Penne Pasta

This recipe comes from one of my favorite sites, Cheap Eats.

The author provides a great deal of information on choosing the correct ingredients and preparing the most cost effective recipes that your family will love.  Stop by her site and take a look around.

You probably have most of the ingredients to make this yourself at home.  Enjoy!

Easy Summer Macaroni Salad Recipes

Macaroni salads are always a big hit at summer barbecues. These recipes are easy to prepare and you can make them ahead of time. They taste better if you let them sit in the refrigerator and let the pasta absorb the flavors of the other ingredients. Surprise your loved ones with one of these delicious pasta creations at your next summer family get together.

Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:
1 lb. salad macaroni
12 med. green onions, sliced
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 c. thinly sliced celery
12 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
1 c. dill pickles, chopped
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. mustard
1 tbsp. horseradish
1 tbsp. dill pickle juice
Salt and pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Cook macaroni according to package directions and drain well. Rinse and drain again. Place macaroni into large bowl. Add onion, eggs, celery, and pickle. Blend together the mayonnaise, horseradish, mustard, and pickle juice. Stir into macaroni mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill 4-6 hours.

Deli-Style Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (7 oz.) corkscrew macaroni
6 oz. sliced genoa salami, cut into strips
1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1 can (2-1/4 oz.) sliced pitted ripe olives, drained
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. dried oregano and basil (crushed)
6 oz. provolone cheese, cut into 3/4-in. cubes
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1/4 c. snipped parsley
1-1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
Sweet red pepper
1/2 c. olive oil
1 minced garlic clove
2 med. tomatoes, cut into wedges

Cooking Instructions:

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again. In large bowl combine macaroni, Provolone cheese, salami, zucchini, onion, peppers, olives, Parmesan cheese and parsley. Dressing: in screw top jar combine olive oil, vinegar, dry mustard, oregano, basil and garlic. Cover and shake well. Pour dressing over pasta mixture and toss lightly to coat. Cover and chill overnight, or at least 4 hours. To serve, add tomato wedges and toss lightly.

Curly Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:
1 pkg. curly macaroni
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 c. chopped ham
4 tbsp. mayonnaise

Cooking Instructions:

Cook macaroni and drain well. Add the rest of the ingredients. Chill.

Shrimp Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:
2 c. macaroni
1 c. celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
1 (7 oz.) can shrimp, drained
3-4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. Miracle Whip
3/4 c. French dressing

Cooking Instructions:

Cook macaroni and drain well. Mix Miracle Whip and French dressing together and pour over ingredients. Toss. Chill and serve.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, gardening, organizing tips, home decorating, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.