Macaroni Salad with Buttermilk and Fresh Herbs
By Julia Collin DavisonPublished on April 1, 2024
Time
45 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Pinch table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta8 ounces elbow macaroni 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar ¼ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon pepper ¼ teaspoon sugar Pinch cayenne pepper 2 scallions, sliced thin2 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves 2 tablespoon minced fresh dill 1 celery rib, chopped fine½ red bell pepper, chopped fine
Instructions
- Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add ½ tablespoon salt and pasta and cook until very soft, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic powder, pepper, sugar, cayenne, and salt together in large bowl. Reserve and refrigerate ½ cup dressing for serving.
- Drain pasta in colander, rinse under cold water to cool, and shake to remove excess water. Stir pasta, scallions, cilantro, dill, celery, and red pepper into remaining dressing until combined. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Stir in reserved ½ cup dressing and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Time
45 minutes, plus 1 hour chillingYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Pinch table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta
8 ounces elbow macaroni
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon sugar
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 scallions, sliced thin
2 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 celery rib, chopped fine
½ red bell pepper, chopped fine
Ingredients
Pinch table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta
8 ounces elbow macaroni
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon sugar
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 scallions, sliced thin
2 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 celery rib, chopped fine
½ red bell pepper, chopped fine
Ingredients
Pinch table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta
8 ounces elbow macaroni
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon sugar
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 scallions, sliced thin
2 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 celery rib, chopped fine
½ red bell pepper, chopped fine
Why This Recipe Works
For an ultracreamy macaroni salad, we discovered two tricks. First, it’s important to cook the macaroni until it is very soft so that it absorbs less of the dressing as it cools. Second, there needs to be an ample amount of dressing to coat all of the macaroni. For a tangy ranch-style flavor, we made a classic buttermilk dressing using mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, and garlic powder, then added fresh cilantro, dill, and scallions to the salad. Finally, we found that reserving ½ cup of the dressing and stirring it in just before serving ensured that salad had a creamy texture and fresh ranch flavor.
Instructions
- Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add ½ tablespoon salt and pasta and cook until very soft, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic powder, pepper, sugar, cayenne, and salt together in large bowl. Reserve and refrigerate ½ cup dressing for serving.
- Drain pasta in colander, rinse under cold water to cool, and shake to remove excess water. Stir pasta, scallions, cilantro, dill, celery, and red pepper into remaining dressing until combined. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Stir in reserved ½ cup dressing and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
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