Summer Pasta Salad Recipe
Chilled Macaroni or Spirals with a Tasty Dressing
Put together a cool summmer pasta salad. This easy southern recipe is made ahead and chilled. Great on hot summer days or for parties.
Summer Pasta Salad can be put together the night ahead or made first thing in the morning. It chills and then is a nice refreshing side dish after a long, hot day. It's also a tasty dish to take to barbecues or pot luck dinners. There's nothing last minute to this pasta recipe, so it can be made and then forgotten until time to head out. That's really nice when you're trying to get things together and get out the door.
Southern Summer Pasta Salad
- 1 box of macaroni or spiral pasta (8 oz)
- 1 small onion (chopped fine)
- 2 stalks celery (sliced thin)
- 1 carrot (cut thin or shredded)
- 1 hard boiled egg (diced)
- 1 cup Miracle Whip (mayonnaise can also be used)
- 2 TBS sweet pickle relish
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp pepper (fresh ground is really good)
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- parsley (fresh is best - but flakes are OK)
Directions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Pour off hot water. Rinse with cold water to remove excess starch. Drain well. Put in large bowl.
- Add onions, carrots, and egg. Toss this in with the pasta until it's fairly well mixed together.
- In a small bowl, mix Miracle Whip, relish, mustard, salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir well.
- Pour the dressing mix over the pasta mixture and then toss to coat the pasta and vegetables.
- Put some fresh parsley on top or sprinkle on some parsley flakes.
- Seal and chill for at least two hours. All day or overnight is good.
A number of other items can be added to the summer salad. Try some of these for some variation:
- cucumbers
- bell peppers
- summer squash
- diced tomatoes
- olives
- bacon bits
Any of these are added in with the vegetables and egg with the pasta before adding the dressing mixture.
If you're interested in other good summer dishes that can be made ahead and chilled, then here are some relaly good ones.
Southern Cornbread Salad - This layered salad combines the flavors of cornbread, beans and corn. It's a great meal all in one big bowl or dish.
Southern Seven Layer Salad - A classic lettuce salad with peas and a rich dressing, this one always gets rave reviews.
Easy Cucumber Salad - It really doesn't get much easier than this. There's nothing to cook. Just mix this up and chill it.
Cool Kidney Bean Salad - This cool recipe is a favorite from the mountains of Virginia. It's also colorful and make a nice presentation.
Best Ever Potato Salad - No kidding. This is fabulous potato salad.
