Chef John's Classic Macaroni Salad
4.8
Ingredients
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 300 min
Instructions
- 1 Whisk 1 cup mayonnaise, vinegar, Dijon, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl until dressing is well blended; whisk in sugar.
- 2 Stir celery, bell pepper, carrot, green onions, jalapeño pepper, and poblano pepper into dressing. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate until macaroni is ready.
- 3 Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain in a colander for about 5 minutes, shaking out the moisture from time to time, but do not rinse.
- 4 Transfer macaroni to a large bowl; toss to separate. Cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes. Macaroni should be sticky.
- 5 Add celery mixture to macaroni; stir until evenly distributed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate until macaroni absorbs dressing, 4 hours to overnight.
- 6 Stir salad; stir water and remaining 1 tablespoon mayonnaise into salad to refresh before serving.
By John Mitzewich