Best Macaroni Salad Ever

8 years ago

This is a great macaroni salad. From Pioneer Woman. I was loathe to eat macaroni salad before this recipe. Too many helpings from too many bad delis (I think) at potlucks and such. But this, oh, my, it is good! We have dinner at church on Wednesday night and tonight was my turn -- my husband smoked a pork butt, I made this salad and my grandmother's coleslaw. Another member brought dessert -- it was a good meal.

3 whole Roasted Red Peppers, Chopped (more To Taste, Can Also Use Pimentos)
1/2 cup Black Olives, Chopped Fine
6 whole Wickles Pickle Pickle Slices, Diced (about 1/2 Cup

Diced)
3 whole Green Onions, Sliced (white And Dark Green Parts)
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Red Wine Or Distilled Vinegar
3 teaspoons Sugar, More Or Less To Taste
1/4 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
Plenty Of Black Pepper
1/4 cup Milk (more If Needed)
Splash Of Pickle Juice (spicy Sweet Pickles)
Extra Pickle Juice To Taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the macaroni in lightly salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Set aside.

Mix together mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Splash in enough milk to make it pourable. Splash in pickle juice for extra flavor. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside.

Place cooled macaroni in a large bowl and pour 3/4 of the dressing. Toss and add more dressing if you'd like. (Dressing will seem a little thin, but it will thicken up as salad chills.)

Stir in olives, roasted red peppers (or pimentos), pickles, and green onions. Add more of any ingredient if you'd like more stuff going on! At the end, splash in a little more pickle juice and stir.

Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Sprinkle with sliced green onion to serve

Featured Answer

Lars

8 years ago

I won't eat anything with sweet pickles in it, and I would never put sugar in a pasta salad. I would have to leave out the milk, sugar, and pickles and perhaps use Greek or Italian peperoncini instead or maybe green olives and capers. I might also add fresh oregano to it. I have a jar of roasted red bell peppers and have not yet decided what to do with them, and so I might make something like this.

I make pasta salad with rotini, basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella - sort of like a Margarita style pasta salad. I use an Italian oil and vinegar salad dressing with it.

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Comments (21)

