The Pioneer Woman's "The Best Macaroni Salad Ever'

 

I just adore The Pioneer Woman. She's so fun and down to earth and I can relate to her. I have been searching for a good, neutral macaroni salad recipe for years. This is the perfect compromise between my husbands taste preference and mine. He tends to lean towards what I affectionately call "bachelor mac salad"which pretty much consists of pasta, black olives, mayonnaise, sometimes cheese and salt and pepper. Nothing wrong with any of that but, I tend to lean towards more complicated recipes with a laundry list of ingredients. I know, I know, I'm mac salad high maintenance, lol.

 Ree ended our mac salad stand-off. Thanks, Ree! :)

Here is her wonderful recipe

Ingredients

4 cups Elbow Macaroni
3 whole Roasted Red Peppers, Chopped (more To Taste, Can Also Use Pimentos)
1/2 cup Black Olives, Chopped Fine
6 whole Sweet/spicy Pickle Slices, Diced (about 1/2 Cup Diced)-I used dill because my husband hates sweet in every ounce of his being.
3 whole Green Onions, Sliced (white And Dark Green Parts)
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Red Wine Or Distilled Vinegar
3 teaspoons Sugar, More Or Less To Taste
1/4 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
Plenty Of Black Pepper
1/4 cup Milk (more If Needed)
Splash Of Pickle Juice (spicy Sweet Pickles)-yep, I used sweet pickle juice and he doesn't know!
Extra Pickle Juice To Taste

I wonder how adding diced hard boiled egg would taste in here.....? But why mess with perfection?

Preparation Instructions

Cook the macaroni in lightly salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Set aside.
Mix together mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Splash in enough milk to make it pourable. Splash in pickle juice for extra flavor. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside.
Place cooled macaroni in a large bowl and pour 3/4 of the dressing. Toss and add more dressing if you'd like. (Dressing will seem a little thin, but it will thicken up as salad chills.)
Stir in olives, roasted red peppers (or pimentos), pickles, and green onions. Add more of any ingredient if you'd like more stuff going on! At the end, splash in a little more pickle juice and stir.
Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Sprinkle with sliced green onion to serve!