Creamy Pasta Salad: The Egg Macaroni Salad You Never Knew You Needed!

If you love pasta salad then you have got to give this creamy egg macaroni salad a try! This is based on one of the most delicious pasta salads I have ever eaten (and I'm not normally a pasta salad fan!). If you love egg salad and pasta salad then you will absolutely love this creamy pasta salad! This is a pushy recipe Dear Reader.

This creamy pasta salad was inspired by a pasta salad I had on Hawaii Island. I should explain that I usually hate pasta salad. I absolutely love pasta but pasta salad is another matter which is why there are hardly any pasta salad recipes here on the blog. I don't know why, but it's just not my thing. Until I tried the pasta salad from Broke Da Mouth Grindz and I ate the entire container piece by piece in an almost hypnotic state.

I'm not the only one either. Broke Da Mouth are known for their creamy pasta salad or egg macaroni salad. It's so damn creamy and delicious and I had to recreate it. I made about six batches of it before this recipe came together and to me, it tastes just like theirs. If you love egg salad and pasta salad then I urge you to give this a try. It's amazing for a party or gathering (especially with this long weekend coming up) although this comes with a warning: it's very, very moreish!

Tips For Making Creamy Pasta Salad

1 - If your eggs are fresh, they can be frustratingly difficult to peel but don't worry, there are ways around this! Add 1 teaspoon of bicarb to the pot of boiling water and then boil as normal. Then as soon as the eggs are done, plunge them in a bowl of ice water. They'll be easier to peel that way.

2 - I also cook the grated carrot for a few minutes with the pasta and this makes the pasta salad even better than using raw grated carrot, trust me!

3 - I usually cook my pasta al dente but with this pasta salad you want this to be softer than normal so you have to cook it for longer, around 12 minutes. When the pasta is al dente, it will start to absorb the creamy dressing but it won't if you cook the pasta for longer than normal! Also the texture of softer pasta is better for pasta salad.

4- Drain the pasta well and make sure that the pasta and eggs are cold before adding the dressing.

5 - Which mayonnaise to use? I've read in forums that in Hawaii they only use Best Foods or Hellman's mayonnaise so I used that.

6 - This pasta salad keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. It is not suitable to freeze - sorry!

I do try to be someone that doesn't have food icks because I really find it tiresome when someone has a laundry list of things that they won't eat. There's nothing more of a turnoff for me than a picky eater (and also when people don't like spicy food, I just can't help it but I associate chilli with passion haha). I don't mean people that can't eat things because of allergies but I mean people that think that it makes them more interesting if they don't eat certain foods. Some people are actually proud of their food icks and will loudly proclaim their long list to anyone that will listen like it's a boast!

I've had to hide my dislike of pasta salad from you Dear Reader because you might think that I'm being a food snob or picky. And in making this recipe I also have to confess that I also don't like raw carrot either. I love carrot juice and cooked carrot but raw carrots are something that I would never choose or add to my salad. But this is me coming clean but also giving you a recipe for a pasta salad that I just adore so much. My food icks will be our little secret ;)

So tell me Dear Reader, do you have a food ick that everyone loves but you don't? Do you like egg salad and pasta salad?

Pasta Salad

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes concurrently

Serves: 6-8 people as as side dish

• 3 eggs
• 250g/8.8ozs dried elbow macaroni
• 1/2 medium carrot grated
• 180g/6ozs mayonnaise
• 150g/5ozs sour cream
• 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1.5 teaspoons fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 35g/1.2ozs white or brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
• Sweet paprika

Step 1 - Put the eggs into a pot of water (along with a teaspoon of bicarb if they are fresh eggs) and once it starts to boil, cook for 6 minutes. Place in a bowl of ice water and then peel when cold. Cook the elbow macaroni pasta in plenty of salted, boiling water for longer than al dente. I set the timer for 9 minutes and then add the grated carrot and then cook for another 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and run cold water over the pasta until it turns cold. Do not use hot or warm pasta and that will affect the dressing.

Step 2 - In a large bowl, mash the eggs with a fork and then stir in the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, garlic powder, salt, pepper, onion and chives. Add the drained pasta and carrot and then stir to combine. Sprinkle the paprika on top and serve.

This pasta salad keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. It is not suitable to freeze.