A creamy parmesan ranch macaroni salad adorned with festive grape tomatoes and parsley. Recipe and photos by Sonoran cookbook 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.
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