Macaroni salad is a staple side for the summer. It's cool in the hot summer heat and can be prepped ahead of time to bring to the family cookout! The dressing is only 2 ingredients and you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Prep it ahead of time and you are good to go.
My favorite part about this salad is all of the colors and vegetables!
Crunchy diced vegetables add a stark contrast from the creamy dressing and soft macaroni. This blend of textures, colors and flavors brings this macaroni salad to the next level!
Unfortunately many macaroni salads are packed with mayonnaise, sugar, corn starch and preservatives.
No, there is nothing wrong with mayonnaise, especially a brand with good ingredients, but it does not hold up well in the summer heat and it adds a lot of unnecessary fat to the dish.
Here we replace all of that fat with plain greek yogurt. Same creaminess but with zero fat. Instead we bring in healthy fats and flavor from good quality olive oil, rice vinegar and a basic seasoning mix! It's that simple.
Only 2 components to our PERFECT tangy dressing.
We served this alongside #traderjoes frozen turkey burgers on a fluffy roll and all the fixings and grilled corn on the cob. It was a perfect oven free summer meal and it's almost too easy which means more time in the pool and less time at the grill!
Low Fat Macaroni Salad
4-6 servings | Cook time: 10 minutes | Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
4-6 servings | Cook time: 10 minutes | Prep time: 5 mn
1/2 cup tomatoes, diced (100g)
1/3 cup celery, diced (75g)
1/2 cup red onion, diced (75g)
6 oz elbow pasta
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (4 oz)
1/4 cup (2 oz) Good Seasonings Italian dressing, prepared (or other favorite Italian dressing)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional: chopped parsley
Directions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt and cook pasta according to packaging.
While the pasta is cooking, dice all of the veggies and set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the Italian dressing and greek yogurt so there are no lumps.
When the pasta is done cooking, strain it and add it to the bowl of dressing.
Add the veggies to the macaroni and dressing and toss to combine.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and feel free to add fresh herbs like parsley if you have on hand!
Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Toss before serving and enjoy alongside all of your summer classics!
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Nutrition Facts are provided as a guideline only. Exact nutrition will depend on quantity, brand and ingredients used. Nutrition facts based on 5 servings but this can feed anywhere from 4-6 people depending on appetite, person and what the rest of the meal is! Total is about 920g.
