Best Orange Zested Macaroni Pasta Salad Recipes

PERFECT CREAMY MACARONI PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse well under cold water to remove starch from the outside of the pasta.
• Meanwhile, add the chopped onions to a small bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside for 5 minutes and then drain. This tones down the raw flavor of the onion so that it won't overpower the salad.
• In the bottom of a large salad bowl, make the dressing. Whisk the sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. For a sweeter macaroni salad, add honey to taste. I typically add half of a tablespoon but try one to two tablespoons if you enjoy sweeter macaroni salads.
• Add the rinsed macaroni, drained onions, bell pepper, celery, radish, and the pickle to the bowl with dressing. Mix well. Taste, then adjust with additional salt and pepper.

ORANGE ZESTED MACARONI PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Combine ingredients. Best with lots of black pepper, in my opinion.
• Orange flavor will get stronger as it sits in the fridge. Zesting all the peel from the 1/2 orange will make the orange flavor rather strong, especially if you plan to refrigerate before serving.
• If you don't have a zester, crosshatch an area of orange peel with light cuts from a sharp knife, then "shave" the pieces off. It's very easy and with heavy crosshatching yields results comparable to using a good zester.

ORANGE CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In a small bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, oranges, cucumber, grapes and onion. , In another bowl, whisk the vinaigrette ingredients. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving.

MOM'S BEST MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water, and drain.
• In a large bowl, stir together the carrots, red onion, green pepper, red pepper and celery. Mix in the mayonnaise, condensed milk, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the macaroni, toss gently, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. I usually make this a day ahead of time, and stir it occasionally to blend the flavors. The macaroni will absorb some of the liquid.

HEAVENLY PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta until bite tender. Rinse and drain. Let cool. Add remaining ingredients to pasta. Mix dressing ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to pasta mixture.
• Refrigerate a couple hours before serving. My M-I-L only puts the red and green peppers in hers. I like the carrots and tomatoes added in as well.

MACARONI PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse with cold water until pasta is no longer warm.
• In a large bowl, combine pasta, red peppers, onion, garlic, sweet pickles, cheese and celery.
• In a small bowl, combine mustard, pepper, salt, milk and mayo, mix well.
• Pour dressing over pasta, toss well to coat.
• Add eggs and toss to combine.
• Chill 4 - 24 hours before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, covered.