Summer is officially over but I still enjoy a good pasta salad as a side dish for meals or by itself for lunch. Although I don't have it very often, I like macaroni salad just as much as I like potato salad which is my favorite cold salad to eat. Some people can eat warm pasta salad but I don't care for warm salad. The colder the better I say. The wonderful thing about preparing a pasta salad is the ingredients are endless. You can put whatever vegetables or meat in the salad and pack it for your work lunch. Here is a simple cold macaroni pasta salad I would like to share with you.
Ingredients
1 package elbow macaroni (or small pasta you like)
1 cup grape/cherry tomatoes
1 can artichoke hearts
2 stalks celery
1 small onion
1 can black olives
¼ cup sweet relish
¼ cup white vinegar
1 cup miracle whip (mayo works too)
1 tbsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Grab a pot and add 6 cups of water and salt the water because this is what gives your pasta flavor. You want to cook your macaroni according to package directions or until the macaroni is al dente which means firm. After cooking the pasta for about 10 minutes, drain the pasta and rinse under cold water. I rinse the pasta for cold salads but for hot pasta recipes it's not necessary to rinse the pasta. Place the pasta in a large bowl. Chop your onions and celery and add to the macaroni. Add the grape tomatoes whole or you can slice in half. Drain the liquid from the canned olives and add them in. Drain the liquid from the canned artichoke and add to bowl as well. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste. I like to add the salt and pepper in before I put the salad dressing in. You won't have to use much salt since the water you boiled the macaroni in is already salted. Add in the miracle whip and add a ½ cup more if needed. Then add the vinegar and relish and mix well. Depending on how sweet you want the salad, you may want to add more relish as well to your discretion. Sprinkle the top of the salad with paprika, cover, and chill in the refrigerator. The next day the salad is yummier since the ingredients marinade overnight.
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