Macaroni Salad with a Twist

Description

I was messin’ around in my kitchen trying to put a twist on my traditional macaroni salad recipe. I tried several different dishes before I came up with this one. Now my friends and family can’t get enough of it! I recommend making it a day ahead and chilling it overnight to really develop the flavors.

Ingredients

  • 1 (16 ounce) package small seashell pasta
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
  • ⅔ cup white sugar
  • 2 ½ tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 large Vidalia or sweet onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • ¼ cup grated carrots
  • 1 pound diced cooked ham

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta
  2. and cook until al dente
  3. 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta
  4. but do not rinse. Let stand 5 minutes.
  5. To make the dressing
  6. combine the mayonnaise
  7. vinegar
  8. sugar
  9. mustard
  10. salt
  11. and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
  12. Combine the onion
  13. celery
  14. bell pepper
  15. carrots
  16. and ham in a large bowl. Stir in the dressing. Add the pasta and toss gently to blend all ingredients. Chill at least 4 hours before serving.

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 8 mins

Total Time: 4 hrs 28 mins

Servings: 8

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