Hawaiian macaroni salad, part of the holy trinity that makes up plate lunch, is something close to my heart. Everyone has their own special recipe and every since I visited Helena’s Hawaiian Food this past fall, I’ve been trying to figure out what made it taste so good. My dad clued me in that he uses whole milk in his mac salad which makes it taste creamier and mellows out the vinegar.
So when I saw a recipe for Hawaiian Pasta Salad on Kim’s blog Feed Me Seymour, my mind was made for this month’s Secret Recipe Club pick. Kim prides herself on recipes that aren’t daunting or scary such as: Black Tea Honey Scones, Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows, Butterbeer Cupcakes, Rolo Cookies, and Nutella-stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Since I made this mac salad in the middle of a snow storm, I had to improvise. There was no macaroni pasta at the store so I picked the closest thing; I had to make my own mayonnaise out of olive oil, egg yolks, mustard, and salt; I used almond milk instead of regular milk. Using a more traditional milk, especially whole milk, will make this much creamier and less tangy.
Regardless, this was a mighty fine macaroni salad — 2 scoops of this and some Honey Garlic Chicken really hit the spot.
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Hawaiian Mac Salad Recipe
By Published: March 23, 2015
- Yield: 10 Servings
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Ready In: 60 mins
Adapted from Feed Me Seymour
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 pound pasta elbow noodles
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 large carrots grated
- 2 teaspoons celery salt and more to taste
- black pepper to taste
- green onion to taste, optional
Instructions
- Whisk together 1½ cups milk, 1 cup mayo, brown sugar and some salt and pepper. Put in the fridge.
- Boil your noodles in a pot until soft then drain. Return to pot. Add vinegar to pasta and toss until absorbed. Transfer to a bowl. Cool for ten minutes.
- Stir in the dressing until pasta is well coated. Cool.
- Add in remaining milk, carrot, celery and remaining mayo. Stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- MIx in sliced green onions and top with chia seeds (optional twist).
- Cuisine: Hawaiian
What a great recipe..I love a good mac salad and with summer coming this will be perfect. I had you blog this month and your coconut nests were a huge hit:) You have so many great recipes it was hard to pick one~ Lynn
Lynn @ Turnips 2 Tangerines recently posted..Spring Coconut Macaroon Nests SRC
How perfect is this for your blog? Right up your alley! I love the way you presented and photographed this salad too.
Karen @ Karen’s Kitchen Stories recently posted..Potato Leek Pie
PERFECT for the Easter buffet table and summer picnics!GREAT pick for SRC this month. Karen
Karen S Booth recently posted..A Spring Breakfast Recipe: Shirred Eggs over Kale and Garlic with Espelette
This is, without a doubt, my go-to summertime recipe. But I love that you used homemade mayo! I bet that really takes it over the edge. I’ll need to try that! Hope you loved it! 🙂
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) recently posted..Creamy Spinach and Poached Eggs
I love mac salads during the summer. I often will throw shrimp in it to make a complete meal. I have never thought of adding brown sugar.
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm recently posted..Little Miss meets the Easter Bunny
Cooks need to adapt, right? And you showed incredible flexibility, congrats!
in the middle of a storm! Maybe you should call it “Hawaiian Storm Salad” 😉
nice recipe!
SallyBR recently posted..SECRET RECIPE CLUB: GLUTEN-FREE & VEGAN RASPBERRY BARS
How funny… literally just this weekend I went to a Hawaiian BBQ takeout place (for the first time ever) and the combo plate had macaroni salad on it… which I thought was SO random. Apparently it’s not!! Who knew!! Theirs was really good and yours looks amazing too!!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel recently posted..SRC: Cauliflower Fried Rice
I’m a sucker for any type of macaroni/pasta salad. This recipe is speaking my language!! Looks great! Happy reveal day 🙂
What a wonderful summer recipe! And it’s beautiful!
susan @ the wimpy vegetarian recently posted..Roasted Red Pepper Penne
I cannot remember the last time I made mac salad. This sounds really good, I love creamy mac salads.
Love the use of brown sugar! I’ve never had Hawaiian macaroni salad but it sounds perfect!
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