Pimento Cheese Macaroni Salad
Total Time: 40 minutes
Here we have another Hawaiian inspired recipe – PImento Cheese Macaroni Salad. Macaroni salad – Mac salad – is the quintessential Hawaiian plate lunch staple. After having a few good and a few not so good mac salads in Hawaii and Los Angeles, I looked into making my own. Since the two main ingredients are pasta and mayonnaise, and since I use mayonnaise when I make pimento cheese at home, I decided to try my hand at making a pimento cheese version of macaroni salad.
To come up with this recipe, I hit the test kitchen (that is, I walked 10 feet to my kitchen). I already had a box of large elbow macaroni, so that was first up. For the first test, I used half of the box of pasta and my standard pimento cheese recipe. I mixed them together and it was not quite what I wanted. For the next round, I used a food processor to blend up the pimento cheese and make it into a more uniform sauce. The recipe still needed some work – perhaps the noodles were too big and the cheese sauce wasn’t saucy enough.
After picking up a box of smaller elbow macaroni, the kind you find in the “mac & cheese in a box” kits, I was ready to nail the recipe. This time I upped the amount of mayo and the amount of pickle I used. The result was exactly what I was looking for. For this recipe, a food processor is essential so that we can turn the rustic pimento cheese into a smooth sauce that we can toss the macaroni pasta in, which enables us to coat the exterior and the interior of each noodle.
While this is an easy recipe, don’t get impatient while making it. You don’t want to add the cheese sauce to the pasta while it is hot, but we do want to give the pasta something to soak up after we drain it. This is why we will add brine from the pickle jar while the pasta is hot.
For an authentic Hawaiian version of Mac salad, check out chef Sheldon Simeon’s Mac Salad recipe.
Servings/Suggestions
If you don’t have a big bowl (a really big bowl), consider using two bowls to cool the pasta and to toss the macaroni in the pimento cheese
If you only cook 8 ounces of pasta, save the rest of the cheese mixture to spread on toast or biscuits. Or stir it into grits/polenta.
Ingredients
16 ounces elbow macaroni
the small kind, like you would find in a mac & cheese box
4 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 roasted red peppers, rinsed, dried and chopped
use pimentos if you can find them
1/2 cup mayonnaise
5 tablespoons of pickle brine
dash of host sauce (to taste)
8 pickle “chips” or one small pickle, chopped
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Thinly sliced chives or the green part of a green onion, for garnish
Directions
Step 1
Cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the package. Remember to add salt to the water once it reaches a boil.
Step 2
Meanwhile, make the pimento cheese. Add the grated cheddar cheese, mayo, pickle and hot sauce to a food processor and blend well.
Step 3
When the pasta is done, drain the liquid. Add the hot pasta to a large bowl along with 3 tablespoon of pickle brine. Gently stir with a spatula to coat. After 5 minutes, add 2 more tablespoons of pickle brine and gently stir again. Let cool for at least 15 minutes.
Step 4
Add the pimento cheese sauce to the pasta. Gently toss with a spatula until each noodle is well coated in sauce. Taste. Add black pepper and more hot sauce if you like. Garnish with green onions or chives. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Pimento Cheese Macaroni Salad
Ingredients:
- 16 ounces elbow macaroni
- 4 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 roasted red peppers, rinsed, dried and chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 5 tablespoons of pickle brine
- dash of host sauce (to taste)
- 8 pickle “chips” or one small pickle, chopped
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Thinly sliced chives or the green part of a green onion, for garnish
Instructions:
- Cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the package. Remember to add salt to the water once it reaches a boil.
- Meanwhile, make the pimento cheese. Add the grated cheddar cheese, mayo, pickle and hot sauce to a food processor and blend well.
- When the pasta is done, drain the liquid. Add the hot pasta to a large bowl along with 3 tablespoon of pickle brine. Gently stir with a spatula to coat. After 5 minutes, add 2 more tablespoons of pickle brine and gently stir again. Let cool for at least 15 minutes.
- Add the pimento cheese sauce to the pasta. Gently toss with a spatula until each noodle is well coated in sauce. Taste. Add black pepper and more hot sauce if you like. Garnish with green onions or chives. Serve cold or at room temperature.