Creamy dishes like Alex’s macaroni salad are a perfect match for fresh dill. “I love dill with mayonnaise,” she says. “It’s grassy and light.”
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 45 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
- 1 small red onion, diced, soaked in ice water at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 3 scallions (green parts only), thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
- 12 ounces elbow macaroni
- 1 sprig dill, leaves finely chopped
- 4 sprigs basil, leaves torn
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, soy sauce and hot sauce until smooth. Drain and dry the red onion and stir it into the dressing along with the bell pepper, scallions and a generous pinch of salt.
- Make the pasta: In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt. Add the pasta and cook, stirring from time to time, until al dente (chewy but not hard or raw tasting), 6 to 10 minutes. Drain; do not rinse the pasta. Spread it out on a large baking sheet to cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.
- While the pasta is still warm, add it to the bowl with the dressing and let sit at room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir in the dill and basil just before serving and taste for seasoning.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 429 |
| Total Fat | 23 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 11 mg |
| Sodium | 327 mg |
Reviews
I love Alex’s recipes! This one is my go-to macaroni salad. The fresh dill and basil really make this salad pop.
I made this for my family yesterday. Everyone loved it! Great recipe.
Love the flavors in the dressing. But the macaroni salad was a little dry. I don’t like the gloppy macaroni salads available at the deli counter in the grocery store. Still, I made a little extra after mixing it all together because the elbow macaroni really soaked it up.
Alex is an amazing chef! My husband and I were amazed at the depth of flavor and freshness of her Classic Macaroni Salad recipe. The addition of fresh herbs gave the salad an extra burst of flavor! This is going to be a welcome addition to my recipe box! Charlotte