colleenoz
8 years ago
Sounds interesting! We don’t have Wickles Pickles here, so what would be a close match? Gherkins, bread and butter pickles or dills?
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sooz
8 years ago
Looks yummy! I never have put pickles/juice in my macaroni salad, but it's something new to try!!!! Thanks for posting the pic and the recipe!
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Since last spring, this has become my family's standard for all Macaroni salads, the only one they want. It was printed in the Boston Globe May 2009 and is from St Alphonzo's Kitchen, a small restaurant in the South End of Boston. GRANDMA SIS'S MACARONI SALAD - serves 8 INGREDIENTS I pound box of elbow macaroni 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1/2 tsp salt or to taste 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 small green bell pepper, seeded cored and cut into thin strips or chopped 1/2 red onion coarsely chopped 1 large ribs of celery, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 1 jar (6-8 ounces) cocktail olives with pimiento, drained and chopped In large pot with boiling water cook the macaroni for 6-8 minutes or until it is tender but still has some bite. Drain the macaroni into a colander and shake to remove excess moisture. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Add the vetable oil Sire well and set aside to cool. In a small bowl, whick the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir the mixture into the pasta until it is coated all over. Add the bell pepper, red onion, celery and olives. Toss gently buth thoroughly. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired. Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving. Personally, I found that there was enough salty taste and seasoning without adding any of the additional salt to the recipe. Fran
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Here is mine which is requested for many occasions. Sour Cream Macaroni Salad I have absolutely no recollection of where this recipe came from. I just know I have made it for years and years and get requests to bring it to gatherings. 1 8-oz package elbow macaroni (2 cups uncooked) 1/2 - 1 cup diced green pepper 1/4 - 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish 1 T grated onion 2 -3 red pimentos 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Miracle Whip for this salad; mayo does not taste right in the salad) 1/2 cup sour cream 1 1/2 t salt 1/4 cup milk Pepper to taste 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped Cherry tomatoes (Normally I do not put any tomatoes on the salad) Cook macaroni for 11-14 minutes or until tender. Rinse with cold water and drain. In a large bowl combine green pepper, pickle relish, onion, and pimentos; mix well. Add macaroni. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper and blend well. The dressing will seem thin at first. Pour over macaroni and mix well. Sprinkle chopped eggs on top. Chill for several hours. Before serving, garnish with whole cherry tomatoes. Serves 6 - 8 This post was edited by walnutcreek on Tue, Jul 29, 14 at 14:45
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Have had macaroni salad that I think was nothing but cooked elbows and some mayo?? SIL always makes a "tuna mac"... elbows, mayo and tuna... nothing else?? I like mine a little "wet" with some kinda zing. Like lots of thin sliced green/stuffed olives... tedious cutting, but like it. Like capers. If onion/celery... minced REALLY fine. Sometimes finely shredded carrots. Any kind of pasta will do. Real mayo (some store brands are just fine with me) and maybe a dab of... shudder... Miracle Whip?!? Now a "pasta salad" is no holds barred. Rachel Ray did something she called pizza-something. Pasta & stuff you'd find on a pizza... pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, onions, peppers, etc. She made a vinaigrette that was sort of tomato based. Can't remember recipe, off hand. If I'm doing a pasta salad, usually use onions, carrots, celery, peppers, broccoli, etc. I'll blanch the hard veggies (carrots & broccoli) for a minute or 2. Then let ALL veggies sorta marinate in whatever kind of vinaigrette I concoct... overnight, if I plan ahead. Have NO idea if true, but seems flavors get into HOT veggies better?? Where's Alton when ya need him?!?
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seagrass_gw Cape Cod
8 years ago
Sounds delicious. How much pasta?
User
Original Author
8 years ago
Sorry, Seagrass -- a package -- a box -- 16 ounces aren't they (unless the manufacturer has reduced the size and not the price -- LOL!)
User
Original Author
8 years ago
A "hot" sweet pickle. Another brand that's more prevalent here is Famous Dave's. The original recipe called for W-ickles and I like them.
lisaw2015 (ME)
8 years ago
Sounds nearly identical to my pasta salad recipe that everyone ALWAYS asks me to bring to events. The only thing different is I use cherry tomatoes, quartered in place of the roasted peppers. I also use this same dressing for my coleslaw.
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cookebook
8 years ago
That looks delicious! I love macaroni salad. Will have to try this one.
User thanked cookebook
User
Original Author
8 years ago
Lars -- this isn't "Pasta Salad" -- it's "macaroni salad" -- there's a difference! I make pasta salad too and that doesn't have milk, sugar or pickles in it and it's dressed with oil and vinegar.
seagrass_gw Cape Cod
8 years ago
I love this forum.
User thanked seagrass_gw Cape Cod
lisaw2015 (ME)
8 years ago
But isn't macaroni salad made with elbows? Thats why I call anything else "pasta salad".
lindac92
8 years ago
Macaroni salad is that stuff made with elbows and miracal whip, a tiny jar of pimento and some canned peas.....all other are pasta salads no matter the shape of the pasta.
My favorite is made with a large shape...mastaciolli or penne or even elbows...it had lots of sugar....and chopped onion, cucumber, jarred sliced roasted red peppers and lots of oregano....and a dressing of vinegar, sugar and I think salt and pepper is poured over....sort of like bread and butter picked pasta! LOL!
User
Original Author
8 years ago
Yes, most macaroni salad is made with elbows -- I just like to change mine up a bit with different shape pasta because I think the bow tie looks pretty on the plate.
Louiseab
8 years ago
I love her recipes! And I enjoy her program.
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donna_loomis
8 years ago
Technically, ditalini is known as salad macaroni. And I have found NO pickles that are a good substitute for Wickles. This recipe is very different than any macaroni salad I've ever made and it was worth gathering and using the exact ingredients for the recipe. No Wickles anywhere near me, but easy enough to order online. I tried their jalapeno relish and some other offerings as well. All delicious. I also sometimes just make the dressing for Ree's salad and use it for coleslaw with a kick.
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colleenoz
8 years ago
Even if Wickles shipped to Australia, I’m not sure the cost would be worth it. I’ll just have to experiment with local pickles I think.
Louiseab
8 years ago
I doubt I could find those pickles here in Canada. I love dills, I wonder it they would work here. I put them, chopped, in my potato salad
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rosesstink
8 years ago
I tried this recipe last year. And, umm, thought it was awful. Boring and way too sweet. Which shouldn't have surprised me. I can't recall any Pioneer Woman recipe that I have liked.
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User
8 years ago
I tried this recipe too. I think it was a Food Network recipe...but not sure . I was underwhelmed . The dressing was overly sweet and the bow tie pasta just too much pasta.
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User
Original Author
8 years ago
chase - I think the FN recipe called for elbows -- I like bow ties so that is what I used. I've had way too many bad bites of sub par macaroni salad at too many picnics and potlucks and this recipe made me rethink my dislike of macaroni salad. But we all have different tastes!
seagrass_gw Cape Cod
8 years ago
I don't care for the "bite" in the middle of bowties. It annoys me. I don't cook with them for any recipe. But your salad looks great and sounds good!!

Best Macaroni Salad Ever

Lars

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