Creamy Macaroni Salad

A surprisingly flavorful recipe for classic macaroni salad with a creamy herbed dressing and one step that makes all the difference!

📝 Ingredients

• 1 lb. small ridged elbow macaroni noodles
• 2-3 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/3 cups mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 3/4 cup finely diced celery

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Cook macaroni in liberally salted water per manufacturer’s instructions for al dente preparation. Drain pasta then briefly rinse in cold water. Drain again then immediately add pasta to a large mixing bowl. Don’t let it set and dry out, you want the pasta to still be on the moist side for the next step. 1 lb. macaroni
2. 2Add parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and Dijon mustard to pasta then gently stir until well combined. Let pasta “marinate” in the seasonings for 20 minutes, uncovered, at room temperature. Doing this allows the pasta to soak up the flavors of the parsley, seasonings and mustard before adding the mayonnaise. 2-3 Tbsp parsley, 1/2 tsp each garlic and salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 Tbsp dijon
3. 3Whip together mayonnaise and vinegar then set aside. 1 1/3 cups mayo, 1 Tbsp vinegar
4. 4Add onion, celery and mayonnaise mixture to pasta then stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours before serving. 1 red onion, 3/4 c. celery
5. 5Before serving, mix well then add more salt to taste or mayo if desired.