Cheddar Macaroni Salad

I am a huge fan of pasta salads.  I make them a lot in the summertime.  Todd's not so fond of pasta as you know, but he will eat them, and I made this particular version the other night when we were having the Sister Missionaries over for supper.  

Something like this makes the perfect supper side dish in the summer, for entertaining, for covered dish suppers, or just for a weeknight addition to the burgers and dogs you are BBQ-ing for supper!

 

I have several different macaroni salads on here that I have posted and both are very good.  

My Creamy Macaroni Salad is quite delicious and combines a variety of elements of different salads I have tried through the years.  The other one which I make, Basic Macaroni Salad is also very good!

 

This recipe I am showing you today, Cheddar Macaroni Salad, was adapted from one of my oldest cookery books, The Better Homes and Gardens, New Cookbook, the 1982 Edition.  This is one of my favourite books and one of the very first cookbooks I purchased.  

Of course I had collected the BHG cookbook library, which was composed of a few different volumes when I was in high school and I had the Fanny Farmer Cookbook, which I loved, but this was another loving purchase and has been holding me  in good stead since then.  

Its filled with great basic, simple recipes that you really can't go wrong with!

 

I chose this salad because it had Cheddar cheese in it and I thought Todd would really enjoy that. He love, LOVES his cheddar cheese.  

It is a recipe I had flagged a long time ago because it is quite different from the other versions of Macaroni Salad you will find. 

It has only taken me 35+ years to get around to making it, but I finally did and I can tell you it won't be the last time.  

It's filled with lovely flavours and textures!

I 

Chopped green peppers, celery and onion (I used red for their mildness) mingle with cheddar and a simple, yet rich dressing and some sweet pickle relish. 

I use the French's New York Deli Pickle Relish.

 
The dressing is quite simply a mix of mayonnaise, sour cream, some seasoning and a homemade French Vinaigrette which gives it a lovely zip and flavour.  

Wait and adjust any seasoning with Salt and Pepper until you have everything mixed together.  Cheese can be quite salty so you might not need much in the way of salt if any!

 
I like to sprinkle the finished dish with sweet paprika and chopped celery to dress it up before serving.  Its quite hard to make a simple macaroni salad like this stand out . . .  its so very plain, but the paprika and pastry do just that!   

It might look simple and non-descript, but it is anything but.  This is a really tasty salad!  It went down a real treat with the Sisters and Me, Myself and I have been enjoying the leftovers for the last two days!  It's all gone now so I guess it is time to make some more!

 

*Cheddar Macaroni Salad*

Serves 6

Printable Recipe 

 

A simple, yet very tasty salad!  

115g of elbow macaroni, uncooked (1 cup)

60g grated strong cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)

1 large stalk celery, trimmed, de-stringed and chopped

3 TBS finely chopped green pepper

2 TBS finely chopped red onion

55g good quality mayonnaise (1/4 cup)

30g of sour cream (1/4 cup)

2 TBS French Dressing (see recipe below)

1 TBS sweet pickle relish 

Cook the macaroni according to the package directions until tender.  Drain well, rinse with cold water and drain again.  Toss into a bowl along with the cheese, celery, green pepper and onon.  whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, French dressing and  pickle relish.  Fold into the macaroni mixture.  Cover and chill for several hours. 

For the French Dressing - This makes a great all round salad dressing

Combine 120ml salad oil (1/2 cup), 2 TBS white wine vinegar, 2 TBS fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp sugar, 3/4 tsp dry mustard powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp paprika and a few dashes hot pepper sauce in a jar with a tight fitting lid.  Screw the lid on tightly and shake.  Chill and shake again before serving.  Makes about 180ml (3/4 cup)

If you use low or no fat mayo and sour cream, and low fat cheddar you can cut down quite a bit on the calories and fat. But even using regular full fat ingredients, there is only 196 calories per serving. (1/6 of the recipe.)  Bon Appetit!