Some ideas include: s hell (small or medium), w agon wheel, b ow tie, p enne, and ro tini. Anything that is bite-sized and has grooves that will cling deliciously to the dressing will work. I would plan for ½ cup which is about 5 ounces per person. Once the salad is mixed, allow time for all the ingredients and flavors to marry while it chills in the fridge. The pasta also needs to be somewhat dry for the sauce to stick to each piece of macaroni.Ĭhill. If you add sauce to warm pasta the sauce will melt right off. Drain, rinse with cold water (broken rule 2), and then chill the macaroni noodles while you whip up the sauce. Check the package directions for the perfect middle time. However, you also don’t want to overcook it. This is one of the few pasta recipes that you DON’T want al dente (broken rule 1). If you don’t cook the macaroni long enough, then the sauce won’t stick very well. Take note because macaroni salad breaks a couple of my pasta rules.Ĭooking pasta. Not only is pasta the main ingredient in the recipe for macaroni salad it is what can make or break the recipe. Add a bit of crunch with chow mein noodles.Add a dab of Dijon mustard or a splash of apple cider vinegar.Season with garlic powder, fresh parsley, and paprika.Add cheese chunks-cheddar cheese or Colby jack is yummy.Use sweet pickles or even sweet pickle relish.Add diced celery, tomatoes, red bell peppers, black olives, or sliced radishes.You can even have the mix-ins on the side for people to add themselves. The mix-ins can spruce up the flavor as well as add texture and color. However, there are so many delicious mix-in ideas that you can use for your family. I like to keep my macaroni salad recipe simple especially when I’m serving it for a large crowd. Stir in any additional desired mix-ins and refrigerate until ready to serve. Add dressing to the pasta and mix until coated. In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, milk, and ranch dressing.ĬOMBINE. In a large bowl, combine cooked macaroni, ham, and peas.ĭRESSING. Cook macaroni in salted water according to package directions. One other thing about this salad is that you have to let it chill a couple of hours (2 hours at least) in order for all the flavors to really work together.PASTA. And not more than 2 – 3 hours in advance. If I do make the salad the night before, I only add the Pineapple the following day. But only when I am sure the salad will be eaten the same day as I have found the Pineapple makes the salad a little too acidic the next day. I get a thick cut of Ham from our local deli and chop it into small bite-sized cubes.īut when we had home cooked Ham a day or two before and have some leftovers, I prefer to use that. The pasta salad itself is very simple, with everyday ingredients. A little in the salad and a small bowl next to the salad bowl. People’s taste are different and whenever I am in doubt (with salads) I always serve either the dressing on the side, or as with this recipe. ![]() That way each guest can help themselves to more (which does happen a lot). When we have guests over, I make an additional batch of the dressing and serve it on the side. You can of course double or even triple the quantity of dressing if you prefer a moister salad. The dressing I use in this recipe is just enough to add flavor and to not get the salad buried way under Mayonnaise. Something I do not like much about pasta salads, is that the salads are usually doused in dressing, whether it be a Mayonnaise dressing or something else. Especially when the weather is hot and humid. We usually have this Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad on a Friday night. ![]() For one, it is quite filling and can easily be served for lunch or as a light dinner. Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad is a simple, yet popular, delicious Pasta Salad with just enough dressing to make it tasty enough for seconds (or thirds ! )
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |