Macaroni Salad Days

I love macaroni salad.  My husband is fond of the pasta salad made with tri-colored noodles and assorted vegetables, but I like the old-fashioned salad with elbow macaroni.  I also like it made with tuna or shrimp.  Here are a couple of my favorite recipes, perfect as sides to grilled meat or on their own as light summer meals.

Shrimp Salad
My sister-in-law gave me this recipe way back in the early eighties when our children were still quite small.  I make it at least once every summer.

1 lb. cooked shrimp
1 lb. cooked shell macaroni
1 large scallion
1 red pepper
lots of black pepper

Sauce Louis:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup milk
1/4 cup cocktail sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Coarsely chop shrimp.  Dice the scallion and red pepper.  Toss shrimp, macaroni, scallion, and red pepper in a large bowl.  In a small bowl mix all the ingredients of the Sauce Louis.  Thoroughly mix the dressing and the salad.  Sprinkle liberally with pepper.

Confetti Macaroni Salad
I got the basic recipe for this from my best friend who owns a pizza restaurant and has the best salad bar anywhere.  I like to use Barilla™ elbows because those elbow have ridges.

1 lb. cooked elbow macaroni
1 ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
3 scallions, diced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 bread and butter pickle, diced
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 bottle of Newman's Own™ olive oil and vinegar dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Marinate all the vegetables in the olive oil and vinegar dressing for five minutes.  Add the cooked macaroni, and mix in the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.