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Copycat Kraft Macaroni Salad
Copycat Kraft Macaroni Salad - a recipe for those who miss the discontinued boxed macaroni salad mix from Kraft. This recipe replicates the garlic and herb flavours and adds a little fresh red pepper too.
Prep Time 18 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 or more servings
Calories 273 kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cups uncooked macaroni
- 1 cup salad dressing (See Recipe Notes)
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp powdered garlic (or 2 cloves very finely minced garlic)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp celery salt
- 1/2 cup red pepper finely diced
Instructions
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Cook the macaroni in salted water for about 12 minutes or until just al dente. You don't want to overcook the macaroni because your salad will be too mushy. The macaroni will continue to absorb moisture from the salad dressing, so a tiny bit underdone would be far preferable to overdone.
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Rinse the cooked macaroni in a colander and allow to drain well for several minutes.
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While the macaroni is draining, add all the other ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk together well.
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Transfer the drained macaroni to the large mixing bowl with the dressing and mix well until all of the macaroni pieces are well coated.
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Transfer to a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
SALAD DRESSING: Most potato and pasta salads call for salad dressing which is the jarred, spoonable type dressing, like Kraft Miracle Whip which looks much like mayonnaise. If you want to make a substitute using mayonnaise, simply mix together 1 cup mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1 rounded tablespoon of white sugar and a dash of paprika. Stir well and let stand for 5 minutes before stirring again and using in the recipe.