Marvelous macaroni salads

8/1/12 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Macaroni salad is macaroni salad—right? Nope. Not any more. Current recipes remind me that the macaroni salad you and I grew up on has changed. Today’s macaroni salad not only combines different kinds of pastas and dressings but we throw in everything from artichokes to zucchini and the kitchen sink. Still, I often get a hankering for just plain old macaroni salad…

 The other morning, I laid out some chicken breasts to thaw and grill for dinner. Then, I began leafing through recipes for something summery to dress them up. Pretty soon, my mouth was watering for macaroni salad. You know, the regular old-fashioned salad macaroni (the small little circles of pasta) mixed together with basic ingredients. No fancy corkscrews, corn or black beans in my salad.  

Rummaging through my recipe file, I discovered that I had tucked away plenty of old-style macaroni salads recipes. Most of them are called “Mom’s Macaroni Salad.” The moms were different but the similarity of ingredients—macaroni, bell peppers, onions and hard-boiled eggs topped with with paprika—was almost universal.

The dressings, however, ranged from sweet and creamy to a simple tart mixture of olive oil and vinegar. The sweet ones were mayonnaise combined with sweetened condensed milk or sugar added to mayonnaise. Alas, my dressing is made with Best Foods Mayonnaise and a spoonful of pickle juice! It seems the only thing we moms agree on is that we are all different.

Today I’m going to share a variety of recipes including my old-fashioned macaroni salad. Also included is a simple Creamy Italian Chicken Mac recipe that I found on the back of a box of Safeway macaroni. These are not large family-size recipes so remember, it’s easy to double or even triple the amounts given. Taste for salt.

One of my mother’s favorite light summer suppers was to add a can of tuna fish to her macaroni salad. Canned salmon is another way of adding protein and color to this simple dish. It can be added to your favorite recipe or the one below. By the way, most recipes (including mine) assume that you will make the salad in the morning so it has time to chill. Prepare at least 3 hours before serving and be ready to add extra dressing.  Enjoy!

Betty’s Macaroni Salad

8 ounces macaroni

1 cup celery, chopped

1-2 carrots, shredded

1/2 cup red onion, minced

1/2 cup sweet pickles, chopped

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, cubed

Italian dressing to moisten

Dill Weed

Garlic Salt

1 cup Best Foods mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sweet pickle juice

Garnishes: Quartered tomatoes

Cook macaroni in salted boiling water until tender.

While macaroni cooks, mince onion, chop sweet pickles and cube cheese. Shred carrots, rinse and squeeze water out between paper towels. Put all of the above in a large bowl, mix with a spoonful of Italian dressing and set aside.

When macaroni is tender, drain and rinse in cold water until cool. Drain well and add to veggies and cheese. Season with dill and garlic salt and mix well; cover and refrigerate a couple of hours. Combine mayonnaise with pickle juice; mix with the macaroni when salad is cool. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle with dill. Cover and return to refrigerator. Garnish before serving, as desired. Serves 4

Creamy Italian Chicken Salad

8 ounces salad macaroni

4 ounces fresh green beans cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed

1 cup cucumber, diced

4 ounces grape tomatoes, halved

3 green onions, chopped

1 (8 ounce) bottle creamy Italian dressing

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Prepare macaroni according to package directions. During last minute of cooking pasta, add green beans to blanch. Drain and rinse in cold water. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Toss pasta and beans gently until evenly coated. Cover and chill 4 hours.

Serves 4.

Fiesta Pasta Salad

1 12 ounce package rotelle pasta, cooked, drained and cooled

1 cup red onion, diced

1 cup red pepper, diced

1 (8 ounce) can corn

1 (4 or 7 ounce_ can diced green chilies

1-2 tablespoons diced jalapenos

1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped

1 cup Italian salad dressing

1 tablespoon chili powder

1-2 teaspoons ground cumin

In large bowl, combine pasta, onion, red pepper, corn, chiles, jalapenos and cilantro or parsley.

In small bowl, whisk together salad dressing, chili powder and cumin. Pour over pasta mixture, tossing to coat well. Chill well to blend flavors before serving. Serves about 6 side dishes.

Salmon-Macaroni Supper Salad

2 (7 ounce) cans salmon, drained and flaked

2 tablespoons grated onion

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1 green pepper, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced

1/2 pound small elbow macaroni, cooked, drained, chilled

1 teaspoon garlic or onion salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tomatoes, cut into eighths

3 hard-cooked eggs, quartered

1 lemon cut in six pieces

Combine the salmon, onion, cucumber, green pepper, celery, macaroni, salt and pepper in a bowl. Combine mayonnaise and lemon juice in a small bowl. Toss lightly with salad. Arrange tomatoes, egg and lemon around it. Serve cold. Serves 4-6.

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! 

Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes

 that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.