Elevated Old-School Macaroni Salad Recipe
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Cold salads have been popular for quite some time now, with dishes like potato salad, coleslaw, and macaroni salad being absolute staples at picnics, potlucks, and backyard barbecues. These types of salads gained popularity because they're easy to make, budget-friendly, and most importantly, they act as the perfect complement to grilled burgers and hot dogs. Macaroni salad, known for its creamy mayonnaise dressing and simple mix-ins like celery, onion, and pickles, is due for an upgrade. This elevated old-school macaroni salad recipe, from developer Miriam Hahn, comes loaded with tender peas, springy asparagus, tangy roasted red peppers, and fresh herbs — just the ingredients to set this upgraded macaroni salad apart from its predecessors.
Aside from being super easy to make and simply delicious, this elevated macaroni salad is also ideal for those meal preppers out there. "Cold pasta salads are made to be prepared ahead of time, making them perfect for entertaining or meal prep," Hahn says. "A salad like this makes a great summer lunch, or weeknight dinner, and pairing it with some soup is the perfect weeknight meal."
Gather the ingredients for elevated old-school macaroni salad
To make this recipe, start in the produce aisle and pick up a lemon, garlic, asparagus, parsley, and dill. We've used curly parsley here, but Italian flat leaf also works well. Stop by the frozen aisle and grab some frozen peas, and the refrigerated section to get some eggs. Then you'll need macaroni and a jar of roasted red peppers. Finally, check your condiments for Dijon mustard, vegetable oil, salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar.
Step 1: Add the mayonnaise ingredients to blender
Start by making homemade mayonnaise. Add the egg, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, half of the lemon juice, vegetable oil, and ½ teaspoon salt to a tall jar or glass. Be sure to add the ingredients in this order.
Step 2: Insert an immersion blender
Insert an immersion blender to the bottom of the jar and blend for 15 seconds without moving the blender upwards.
Step 3: Slowly move the blender upwards until you have creamy mayonnaise
After 15 seconds, move the immersion blender up to blend the rest of the ingredients until you get the creamy consistency of mayonnaise.
Step 4: Make the dressing
Transfer ⅓ cup of the mayonnaise to a bowl and combine with the remaining lemon juice, remaining Dijon, remaining salt, pepper, crushed garlic, and red wine vinegar. Refrigerate the remaining mayonnaise for other uses.
Step 5: Bring water to a boil
Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Step 6: Add the macaroni to boiling water
Add the macaroni and cook for 3 minutes fewer than what the package instructions call for.
Step 7: Add the asparagus and peas
Drop in the asparagus and peas to the pot with the macaroni and cook for the remaining 3 minutes.
Step 8: Drain the macaroni, asparagus, and peas
Drain the macaroni and the vegetables and let them cool for 15 minutes, then transfer to a serving bowl.
Step 9: Add red peppers, herbs, and dressing to macaroni salad
Mix in the roasted red peppers, fresh parsley, fresh dill, and the dressing.
Step 10: Chill and serve the elevated old-school macaroni salad
Cover and chill the macaroni salad for at least 30 minutes before serving.
What to serve with elevated old-school macaroni salad
Elevated Old-School Macaroni Salad Recipe
Give old-school macaroni salad an elevated upgrade with this recipe, which features a homemade mayo dressing, asparagus, peas, and plenty of fresh herbs.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, divided
- Juice of 1 lemon, divided
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 8 ounces uncooked macaroni pasta
- 1 bunch asparagus, chopped, leaving the tips intact.
- 1 ½ cup frozen peas
- ⅓ cup chopped roasted red peppers
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
Directions
- Start by making homemade mayonnaise. Add the egg, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, half of the lemon juice, vegetable oil, and ½ teaspoon salt to a tall jar or glass. Be sure to add the ingredients in this order.
- Insert an immersion blender to the bottom of the jar and blend for 15 seconds without moving the blender upwards.
- After 15 seconds, move the immersion blender up to blend the rest of the ingredients until you get the creamy consistency of mayonnaise.
- Transfer ⅓ cup of the mayonnaise to a bowl and combine with the remaining lemon juice, remaining Dijon, remaining salt, pepper, crushed garlic, and red wine vinegar. Refrigerate the remaining mayonnaise for other uses.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil.
- Add the macaroni and cook for 3 minutes fewer than what the package instructions call for.
- Drop in the asparagus and peas to the pot with the macaroni and cook for the remaining 3 minutes.
- Drain the macaroni and the vegetables and let them cool for 15 minutes, then transfer to a serving bowl.
- Mix in the roasted red peppers, fresh parsley, fresh dill, and the dressing.
- Cover and chill the macaroni salad for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 527 |
| Total Fat | 39.0 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2.9 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.3 g |
| Cholesterol | 31.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 37.0 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 4.2 g |
| Sodium | 434.7 mg |
| Protein | 9.1 g |
How can I change up this macaroni salad recipe?
This macaroni salad is very versatile and can be modified in many ways based on your preferences, or if you want to use ingredients you have on hand. For starters, you can swap out the veggies. Instead of frozen peas, you can use frozen corn or green beans, following the same method to blanch them as outlined in step 7. Raw veggies work well too. Try halved grape tomatoes, diced cucumber, zucchini ribbons, sliced radishes, or shredded carrots. You can also change things up with different herbs like basil, cilantro, mint, or chives. For a briny touch, add in kalamata olives, chopped pickles, capers, or artichoke hearts.
To make the salad more filling, add in a protein source. For vegetarian options, canned white beans, chickpeas, or lentils are an easy addition, or try chopped hard boiled eggs or cubed cooked tofu. There are many high protein pastas on the market as well that are made from lentils or beans. For meat eaters, cubed cooked chicken, chopped ham, or grilled shrimp all work well.
Can I use store-bought mayonnaise instead of homemade?
Homemade mayonnaise adds an impeccably fresh flavor to this salad, immediately elevating all of the other ingredients. That said, not everyone has the time or resources to make homemade mayo, so store-bought is an option. This then opens up more options including vegan versions and avocado oil-based varieties of mayonnaise. If you use store-bought, you can skip the first three steps of the recipe and combine ⅓ cup store bought mayonnaise with ½ lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Be sure to give it a taste to make sure the seasonings are to your liking.
If you make the homemade mayonnaise, and you have leftovers, you can store the rest in an airtight container for up to a week. It is great to have on hand if you are making a creamy dill potato salad, or coleslaw, and it's also delicious on sandwiches and in wraps.