Hawaiian-Style Mac Salad Recipe
Hawaiian-style mac salad takes 30 minutes to prep and uses pantry ingredients to create a creamy, no-frills macaroni salad that is the perfect side dish for potlucks and bbqs.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 10 servings
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow-style pasta
- 1 2/3 cups mayonnaise (we love Hellman's or Best Foods)
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 small yellow onion*
- 1 small carrot
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onion
- 1 1/2 teaspoons togarashi , optional
- 2 teaspoons furikake , optional
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Grate the veggies. Using the medium or fine side of a box grater, grate the carrot and yellow onion and transfer to a mixing bowl. See below notes on reducing onion flavor, if desired.
- Make the dressing. In a mixing bowl combine the mayonnaise, milk, grated onion, green onion, vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, togarashi, furikake, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until well-combined.
- Cook the pasta. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling bowl. Add the pasta, stir well, and simmer until just barely past al-dente, but not overcooked.
- Drain and rinse the pasta. Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water until the pasta is cool.
- Mix and refrigerate. After rinsing, immediately mix the pasta and grated carrots with the dressing, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, tossing periodically to keep the pasta from drying out. Serve the mac salad topped with more green onion, togarashi, and furikake, if desired.
Notes
I used Lumache (or shellbow) pasta for this recipe, and the shape was perfect! It held the dressing really well.
I love onion flavor and the grated onion definitely adds some. To reduce the onion-flavor, lay the grated onion on a paper towel and wring out the onion juice before adding it to the recipe.
If you are planning to make this recipe ahead of time: the pasta will continue to absorb the dressing as it sits. You may need to add a little extra milk and mayonnaise before serving to keep the pasta creamy.
