Serve this festive, creamy buttermilk ranch and parmesan pasta salad with adorable tiny tomato “ornaments” whenever you want to supplement a meal with a side of joy. This is a free bonus preview recipe excerpted from my upcoming The Unofficial Elf Cookbook – out September 24th everywhere books are sold. Reserve your copy today for more fun recipes inspired by Buddy the Elf’s epic journey from The North Pole to New York City. 

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Parmesan Ranch Macaroni Salad

Servings: 0

Author: Jackie Alpers

Tiny tomatoes and sprigs of parsley nestled in creamy Parmesan pasta salad can evoke Christmas nostalgia any time of year. Serve this whenever you want to supplement a meal with a side of joy.

Ingredients

Buttermilk Parmesan Dressing

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¾ cup Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• ½ teaspoon salt

Macaroni Salad

• 2 cups large elbow macaroni
• 3 hard-boiled eggs chopped
• ½ cup chopped scallions
• 1 cup diced yellow bell pepper
• ½ cup chopped celery
• ¼ cup minced dill pickles such as Bubbies
• ¼ cup pickle juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup micro-grape tomatoes such as Sunset Sprinkles
• Parsley sprigs for garnish

Instructions

• Put all dressing ingredients in a lidded jar and shake vigorously to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Cook macaroni according to package directions, rinse with cool water, drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Fold in the hard-boiled eggs, scallions, bell pepper, celery, pickles, pickle juice and parsley with a rubber spatula. Mix in 1 cup of the dressing (saving the rest for another use) until well combined. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
• Before serving, arrange the micro-grape tomatoes on top, then tuck in the parsley sprigs to showcase the Christmas colors.

Course Appetizer, pasta, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Festive macaroni salad recipe, How to make macaroni salad, The Unoffical Elf Cookbook by Jackie Alpers, The Unofficial Elf Cookbook free bonus recipe

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