(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



What's For Dinner? v19.52 -- Pasta Salads [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-06-28

I’m recycling old recipes again, but I was provoked. I fell into one of those clickbait listicles recently, one talking about “foods no one eats anymore”. Mostly they were right, mentioning jello molds, liver, and other things best left behind in the 1960s. But they pissed me off by including macaroni salad.

The entry mentioned that mayo-dressed salads are less popular than before and many people these days prefer a lighter vinaigrette-dressed pasta salad. That’s a true statement, I feel that way myself and I heard it loudly from the commenters here when I posted this the first time. But classic mac salad is still popular. You’ll find it in the deli case of EVERY supermarket, in Hawaiian plate lunch, and in most BBQ joints. Food Network has a BBQ competition show going now and mac salad was a required side dish. So don’t tell me no one eats it.

OK, rant over.

Macaroni Salad from Spicy Southern Kitchen — for 10 This is the website recipe without changes; I like more veg and more spice. The most recent time, I added more onion, 3 ribs celery not 1, a minced red bell pepper, 2 cans of chopped black olives, and some creole seasoning. I disagree with their serving instructions. I think “serve immediately” is wrong and it’s better chilled before serving. And I don’t want to get lectured by food safety professionals, but I think “refrigerate up to 2 days” is awfully conservative. Salt and pepper ▢ 1 pound elbow or salad macaroni ▢ 1/3 cup minced red onion ▢ 1 celery rib, minced ▢ 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice ▢ 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard ▢ 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder ▢ 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper ▢ 1-1/2 cups mayonnaise Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water until no longer hot. Drain briefly again, leaving a little water on the pasta and transfer to a large bowl. The pasta will absorb this water instead of the mayonnaise which will help it stay creamy. Add onion, celery, parsley, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder, and cayenne to bowl with pasta and stir to combine. Let sit 2 minutes to allow the flavors to absorb into the pasta. Add mayonnaise, stir to combine, and let sit 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 days. In my Tuna Pasta Salad WFD, SteelerGrrl commented that her favorite pasta salad was based on tricolor rotini and vinaigrette dressing. Mine too! For a vegan salad check out her recipe. This has been one of my go-to potluck dishes ever since I found it 30 years ago, my variations are: Soft goat cheese doesn’t really “cut into chunks” very well, I throw in spoonfuls and then when you mix it the goat cheese sort of dissolves into the dressing and makes it all creamy. Subbing shredded mozzarella makes the cheese more visible.

I have made it with expensive Sherry vinegar but often sub bottled Italian dressing.

I use more green onions than specified (at least a bunch) and I chop the olives.

They don’t specify using multicolored pasta, but I think it’s more interesting to look at that way.

Trader Joe’s has these cool looking multicolor pasta instead of the more common spirals. Goat Cheese Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Basil From Bon Appétit - for 6 8 ounces rotelle pasta (spirals) 8 tablespoons olive oil 4 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes ¼ teaspoon salt 4 large tomatoes, seeded, chopped 4 green onions, thinly sliced 16 Kalamata olives, pitted 4 ounces salami, chopped 1 ball (5 to 6 ounces) soft herb goat cheese cut into chunks ½ cup packed shredded fresh basil leaves I forgot to put the basil in the picture Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain, rinse well under cold water, and drain well. Transfer to large bowl. Toss with 2 tablespoons oil. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. Combine vinegars, red pepper and salt in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in remaining 6 tablespoons oil. Pour dressing over pasta. Add tomatoes, green onions, olives and salami and toss. Add goat cheese and basil and toss well. Goat Cheese Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Basil My dinner plan is My dinner plan is Thai Basil Chicken . What’s for dinner at your place?

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/28/2323860/-What-s-For-Dinner-v19-52-Pasta-Salads?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=community_groups_WFD&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/

You are viewing proxied material from magical.fish. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.