Macaroni Salad
by Sam Merritt - https://sugarspunrun.com/macaroni-salad/

(Salad, macaroni, eggs)

Macaroni Salad
Macaroni Salad

Yield: 6 1-cup servings
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 7 min
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 22 min

Ingredients

8 oz macaroni noodles
½ C diced pickles (sweet or dill, your choice)
¾ C finely diced red bell pepper (about ½ pepper)
⅓ C thinly sliced celery (about 1-2 stalks)
⅓ C finely diced red onion
2 large hard boiled eggs, finely diced
Optional ingredients
¾ C finely diced and seeded tomato
3 Tbsp sliced ripe (black) olives

Salad Dressing
¾ C mayonaise
¼ C sour cream (or greek style yogurt)
2 Tbsp pickle juice from jar of pickles used above
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
⅛ tsp garlic powder
(optional) 1 Tbsp sugar
(optional) ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper or a few shakes of Chulula Hot Sauce

Instructions
  1. Prepare macaroni noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water, then drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and gently stir so the noodles don't stick together as they sit.
  2. In a large bowl, combine macaroni noodles, sweet pickles, red pepper, celery, red onion, and eggs. Stir until well-combined. Set aside and prepare your dressing.
    3. Dressing
  3. To prepare your macaroni salad dressing, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, red wine vinegar, sweet pickle juice, sugar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper (if using) in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until ingredients are well-combined.
  4. Pour dressing over your macaroni salad ingredients and toss until well-combined.
  5. For best flavor, cover bowl and allow macaroni salad to chill for at least one hour. Stir once more before serving and enjoy!

*If you don't have red wine vinegar on hand, white wine or apple cider vinegar would also work well.

Nutrition
Serving: 1 cup Calories: 408
398 if using yogurt		 Carbohydrates: 36g Protein: 8g
Fat: 25g Saturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 79mg
Sodium: 463mg Potassium: 210mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 8g
Vitamin A: 884U Vitamin C: 25mg; Calcium: 44mg Iron: 1mg