Smoked Cheddar Pasta Salad

When I was a kid, we ate “macaroni” or “noodles.” “Pasta” wasn’t a popular term until my young adulthood – at least not in our neck of the woods. I can remember feeling really ripped off after discovering that most moms in our neighborhood served the boxed version of macaroni and cheese instead of making it from scratch the way my mom did. Geez. We were so unhip! Our mac and cheese was not that wonderfully attractive neon orange color, but it did often have bacon. Hmmm … I actually LOVED my mom’s recipe but still longed for the modern version.

I also had a blast from the past at our Tastefully Simple On Tour conferences in February. We were treated to what I would call Macaroni Salad, but what the modern world would call Pasta Salad. It was traditional in the sense that it had noodles, peas, onion and Cheddar cheese, and it was jazzed up with our new Smoky Cheddar Cheese Ball Mix. The smoky, bacon-y flavor of the cheese ball mix pairs very nicely with the salad, and in Baltimore it rocked the house!

With spring in the air, let’s start thinking picnics and potlucks and give our Smoky Cheddar Pasta Salad a try!

j*a*N*e

Smoked Cheddar Pasta Salad

Submitted by Rosemary (MN) HQ Resident Chef

Ingredients

• 2 packets Smoky Cheddar Cheese Ball Mix
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup milk (more if needed to thin dressing)
• 1 lb. cooked, cooled medium shell pasta
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• ½ tsp. salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Combine first 4 ingredients; chill at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. Fold dressing into remaining ingredients; chill no longer than 1 hour. Optional: garnish with chopped fresh parsley and more shredded Cheddar cheese. Makes 12 cups.

Smoked Cheddar Pasta Salad

Testing Notes:

• If you have a nice fresh bunch of celery, chop up some of the leaves and toss them into your salad – they add great flavor!
• The recipe calls for pasta shells, but I didn’t have any so I subbed rings. They worked well and added even more nostalgic flair, as my grandma sometimes used them. Sigh. I miss my Grammy.
• For salads, I always cook the pasta “al dente” – about 1-2 minutes shy of the package directions, because the pasta will absorb moisture from the other ingredients as it chills in the fridge.
• I served ours with a little shredded Cheddar on top and a celery leaf for garnish.
• Luckily for my family, there was some left for them. I must confess that upon completing the salad assembly, I ate three bowls of this without even letting the flavors blend. I couldn’t stop myself … it was fab!

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