Okay, so I’ve always loved macaroni salad. It’s like the ultimate comfort food side dish, right? But sometimes, I get stuck in a rut, just pairing it with the same old things. So, I decided to really figure out what goes best with macaroni salad. Here’s how my little food experiment went.
First, I Made the Macaroni Salad.
Gotta have the base, right? I used my grandma’s recipe – elbow macaroni, tons of mayo (the good stuff, not that low-fat nonsense), a little bit of mustard, some chopped celery and onion, and a sprinkle of sugar and pepper. Simple, classic, delicious.
Then Came the Brainstorming.
I needed ideas! I thought about what I usually eat with it…burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches…you know, cookout stuff. But I wanted to go beyond that. I pulled out some cookbooks, even looked around online a bit, trying to see what flavors would really pop with that creamy, tangy macaroni salad.
Time to Test Some Combos!
This was the fun part. I made a big batch of macaroni salad and then divided it into smaller bowls. I wanted to try a bunch of different things to see what would work best.
- Classic BBQ: Grilled burgers and hot dogs. A total no-brainer. The smoky, savory meat is perfect with the cool, creamy salad.
- Fried Chicken: Okay, this was a winner. The crispy, crunchy chicken and the soft, creamy macaroni salad? Amazing texture contrast!
- Pulled Pork Sandwiches: The sweetness of the BBQ sauce on the pulled pork and the tanginess of the macaroni salad…so good!
- Grilled Fish: I tried some grilled salmon. It was surprisingly good! The lightness of the fish was a nice change with the heavier salad.
- Shrimp boil! I have made some boil shrimp, and this is so tasty with the salad! love it!
- Something Unexpected:I also try some cold cut.I grabbed some deli ham and turkey, and made little mini-sandwiches. Not bad, actually!
My Conclusions.
After all that eating (it was a tough job, but someone had to do it!), I figured out a few things:
- You can’t go wrong with BBQ. Seriously, anything grilled or smoked is going to be great with macaroni salad.
- Think about texture. Crunchy, crispy things (like fried chicken or even crispy bacon) are fantastic alongside the soft macaroni.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment! Some of the things I thought wouldn’t work actually tasted pretty good.
So, next time you’re making macaroni salad, don’t just stick to the usual. Try something new! You might be surprised at how versatile this classic side dish can be.
