If you're a macaroni salad fan, you might like this coleslaw as well. To make the dressing, in a serving bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, pickle juice, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Drain and rinse under cold running water and set aside to drain. Under-season and you end up with a flat-tasting salad. Reduce the heat to medium, add the macaroni, and cook until tender, according to package directions. I've shared general amounts, but keep adding pepper, or lemon juice, or salt until the flavors really pop off the pasta. You really need to taste and adjust as you toss this salad. In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, mustard. Drain the pasta in a colander and let cool to room temperature. While the pasta boils, prep all the add-ins. Cook the pasta until tender according to package instructions (about 1 minute past al dente). The later is a great option for mixed-crowd parties or households avoiding gluten. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. I also really like chickpea based elbow macaroni (like this one), and I'm seeing it in an increasing number of stores. The pasta: You can experiment with different elbow macaroni. You can use classic, commercial mayo, but I also link to a simple vegan mayo I like to use here instead, it brings the spirit of a mayo-based salad with a fraction of the calories, fat, and it's vegan. I've tried to offer up a few alternative ideas here, ways you can maintain all the things you love about macaroni salad, and make it more healthful as well. The mayo: Most classic macaroni salads are not-very-good-for-you mayo bombs. I'll note tweaks down below and in the recipe headnotes! Or, let's say you have a gluten-free friend, you can make a quick swap using chickpea pasta elbows, no problem. Place and cook in a large pot of salted boiling water the pasta until al dente and rinse under cold water and drain. For example, there's no reason you can't whip up a vegan version if needed. I'll also offer up some variations to explore depending on who you might be sharing your salad with. I've had my dad's macaroni salad twice in the last ten days, and I'm sharing my take on the classic here, along with a couple of tricks I keep up my sleeve. The one he uses is medium-sized, and makes its appearance with plastic wrap across the top, secured with a rubber band. The bowl is what I notice first, ceramic with a flower detail on the inside rim, it's part of a set of three my grandma left when she died a few years back.

He'll wheel it around in a cooler and when the time is right, he'll flip the top and pull a cornflower blue bowl from the ice. If you invite him to a picnic, barbecue, housewarming, or block party this time of year, odds are good he'll show up with a macaroni salad. This is a fresh take on classic macaroni salad, inspired by my dad.

Old fashioned pasta salad recipe