Are you looking for a macaroni salad that is both sweet and tangy? Well then, this Amish macaroni salad recipe is just what you’ve been searching for. Finely chopped celery, carrot, and hard-boiled egg add lots of great texture while bread and butter pickles give this creamy pasta salad just the right hint of sweet vinegary flavor. Basically, this Amish macaroni salad has everything you could ever want in a pasta salad and more.
When it comes to summer side salads, I will almost without a doubt, opt for potato salad. However, every so often, I do find myself having a serious craving for a big ol’ spoonful of creamy pasta salad. And, if I’m being brutally honest folks, there is no way in hell that I will ever buy a store-bought version. Can someone please tell me why all pre-made pasta salads are so dang awful? I mean, honestly, I pretty much pass by any tub of the stuff if I encounter it at a cookout or barbecue. That’s right, this girl right here, ain’t got the time of day to mess with a store-bought pasta salad.
So, just what makes this Amish macaroni salad different than what you would buy in your local market? Well, first of all, it’s not totally disgusting. That’s a big plus, right? And secondly, it’s sweet, tangy, and has lots of great texture from all of the added veggies and hard-boiled eggs it contains. It’s also one of those side dishes that goes so well with just about anything. Grilled hamburgers, sausages, shrimp, pork chops, steak; you name it. It’s the perfect side dish for them all. So, the next time you’re craving pasta salad, ditch the nasty store-bought tub and make this delicious recipe instead.
Ingredients:
- Cold Water
- 1 Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
- 8-oz. Macaroni Pasta
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Bread & Butter Pickle Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Grain Mustard
- 3/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/4 Cup Bread & Butter Pickles, Very Finely Chopped
- 3 Celery Stalks, Very Finley Diced
- 2 Carrots, Peeled & Very Finely Diced
- 4 Hard-Boiled Eggs, Roughly Chopped
Directions:
- Fill a large stockpot with cold water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
- When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the sea salt and pasta. Stir to combine. Cook the pasta until it is soft and tender, but not squishy.
- Drain the pasta and then run it under cold water for 5 minutes. Make sure to shake off as much excess water as possible.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, pickle juice, vinegar, mustard, pepper, salt, and onion powder.
- Add the well-drained pasta to the salad dressing and stir to combine.
- Gently fold the pickles, celery, carrots, and hard-boiled eggs into the pasta salad.
- Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving or until chilled.
Suggestions:
- You can use any size or shape of macaroni for this pasta salad, however, the cooking time may vary slightly. I suggest using the package guidelines for cooking the pasta, however, you may need to add several minutes for the pasta to become soft enough for this pasta salad. You do not want the pasta to become squishy, however, you do not want it to be hard either. There is nothing worse than eating pasta salad that has undercooked pasta in it.
- I used extra-large eggs for this recipe. If you are using smaller eggs, you may want to add an additional egg or two to the pasta salad.
Improvements:
- Add crushed red pepper flakes to the pasta salad.
- In lieu of onion powder, use a few tablespoons of finely chopped onion in this recipe.
- Add small chunks of cheddar cheese just before serving.
Ingredients:
- Cold Water
- 1 Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
- 8-oz. Macaroni Pasta
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Bread & Butter Pickle Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Grain Mustard
- 3/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/4 Cup Bread & Butter Pickles, Very Finely Chopped
- 3 Celery Stalks, Very Finley Diced
- 2 Carrots, Peeled & Very Finely Diced
- 4 Hard-Boiled Eggs, Roughly Chopped
Directions:
- Fill a large stockpot with cold water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
- When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the sea salt and pasta. Stir to combine. Cook the pasta until it is soft and tender, but not squishy.
- Drain the pasta and then run it under cold water for 5 minutes. Make sure to shake off as much excess water as possible.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, pickle juice, vinegar, mustard, pepper, salt, and onion powder.
- Add the well-drained pasta to the salad dressing and stir to combine.
- Gently fold the pickles, celery, carrots, and hard-boiled eggs into the pasta salad.
- Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving or until chilled.
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