Mix It Up Macaroni Salad

Did you know that you can toss just about any kind of leftover veggie into macaroni salad? You CAN! Also pasta, cheese, and lots of little dibs and dabs of things.

Mini bow tie pasta, frozen mixed veggies, chopped tomato, jicama, red onion, pepperjack, celery seed and mayo. 

The basic recipe is:

Sauce (Mayo, Miracle Whip, bottled salad dressing, even a spurt of honey-mustard)
Spice (Mrs Dash, onion powder, oregano, salt & pepper, celery seed, ranch dressing mix, just any savory thing,)
Cooked pasta (bite-sized, any shape)
Chopped veggies (the sky's the limit here - thawed frozen 'mixed veggies', leftover corn kernels, fresh peas, chopped peppers, onions, black olives, tomatoes, avocado, broccoli... just clean out your veggie crisper!)
Chopped or shredded cheese (any kind)


To make it, just get a big bowl and add about 1/4 cup of your chosen sauce (or a couple of heaping tablespoons). Add in a bit less than a teaspoon of your spice and mix. Toss in your cooked pasta, veggies, and cheese. Mix, mix, mix. Chill and serve as a side, and it's great for potlucks and barbeques (and is super cheap to make!) Tomatoes, corn, beans, black olives, avocado and peppers and cheddar (with a little cilantro, chili powder or cumin) go Mexican. Chopped pepperoni, onion, green peppers, parmesan and oregano go Italian. Toss in some crunchy rice noodles, a little soy sauce, mixed veggies and chopped cabbage for Asian! Just have fun with it. :)