When summer comes, and it’s time to cook out, my husband prefers macaroni salad to potato salad. Up until the day he asked for it I had never actually made macaroni salad of any kind. So it was really good luck when one of my favorite cooking magazines had a recipe for something called “Hawaiian Macaroni Salad”. This is the evolved (and improved!) version of that recipe, featuring more carrots, milk, vinegar and red instead of green onions. Delicious!
Prep time – 20 minutes / Cook time – 20 minutes
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 c. half and half
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 1/3 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 c. red onion, chopped fine
- 1 1/2 c. shredded carrots
- 3 celery ribs , chopped fine
Dressing: Whisk 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup half and half, 1 cup mayonnaise, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper in bowl. Pasta: Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta and cook until very soft, about 15 minutes. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add vinegar and toss until absorbed. Transfer to bowl. Cool pasta 10 minutes, then stir in dressing until pasta is well coated. Cool completely. Make salad: Add red onion, carrot, celery, remaining milk, and remaining mayonnaise to pot with pasta mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl and refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
