Do you fret at the sight of salad? Does your mind immediately transport you to a plate full of veggies and green leaves when you hear the word salad? Well, we understand this might not be the most appetizing image that would tempt you to eat the dish, yet we believe that if you want you can actually make the salad work for you. Who said that they always have to be healthy? They can be creamy, cheesy, meaty or just the way you like. In fact, how about dunking your favourite pasta into a salad?
Oh yes, that is very much possible. The versatile pasta can be used in a variety of dishes. My mother makes this delicious macaroni salad that I absolutely adore. Not only is it creamy and cheesy, it has the crunch of vegetables too. At times, when there is some leftover salad, I end up stuffing it in between two slices of bread and enjoying a macaroni sandwich. Now when say mac, the other word that comes to mind is cheese.
Macaroni, also known as elbow pasta, is baked along with cheese to become the popular dish mac and cheese. The origins of this kind of pasta can be traced back to ancient Greece when the Neopolis colony was settled in Greece in the period of 2000 to 1000 B.C. Macaroni, as per the International Pasta Organisation, finds its primitive versions in the form of barley pasta which was made with water. The name macaroni is believed to be derived from the Greek goddess macaria.
Now that you’ve taken a dig into the history of macaroni, it’s time that you try some macaroni salad too.
Ingredients
- Macaroni (1 packet)
- Chopped cucumbers
- Chopped tomatoes
- Chopped onions
- Mayonnaise
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Method
1. You can take as many vegetables you like but for the purpose of this recipe we’ve taken cucumbers, onions and tomatoes.
2. Medium-chop all the veggies and keep them aside.
3. Meanwhile boil the macaroni in a pot full of water with a dash of oil.
4. Once the macaroni is boiled, drain the water and let the macaroni cool down.
5. Then take a big bowl and throw in your macaroni, chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and onions in it.
6. Add three to four tablespoons of macaroni to the bowl. Mix it with a big ladle. Sprinkle salt and pepper as per your taste.
7. Mix well and let it chill for one hour in the refrigerator.
8. Serve cold!
This creamy and chunky macaroni salad can be paired with soups, garlic bread, stuffed in sandwiches, or eaten standalone too. You can enhance the taste by adding some flavoured mayonnaise like tandoori mayo etc.