This recipe for Italian pasta salad has been passed down through my family for years, and my grandma, Rosalie McNellis, was the master of it.
My grandma always told stories of her mother making food for her all the time, which a common Italian family trait. The one dish she always remembered was the pasta salad. My grandma would always say “It brings me back to my young days,” when we would have this pasta salad.
There is one big reason why this dish has stayed in my family for generations--it's so simple to make. This dish requires very few ingredients and prep work. The ingredients needed are:
· Box of elbow macaroni\
· Hard boiled eggs
· Celery
· Mayo
· Salt and pepper
· Little mustard
· Mozzarella cheese
· Salami
· Pepperoni
Along with the very small number of ingredients, there are also very few steps to making this great dish. The steps are:
1. Cook macaroni.
2. Slice hard boiled eggs into thin pieces.
3. Dice celery and mozzarella cheese .
4. Mix mayo, mustard, salt, and pepper.
5. Mix all ingredients together.
6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge.
7. For most flavor, allow the bowl to chill over night.
One of the other great parts of this dish is its ability to be changed. For example, if you prefer swiss cheese over mozzarella cheese, you can simply swap them and still get an amazing outcome. One thing this often changed is the type of pasta used. Personally, the elbow macaroni is my favorite, but it is also great with bowtie pasta or with fusilli pasta.
This dish is great for any occasion at any time. It makes for a great summertime dish, as it is very refreshing when served cool, or it could be a great side at Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve when heated up.