Creamy Macaroni Salad
Easy, creamy, and bright, macaroni salad has graced many dining tables and celebrations over the years and around the world. And it’s not without good reason! This dish is light and airy — a perfect combination for many heavy, rich, and saucy dishes. At restaurants, you can often find macaroni salad as a side dish…
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Easy, creamy, and bright, macaroni salad has graced many dining tables and celebrations over the years and around the world. And it’s not without good reason! This dish is light and airy — a perfect combination for many heavy, rich, and saucy dishes. At restaurants, you can often find macaroni salad as a side dish for meats like ribs, barbecue, and the like. Whether you realize it or not, a fantastic macaroni salad can make or break your dish. Luckily, this creamy macaroni salad is sure to be a hit with all your loved ones.
The key to a perfectly creamy macaroni salad recipes lies in its dressing. After all, we wouldn’t call it creamy macaroni salad if we didn’t want to give emphasis to the creaminess of it! The star of this creamy macaroni salad recipe would be, of course, none other than Lady’s Choice Mayonnaise. This condiment lends its rich and creamy taste and texture to our salad, making it as delightfully sweet as possible. While other people may be on the fence regarding mayonnaise, trying this creamy macaroni salad recipe may be a game changer for them!
Filipinos love a good creamy macaroni salad recipe.
Around the holiday season, we usually serve two different kinds of macaroni salad. The first would be something like the creamy macaroni salad recipe we have today! In this dish, chunks of ham, chicken breasts, and other ingredients are what make up this satisfying side. Celery, pineapple chunks, and even cheddar cheese lend their own distinct flavors to this dish. The result is something creamy yet savory, light yet filling all at the same time.
But another kind of creamy macaroni salad recipe definitely leans into the sweeter side. Instead of using proteins like chicken chunks, it’s actually nata de coco that brings your salad to life in this recipe. This macaroni salad is something we often look forward to as a dessert as well. During the holiday season, it’s great to have a festival of flavors that’s just as much festive and cheery to look at. By using red and green nata de coco to symbolize Christmas colors, this macaroni salad is sure to be a hit, too!
Here are some tips for following this creamy macaroni salad recipe.
People seem to focus too much on the dressing of their macaroni salad, they forget the other important part of this dish: the macaroni itself! For this creamy macaroni salad recipe, it’s all too important that you’ve cooked your elbow macaroni perfectly. Following the package instructions is surely important, but be sure to check on your pasta every once in a while. Sometimes it can be done a minute or so earlier than you expect, so it’s best to be vigilant.
If you want to give the dressing of your creamy macaroni salad recipe a bit of a twist, you can add sour cream! Mixing this in with your mayonnaise gives it a tangy boost that complements your mayo’s flavors well. Using all of your different ingredients will also make your salad appear brighter instead of just all white. Additionally, you can add honey to your dressing, too, if you want it a bit on the sweeter side. Vinegar works if you want to produce the exact opposite effect. Either will result in a deliciously creamy dish you your loved ones will definitely enjoy.
You’ll also need to put your salad in the fridge for about an hour after preparing it. It is, after all, best served cold!
Don’t forget, too, to prepare all your ingredients before making it! Dice 8 ounces of ham, and boil and shred your chicken breast, too. Mince a carrot, chop 2 stalks of celery, and one tablespoon’s worth of onion. Chop a tablespoon’s worth of parsley as well before shredding half a cup of cheddar cheese.
Now that you’ve prepared your ingredients, it’s time to make it! Let’s follow this recipe together.
After cooking your macaroni based on the package instructions, set it aside. You can make your dressing after! Combine all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl and make sure you’ve distributed the mayo evenly. Then, toss in your macaroni and distribute even more, covering your pasta in your creamy sauce.
Let your creamy macaroni salad set in the fridge for about an hour — and there you have it! Wasn’t that just way too easy?
Serve and enjoy your creamy macaroni salad with a main meat of your choice. This grilled liempo, for instance, is always a great idea. And as always, let us know what you think of this creamy macaroni salad recipe!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag us on Instagram at @panlasangpinoy or hashtag #panlasangpinoy so we can see your creations!
Creamy Macaroni Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. elbow macaroni
Dressing Ingredients:
- 350 ML Lady’s Choice Mayonnaise
- 8 ounces ham diced
- 8 ounces chicken breast boiled and shredded
- ½ cup pineapple chunks
- 1 carrot minced
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 Tablespoon onion minced
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon parsley chopped
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni based on package instructions. Set aside.
- Make the dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
- Add the cooked macaroni. Toss until the macaroni is coated with the dressing.
- Chill by placing the bowl inside the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Serve and enjoy with your family.
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