Macaroni Salad

Comfort food.

For me it’s macaroni salad.

For as long as I can remember, when the going gets tough, I’ve turned to macaroni salad. Tax time. Macaroni salad. Doctor’s appointment. Macaroni salad.  Starting a cooking blog.  Macaroni salad. You get the picture.

This is an adaptation of a recipe from the first cookbook I ever owned–The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook (1963 edition). My book is pretty dog-eared at this point but remains a treasured go-to cooking resource.

Here is my version of Good Housekeeping’s Best-Ever Macaroni Salad:

Recipe: Macaroni Salad

4 Cups cooked elbow macaroni (1/2 pound uncooked)
1 Cup mayonnaise
2 T. white vinegar
2 t. prepared mustard
1/2 t. celery seeds
1 1/2 to 2 t. salt
1/8 t. freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 Cups sliced celery
1/2 Cup sliced green onions
1/4 Cups sliced radishes
2 T. chopped parsley
1/4 Cup chopped roasted red peppers (or more to your taste)
1/4 Cup chopped (or whole) black olives (or more to your taste)
1 Cup grated cheddar or cheddar-jack cheese

Directions: Boil elbow macaroni in water until it is al dente. Drain. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk mayonnaise, vinegar, celery seed, salt, pepper and mustard together. Add celery, green onions, radishes, parsley, chopped red peppers, black olives and grated cheese.Fold in cooked elbow macaroni. Adjust seasonings. Refrigerate until macaroni salad is well-chilled. I sprinkle a bit of paprika on the salad just before serving.Enjoy.