red bell pepper, carrot, onions, shallots and green bell pepper. Refrigerate until macaroni is ready to dress.

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain but do not rinse. Allow macaroni to drain in a colander about 5 minutes, shaking out moisture from time to time. Pour macaroni into large bowl; toss to separate and cool to room temperature. Macaroni should be sticky.

Pour dressing over macaroni and stir until dressing is evenly distributed. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or, ideally, overnight to allow dressing to absorb into the macaroni.

Stir salad before serving. Mix 1 tablespoon mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon water into salad for fresher look.

You might want to watch the video before you make this salad for the first time.