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ZESTY MACARONI SALAD

Zesty Macaroni Salad, a medley of macaroni and fresh vegetables in a creamy, spicy mayo dressing, perfect make-ahead dish for any picnic, party, barbeque etc.!
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword barbecue, macaroni, make ahead, mayonnaise, pasta, salad, summer, vegetables
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Author curryandvanilla

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked macaroni 1 cup uncooked
  • 3 large dill pickles sliced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper/capsicum chopped
  • ½ green red bell pepper/capsicum chopped
  • 1/3 cup red onion chopped
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup green peas fresh or frozen
  • 2 celery sticks chopped

For the mayonnaise dressing:

  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise with our without eggs
  • 1 to 2 tsp Dijon mustard or any yellow mustard paste you have to taste
  • 1 tsp white vinegar/apple cider vinegar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons red chilli sauce or according to taste I have used Maggi Hot & Sweet Tomato chilli sauce
  • Splash of Sriracha or any other hot sauce optional

Instructions

  1. Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain; rinse and set aside to cool.

  2. In a large bowl, whisk or mix to combine mayonnaise, mustard, chili sauce, vinegar and Sriracha sauce.

  3. Stir in cooked and cooled macaroni along with the rest of the ingredients.
  4. Do a taste test and adjust the amount of mayo, vinegar, mustard or hot sauce according to preference.
  5. Cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap and chill until serving time; stays good for up to 2 days.
  6. Serve chilled (stir before serving).

Recipe Notes

  • Use any kind of small pasta you prefer; it could be macaroni, rotini pasta, penne, shell, bow tie or even spaghetti!
  • Adjust the amount of sauce ingredients according to taste. If you are not a fan of mayo, then use any thick yogurt like Greek yogurt instead.
  • Add more or less of the vegetables as you like.
  • Along with the above mentioned vegetables, you can also use boiled potatoes, chopped/grated carrots, boiled and cubed beetroots (stir in the end in order not to color the whole salad red!), finely chopped kale, cubed paneer (Indian cottage cheese) etc.
  • You can also mix in chopped herbs like dill, cilantro/coriander leaves, dried oregano, crushed Italian seasoning mix, black pepper powder etc. The possibilities are endless!
  • Non-vegetarians can stir in cooked chicken, boiled shrimp, boiled and chopped eggs etc.