Warm weather means cook-outs and cook-outs mean yummy summertime side dishes! One of my favorite side dishes to have with grilled chicken is Southern Macaroni Salad. I didn’t grow up having this recipe or really any creamy pasta salad – which is weird for growing up in the land of mayonaise everything. But after having it at a few cookouts and BBQs as an adult I decided I could make my own version.

Keep in mind that this recipe has a high veggie to noodle ratio – that’s just how I like it. If you prefer more noodles and less veggies, feel free to skimp on the crunchy stuff.

In addition to all the veggies, you can make the recipe even healthier by using light mayo, skim milk, and low-calorie sweetener. These simple changes really cut out a lot of necessary calories while keeping the same taste.

Southern Macaroni Salad

Ingredients

• 1 pound of elbow macaroni, cooked until just al dente, drained, and rinsed with cold water
• 1 purple onion, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 3 ribs of celery, finely diced
• 1 cup of shredded or grated carrots
• 1 cup of chopped sweet baby gherkins
• 1 1/4 cup of mayo (we prefer Duke’s)
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 3-4 tablespoons of cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon of garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper or cayenne pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, add onion, bell pepper, celery, carrots, and gherkins. Toss in the cooled macaroni and combine.

In a smaller bowl combine mayo, milk, vinegar, sugar, mustards, garlic salt, and peppers and whisk until smooth.

Pour sauce over noodle mixture and mix well.

Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Much Love,

M