My three summer salad loves are coleslaw, potato salad, and macaroni salad. I have made all three gluten and dairy-free (potato salad recipe coming soon) but macaroni salad was a challenge.
Not long after going gluten-free nearly 15 years ago, I was excited to make macaroni salad. Then, only a couple of gluten-free pasta brands were available and I chose one and made the salad. I was disappointed in the texture and taste of the pasta and gave up on macaroni salad forever. Or so I thought!
Now there are many more gluten-free pasta options and I decided it was time to try again. I tested five gluten-free pasta brands to see if I could find one that would mimic “real” pasta and make an amazing macaroni salad. See the pasta test video here!
I found a winner, made the salad and was in love! With every bite of the macaroni salad, the pasta-like texture, flavor, and creaminess of the salad transported me back to my pre-GF days and the macaroni salad I used to love.
I hope this salad brings you as much joy as it brings me. It’s summer salad season! Let’s eat!
discover. cook. enjoy.
GF DF Luscious and Creamy Classic Macaroni Salad
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The Ingredients
- 12 oz Ronzoni gluten free elbow pasta
- 1/2 red pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 3 ribs celery, sliced
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Simple Truth Plant Based Sour Cream
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 dash fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp kosher salt, for cooking the pasta
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
The Process
Mise en Place
- Gather all your ingredients
- Dice the pepper and onion, slice the chop the celery into thin slices, and shred the carrot.
Cook the Pasta
- Add 6 quarts of cold water and one tablespoon of kosher salt to a large pan, cover and bring to a boil.
- Add the entire box of pasta to the boiling water. Do not replace the cover. Stir the pasta immediately after adding it to the pan and continue to stir periodically throught the cooking process. Keep the pasta and water boiling as the pasta cooks. You may need to turn down the heat a bit.
- After five minutes of cooking, using a long handled slotted spoon, grab a piece of pasta from the water and tests its doneness by eating it. Determine how much longer you need to cook the pasta. Probably 2 minutes, and then taste the pasta again. The goal is a bit softer than al dente but not too soft.
- When pasta is at your desired doneness, removed from the heat and drain in a colander. Rinse the paste very well with cold water and set it aside, allowing it to keep draining while you make the sauce.
Make the Sauce
- Measure and add the mayo, sour cream, Worcestershire, Dijon, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika to the a medium sized bowl and mix with a whisk.
Make the Salad
- Add the cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl. Using a paper towel, sop up remaining moisture on the paster by swirling the paper towel in the bowl.
- Add the red pepper, red onion, and celery to the bowl, mixing gently to combine with the pasta.
- Add half the sauce to the pasta and veggies and mix gently. Add the rest of the sauce and mix again.
- Taste the salad to determine if it needs salt and pepper. Most likely it does. Add and then mix.
- You will want to cool the finished salad in the fridge for at least 2 hours to let the flavors meld together. Then enjoy!
- Store in the fridge for up to three days. After that, due to natural moisture loss while in the fridge, the pasta may start to dry out and become crunchy.
2 thoughts on “gf df luscious and creamy macaroni salad”
The heading says macaroni salad. The recipe is for cole slaw. 🙁
Arthur, I checked the post, and the macaroni salad recipe is listed and not the coleslaw recipe. There is a link for the coleslaw recipe in the first line of the post and the macaroni salad recipe is down further on the page. Please let me know when you find it.
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