The Tangy Secret Behind The Pioneer Woman's Macaroni Salad - Tasting Table

Macaroni salad is a comforting summer cookout food, traditionally made with sweet mayonnaise rather than the vinaigrette used in pasta salad. Common mix-ins include crunchy bell peppers, celery, and shredded carrots, with many variations and signature additions such as dill and hard-boiled eggs. Ree Drummond’s macaroni salad uses roasted red peppers, black olives, and green onions, with diced pickles as the key upgrade. She recommends using any pickle type, including dill, bread-and-butter, or half-sour, and specifically uses sweet and spicy pickles for extra crunch and tang. Pickle juice can also be added to intensify acidic flavor, by tossing plain pasta in it, draining excess liquid, then combining with mix-ins and dressing.

"Macaroni salad is among the most comforting foods you'll find at summer cookouts. Traditionally made with a sweet mayonnaise dressing, it differs from pasta salad, which is typically coated in a vinaigrette dressing. Macaroni salad mix-ins may vary, but typically, you'll find crunchy bell peppers, celery, and even shredded carrots. However, everybody's recipe varies slightly, and plenty of folks have their own signature secret ingredients from chopped dill to hard-boiled eggs."

"On the Pioneer Woman blog, Drummond shares her recipe for macaroni salad. It's fairly traditional, featuring roasted red peppers, black olives, and green onions. But diced pickles are what give her recipe an edge. She writes that you can add whatever kind of pickle you'd like, whether it be dill, bread-and-butter, or half-sour. However, she uses a sweet and spicy pickle, which she purchases from a local company in her home state of Oklahoma."

"No matter what type of pickle you go for, this secret ingredient will bring an unbeatable crunch and a layer of tanginess that takes the salad to a whole new level. If you give pickles a try and decide that they're non-negotiable in your macaroni salad, you might consider adding a splash of pickle juice to the mix, too. Drummond uses pickle juice to elevate the acidic, tangy flavors that abound in her recipe."

"If you choose to add pickle juice, you might want to toss your plain pasta in it before adding any of the other ingredients. Then, drain any excess liquid, and add your mix-ins and dressing. This will allow all those great flavors to soak into the pasta without it pooling at the bottom of the serving container."

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