How to Make a Not so Ordinary Macaroni Salad

I find traditional macaroni salad to be rather boring. I've eaten macaroni salad made by quite a few different people, but they all tasted about the same, and they all lacked flavor. During my twenty-plus years of cooking experience, I've tailored many dishes to suite my taste, this one included. My strong interest in the nutritional value of different foods and cooking helped me shape this recipe into a flavorful and healthy dish I think you will enjoy. Macaroni salad is a great addition to almost any meal, so why not try this one out.

Before you start cooking, make sure you have the following ingredients on hand:

11/2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni

1 can of solid white tuna in water (water drained)

3/4 cup of mayonnaise

1/3 cup of chopped green olives and pimientos (pitted and from the jar)

1/8 cup of liquid from the jar of olives and pimientos

1/3 cup of chopped red pepper (not the hot kind)

1/8 cup of red onion (minced)

1 carrot (minced)

1 fresh tomato (diced)

Splash of lemon juice

White pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Onion powder to taste

To start, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and place the uncooked elbow macaroni in it. Cook the pasta for the time indicated on the box (approximately 9 minutes), then drain. While the pasta is still in the colander, run cold water over it to rinse off the starch and cool it down. Next, put the elbow macaroni into a large bowl, then add the tuna and mixed well, breaking up any tuna chunks. You will now add the mayonnaise and work that into the macaroni and tuna. Once these three ingredients are mixed thoroughly, you will add the chopped green olives and pimientos, the olive and pimiento liquid, the chopped red pepper, the chopped red onion, the carrot, the tomato, the lemon splash, the white pepper, the salt, and the onion powder.

Mix all ingredients well and serve.

This recipe serves five.

When I first made this macaroni salad, I thought it was absolutely delicious, and considered it a meal in itself and a sort of health salad. The pasta in this dish is a good source of carbohydrates, and the tuna is a good source of protein. The vegetables in this dish offer vitamins A and C which are good for your skin, eyes, and immune system. Another important health benefit is the oil in the green olives. Olive oil raises good cholesterol, and that's good for your heart. White pepper stimulates the digestive system, and red onion contains sulfur which is good for your skin.

So there you have it: One great tasting macaroni salad with health benefits too. If you want to make this dish even healthier, you could add whole wheat pasta or some other high fiber pasta instead of regular elbow macaroni. Mayonnaise that contains less cholesterol should also be considered, but make sure its one that tastes good as some brands of mayonnaise taste better than others. I use mayonnaise made with canola oil. Last, but not least, use organic produce if you can. Organic is always better for your health than conventional produce.