Alright, so today I whipped up some macaroni salad. Needed something quick for a side dish, and this always hits the spot. Doesn’t take much effort, which is just what I needed.
Getting Started
First thing, I put a big pot of water on the stove to boil. Tossed in a good palmful of salt – you want that pasta water salty. Once it was rolling, I dumped in about half a box, maybe two cups, of elbow macaroni. Gave it a quick stir so nothing stuck together on the bottom.
I just let that cook according to the box, maybe like 8 minutes? Checked a piece to make sure it wasn’t too soft. Gotta have a little bite, you know? Mushy pasta ruins it. As soon as it was done, I drained it real fast in a colander. Then, and this is key, I rinsed it under cold water. Stops the cooking right away and cools it down so it doesn’t turn into mush later with the mayo.
Prepping the Mix-ins
While the macaroni was draining and cooling off, I got chopping. Didn’t go crazy, just used what I had around.
- Celery: Grabbed a couple stalks, washed ’em, and chopped ’em pretty small. Need that crunch.
- Onion: Just used about a quarter of a regular yellow onion. Minced it up real fine. Don’t want huge chunks of raw onion. Some people use red onion, that’s good too.
- Pickle Relish: Didn’t chop this, obviously, but made sure I had my jar of sweet pickle relish handy. It’s essential for me.
That was it for today. Sometimes I add bell pepper or shredded carrot, but I was keeping it simple.
Making the Dressing & Mixing
Got out a big bowl. Plopped in a good amount of mayonnaise. Probably close to a cup, maybe a bit more. Hard to say, I just eyeball it. Then, a few big spoonfuls of that sweet pickle relish. Maybe three?
Added a squirt of plain yellow mustard – not too much, just for a little tang. A pinch of sugar to balance things out, maybe half a teaspoon. Then salt and pepper. Went easy on the salt at first, ’cause the mayo and relish have some already. Lots of black pepper, though. I like it peppery.
Stirred that all together until it was smooth. Tasted it. Yeah, needed a little something… maybe a tiny splash of white vinegar? Nah, decided against it today. Just added a tiny bit more salt.
By now, the macaroni was cool and drained well. Dumped it into the bowl with the dressing. Added the chopped celery and onion.
Then I just gently folded everything together with a big spoon. Don’t stir like crazy, you’ll break up the macaroni. Just fold until everything is coated nicely.
Chilling and Final Thoughts
Once it was all mixed, I covered the bowl tight with plastic wrap and stuck it straight into the fridge. This stuff needs to chill. For at least an hour, seriously. Gives the flavors time to hang out and get good. It’s even better if you can make it a few hours ahead.
And that’s basically it. Took maybe, what, 15-20 minutes of actual work? The rest is just waiting for water to boil and letting it chill. Simple, classic macaroni salad. Nothing fancy, but it does the job every time. Tastes good, easy to make. Done.