So Many Dishes

I admit it, I’m flattered when someone eats a dish I’ve made and asks for the recipe. That was the case yesterday. We had a potluck picnic to celebrate the Fourth of July, and I signed up to bring a pasta salad. It was a great party. I was more focused on singing than on the food, as our band was providing the entertainment. But I contributed to the meal, and, as we were cleaning up, someone asked for the recipe.

I had signed up to take a pasta salad. This past week has been crazy, returning home from our trip and getting over jet lag, plus a couple of doctor appointments, so I didn’t plan to do anything fancy. I also hadn’t planned to post this recipe, but, since I already had a request, I decided to share it here, too. You can probably tell from the photos that this post wasn’t planned.

BBQ pasta salad is from The Side Dish Bible, put together by America’s Test Kitchen. This is probably the ATK cookbook that I turn to most often. I love the chapter on potluck favorites, which is where I found this recipe. It’s incredibly easy, and it’s also easily halved. I probably only needed to make a half batch for the party, since there was an over abundance of food. I’d kept a bowl at home, since I couldn’t fit all of the salad into the container I was taking. It’s just as well; I threw out the small amount I brought home, as the mayonnaise-based dish sat out much too long to be safe.

The “secret ingredient,” if you want to call it that, is barbecue sauce. I added Sticky Fingers Kentucky Bourbon sauce to the dressing, adding a couple tablespoons more than the half cup called for. Use your favorite sauce; I’m a Sticky Fingers fan. Their Carolina style mustard sauce is the best bottled mustard sauce I’ve tasted. I chopped the vegetables while the pasta was cooking, and had everything together in no time. It doesn’t get much easier.

BBQ Macaroni Salad

• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
• 1 celery rib, minced
• 4 scallions, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain in colander and rinse with cold water until cool, then drain briefly so that macaroni remains moist. Transfer to a large bowl.

Stir in bell pepper, celery, scallions, vinegar, hot sauce, chili powder, and garlic powder and let flavors meld, about 2 minutes. Stir in mayonnaise and barbecue sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Best served chilled. Makes 8 to 10 servings (easily halved).

Happy eating!