greek macaroni salad
Bring the sunshine to your dinner table with a fabulously colorful bowl of stuff.
Once again, nailing the attractive intros.
I’m in a big fat rut. I’ve alluded to it plenty before, that my desire to cook is little to nill, and I’m reaching for foods I know and love to share because I know many of ya’ll also drift into an abyss during these hot months. I mean, it’s hard to exist when we’re under a heat advisory every other day. Summer puts me in a shit mood quite often, and shit moods aren’t conducive to ultra creativity.
Thankfully, good food doesn’t need to be complex or totally newfangled. Sometimes it’s figuring out how to twist an old favorite in an interesting way. And, thanks to mom, I thought a lot about macaroni salad these past couple weeks.
She mentioned having baked beans and macaroni salad one day recently, and it got me considering the idea of a noodly cold dish. I don’t think I was ever partial to the traditional make and model, as with potato salad; but I had all the ingredients for a Greek salad in my fridge, so the logical end of that was a Mediterranean-inspired combo. And here we are!
Much inspiring. Many innovative. Wow.
Comfort food by way of Greek Macaroni Salad. Lovely fresh produce, including some tomatoes on the vine I impulse-bought at Target the other day, salty feta, and a spoon-licking good Greek ranch dressing that is probably one of the dopest riffs on ranch I’ve made so far. I’m tellin’ ya, it’s that fresh dill. Slap yo ass good.
Don’t slap my ass, though. That’s harassment.
Food Nood
The hardest part of the recipe: choosing your favorite macaronis. I love shellbows because they’re basically giant elbows with sass. You can use regular macaronis, or even orecchiette, though then it wouldn’t *really* be macaroni salad.
Boil off your noodles in some nice salty water. When you drain them, rinse under cool water to stop them from cooking further.
While the pasta boils, I like to get chopping with the veggies. Cherry tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, olives, red onion, and a bevy of fresh herbs, whatever you’ve got around. I had a big bundle of mint and the ubiquitous basil plants around my house spoke to me, as well as a bit of dill.
Then, cube up some feta and drain a can of chickpeas. By now you’re mostly done with dinner. Sweet.
Playing Dress-Up
The second important component to a good macaroni salad is a nice creamy sauce. We go with a Greek yogurt ranch dressing here. It’s largely based on my regular ranch recipe, but with the addition of fresh dill and Dijon mustard.
Mix all that in a bowl along with lemon juice, garlic and onion powders, dried parsley, and buttermilk. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as you need, and add more milk if you like it thinner. I personally keep the ranch pretty thick here so it coats the noodles more effectively.
Put it all together! I know my photo shows a nice, pretty glass bowl with everything neatly arranged, but the reality is I toss all that massive amount of shit in my Dutch oven. If I used anything smaller, I’d be wearing a pasta bra.
I don’t use all of the dressing when mixing the salad; save some for serving. The salad doesn’t need a whole lot of embellishment, maybe a few more fresh herbs and a touch of cracked black pepper on each plate. Otherwise, toast up some crusty bread (or grill it, fuck yeah) and enjoy an ice cream cone for dessert.
Just remember: if life feels fuck, unfuck it with foods, activities, and people you truly enjoy.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
I make a lot of Greek shit:
Spicy Blackened Shrimp and Avocado Greek Salad
Crispy Greek Tofu Pita Bowls with Garlic Feta Sauce
Greek Salmon and Kale Orzo Caesar Salad with Whipped Feta Dressing
greek macaroni salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb macaroni or shellbow pasta
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup Persian cucumbers, chopped (about 2-3 cucumbers)
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 8 oz feta cheese, cubed
- 1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs (I used mint, basil, and dill)
Greek ranch
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup vegan or regular mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup buttermilk, to thin
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Pour in the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and immediately rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process.
- In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayo, dill, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, dijon mustard, buttermilk, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- In the biggest bowl you've got, add the pasta with the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, red onion, feta, and herbs. Pour in 2/3 of the dressing and toss until well combined.
- Divide into bowls and serve with the extra dressing on the side.
