Best Hawaiian Macaroni Salad Recipe How to Make Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Rinse the cooked pasta with cold water and drain it as much as possible. We want to “shock” the pasta so it’ll stop cooking, but make sure it isn’t too wet or else the dressing will slide off. A couple questions coming from a former Kamaina. So we have always made extra for leftovers and the next day the Mayo (Hellman’s)turns oily and does not stay creamy like the first day.

The mac salad will taste different when it’s initially mixed together and after it’s been sitting in the fridge for a few hours. Season to taste at both times. Bring a large pot of salted water & cook your macaroni to al dente. I can’t emphasize this enough – mac salad is absolutely iconic in Hawaii. Hawaiian macaroni salad is a staple of the plate lunch, an affordable meal that traces back to the plantation fields of the early 1900s.

Mac salad gives you a nice semi-palate cleanser or should I say palate-enhancer when you’re eating a plate lunch. To make a batch of mac salad ahead of time, cook up your macaroni until it’s nice and tender. Drain and rinse in cold water to halt the cooking. Be sure it’s well drained so no excess water interferes with the dish. I’d lost track of the recipe that I made for years when my husband and his family member old friends from Oahu were visiting.

Mac salad is from Hawaii, but that doesn’t automatically make it Hawaiian food. Learn more about the difference here. Now that you’ve mixed everything well, cover the salad and pop it in the fridge for at least 4 hours to set. Gently mix again before serving. While you can definitely enjoy this dish as a main course if you’d like, it makes a wonderful side to pretty much any protein. “This side dish is perfect with kalua pig, other BBQ meats, and perfect for picnics as well,” Hondrum shares.

Fold mayo mixture into the macaroni until all the noodles are evenly coated. Thank you for not having vinegar in the ingredients. I don’t understand all these sweet and sour vinegary recipes. A true Hawaiian style mac salad basically tastes like macaroni, mayo and a few bland vegetables for texture/crunch. Credentials include being born and raised on Oahu. Simple and tasty Hawaiian macaroni salad recipe just like you’d get at a Hawaiian restaurant.

Traditional elbow macaroni is the pasta shape used to make this pasta salad. But don’t worry, any short noodle will work nicely, including rigatoni, penne, or even small shells. Plump and fatty Hawaiian mac salad is an affordable and fast side dish weight loss and tattoos to go with any bold and savory bbq and rice plate. Eventually, macaroni replaced the potatoes to make it more inexpensive and the dish turned into mac salad. Add the onion and carrots and the mayonnaise then fold until the dish is well blended.

Here, you’ll find recipes inspired by growing up in the South and travels around the world. I don’t recommend freezing Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, because the texture of the pasta and sauce will change. However, it you want to try it, freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and it will be ready to eat the next day. Assemble the ingredients for this recipe. For the exact amounts, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

Mix it all together and chill in a covered container until you’re ready to serve. Again, letting your mac salad chill overnight results in fabulous flavors. Once cooked, drain the pasta, rinse with cold water, & set aside.

Use a spoon to combine gently. As a reminder, you should have chopped the veggies ahead of time to make things easier. “For chopping the veggies, you want a nice dice on the celery, then I use a cheese grater for the carrots and onion,” Hondrum shares. “The onion can get a little slippery toward the end, so save another quarter of the onion to use at the end. It will be less slippery and safer.”