Quarantine Recipes: Grandma's Macaroni Salad
Ever since I can remember, my grandma’s macaroni salad has been a permanent fixture at family gatherings. Last Thanksgiving, I asked for her recipe so I could veganize it, and she wrote it out as a paragraph with no specific measurements. It read a bit like a story and contained phrases like “salt the water until it tastes like the ocean.” She must have just eyeballed the ingredients each time, but it always came out tasting heavenly.
I am glad I got the recipe when I did, written in a way that is just so quintessentially her. She passed away earlier this year, before everything with COVID-19 happened, and I have found myself missing her quite a bit lately.
Next family gathering, when all of this is over, I will take up her mantle and make this - in 2 batches like she always did - 1 batch without onions for 2 of my aunts who can’t stand raw onion, and 1 batch normal for everyone else.
Ingredients:
2 cups dry elbow macaroni
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise
2 small-medium carrots, grated with box grater
4-5 stalks celery, diced
1/3 cup white onion, diced (or scallions!)
1/2 tsp Lawry’s seasoning salt
Instructions:
Cook macaroni according to package instructions, in salted water
Drain macaroni and place in a large bowl. Add 2 Tbsp mayo and mix thoroughly until pasta is coated.
Place macaroni in the fridge to cool.
When macaroni is cooled, mix in remaining ingredients.
Adjust salt to your liking (I like to add a little black pepper too, but don’t tell my grandma…)
Enjoy!
