Mac Salad Recipe Needed
 

OK, so I am having withdrawal, just can't help it. I have tried several different mac salad recipes since I've been home, and none of them are quite right. I am looking for the simple mac salad found on practically every plate lunch. By simple, I mean macaroni, mayonaise, and whatever other secret ingredients. The ones I liked best seemed to have the fewest ingredients. What do the plate lunch wagons do that makes it so darn good?

I add canned tuna and Lesuer peas to mine.

It is pretty pure and simple. Best Foods mayonnaise (the original--not low fat), salt, maybe some minced round onion and a little grated raw carrot. No big secret here. Don't skimp on the mayo--you may find that it will be dry if left in the refrigerator over night, as the macaroni will absorb moisture. Add more mayo. Mayo, mayo, mayo. For variety, add canned tuna or frozen green peas for color, with more mayo, of course.

If making it in Mexico you are supposed to use 5 times the Best Foods...or Cinco de Mayo. #-O

Island style w/ white rice, potato, peas, carrots, tuna added in with the regular stuff.

I don't use carrot in mine, but I like chopped green pepper and celery. Add black pepper, chopped onion (if you don't have used dried onion flakes or minced onion), a wee bit of garlic salt, lots of Mayo and a dash of Italian Salad Dressing spice it up. You can green peas if you like them.

This is so "midwestern", but my mother used to make one with packaged Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, canned tuna, frozen peas, pickle relish, chopped onion, and mayonnaise. I'm not sure if I've left anything out. It was actually addictive!

I used those brown rice elbow noodles last time. Gave it a real nice taste.

Neo, did she make the mac & cheese and then add all the other stuff? I know this sounds like a stupid question but I have never heard of anything like this. I can't quite picture the cheese and the mayo.

I've used green (sometimes also red) peppers, teaspoon of white vinegar, touch of sugar, dash of salt and pepper with lots of Hellman's (Best Foods west of the Mississippi) mayo. Sometimes use sweet relish if no green pepper in the bin (omit the sugar and vinegar) along with salt, pepper and lots of mayo.

I like the green peas option. Sounds good!

yeah, the vinigar gets the job done!

OSB,

What are Lesuer peas?

-Bill

bbq, Leseur peas are little sweet green peas. We always called them english peas.

I have a really good mac salad that you use old bay. I don't care for anything like tuna or peas or carrots in mine...just mac, mayo, and that kind of stuff

http://www.cdkitchen.com/


http://www.astray.com/recipes/

2 good recipe search sites

Sometimes I add a couple of teaspoons of pickle relish to mine ... sort of depends on what's in the refrigerator when I'm making it :-)

I have had good luck finding recipes on www.allrecipes.com. The recipes are rated by people that supposedly have tried them.

Love the tuna & Lesuer peas in ours too...except around here we call them "sewer peas"..but oh how we love them! But it doesn't quite seem done till I add some red onion and the magic of vinegar( I prefer cider)

<u>Sonoma County Pasta Salad</u>
Tri-color rotini (corkscrew shape,
of course)
:S-
Chopped celery
Sliced olives
Capers
Minced garlic
Chopped Bermuda onion
Chopped Fresh basil
Asiago cheese &amp; Parmesan cheese
Red wine vinaigrette dressing
Dash of balsamic vinaigrette dressing
(no mayo in this one)

R5

I always add two or three hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped, to macaroni salad--along with chopped dill pickle, chopped pimiento, chopped Vidalia onions, and lots of Hellman's.

Yum

Byrd

LeSeuer is a small town in Minnesota where Green Giant vegetables are frozen/canned.

Here's a couple of links for you

http://www.mayo.com/recipeDisplayMRS...&amp;Version=1

http://www.mayo.com/recipeDisplayMRS...&amp;Version=1

Macaroni, Best Foods mayonnaise, a can of American style black olives (chopped), several sweet pickles (chopped), a small jar of diced pimento, and about 2 Tblsp. minced onion. I agree with offlady -- don't skimp on the mayonnaise.

This isn't sophisticated and it sure isn't health food, but it is comforting. We make it once a year...

Yep, it sounds like your missing the vinegar. I use corkscrew pasta, onion, celery, green pepper, hard boiled egg, pepper, salt, vinegar, pinch of sugar, lots of mayo. It tastes even better the next day! My husband loves this stuff.

go to deli. by mac salad.

gomiki, she'd boil the macaroni from the Kraft package, strain it, then add the cheese package (before the days of the liquid cheese) and add the other ingredients.
Mayo AND cheese? Welcome to the midwest -- land of the multi carbs and fats.

That recipe once came from a box of the Kraft Mac and Cheese, by the way. Called &quot;Seacoast Salad&quot; I think.

Thanks for the great replies. I guess I forgot when I posted in the Hawaii forum that it was also posted to the general US forum. I should have included in the title that I was looking for a Hawaiian style Mac sald found on every plate lunch. Sorry, my mistake.

jim...It appears it was well received..I must add that between this thread and the chicken thread I have come to a decision I was hoping to avoid.While in Dallas, I love to endulge a visit to the South Dallas Cafe, a truly soulful excursion.And true endulgence! However, I will have to pay the piper, so to speak with a 2 hour workout on Friday following tomorrow's expedition to the SDC...And my personal trainer in Dallas is most unforgiving....Maybe I should avoid the food threads??nahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

I have no idea what makes some plate lunch mac salads taste so good and why others do not - since they all pretty much look the same.

Typical plate lunch mac salad looks like it contains only the macaroni, mayo, salt and pepper. Sometimes I see finely grated carrot. Sometimes I don't see - but taste grated onion. Once I had some mac salad that had really finely chopped hard boiled egg in it.

Neo, thanks for the info. I'm from the midwest too but never had that!

Jim, there is no Hawaii Forum -- Only US Forum. Selecting Hawaii is only for the search. ((b))

This is how we always make our Hawaiian-style mac salad:

Cooked macaroni (either elbows or small shells)

cooked diced potato

diced hard boiled eggs

LOTS of Best Foods (has to be!) Mayo

shred one carrot

mustard, salt &amp; pepper

Stir it up, chill awhile and enjoy!

Here's what I like. Doesn't taste like any store mac salad. Macaroni, mayo, onion, celery, tuna, and cucumber. Salt and pepper to taste. My husband loves this, kids hate it. Ces't la vie.

The mac salad on Hawaii plate lunches don't normally contain vinegar or mustard. Either short macaroni or elbow macaroni and whole lot of mayo. A little salt and pepper. Usually a little bit of grated carrots just for color but not always. Some places might add diced potato and minced Maui onion. If you go to local home cooked family potlucks, the Hawaiian mac salad might also have tuna, peas, chopped boiled egg, and pickle relish. Still, no vinegar (aside from the relish) and no mustard but a lot of mayo. If the party is extra special, they will splurge and substitute tuna with crabmeat! Known to cause ptomaine when it's been sitting out too long on hot muggy days!

this is my DH recipe and I love it very very much......

elbow or rotini noodles
chopped ham
diced red onion
diced celery
diced carrots
mayo
salt
pepper
paprika
chopped boiled egg


quantity of each to taste

I have a couple of mayo-haters in my family so I often use bottled ranch dressing instead.