Recipe Book Grocery List

Summer Macaroni Salad

Salads 95 min

Adapted from Claude

Ingredients

Salad

  • 1 lb 450 g elbow macaroni
  • 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 3 celery stalks, finely diced
  • 1/2 red onion, finely diced
  • 1 cup 150 g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 3/4 cup 100 g frozen peas, thawed (or blanched fresh)
  • 1/4 cup 15 g fresh dill or parsley, chopped

Dressing

  • 1 cup 240 ml mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp 30 ml Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp 30 ml white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 tsp 4 g sugar
  • 1/2 tsp 3 g salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • a splash pickle juice (optional)

Method

  1. Cook the macaroni in well-salted water until just past al dente — a touch softer is nicer cold. Drain, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and remove excess starch, then drain well.
  2. While the pasta cooks, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust — it should be a little punchy, since the pasta will mellow it.
  3. Add the drained macaroni and all the vegetables to the bowl. Fold everything together until evenly coated.
  4. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. The salad absorbs dressing as it sits, so taste again before serving and loosen with an extra spoonful of mayo or a splash of vinegar if it seems dry, then re-season with salt.

Notes