Macaroni Salad

When the weather is warm, and I can smell food on the barbecue miles away, I have an intense craving for delicious macaroni salad. I'm not talking about the stuff you find at the deli and you wonder how long it has been sitting in the deli case. I'm talking about homemade macaroni salad that has the perfect amount of vegetables, mayonnaise, and al dente macaroni. There are a ton of macaroni salad recipes around the internet, but I don't like sweet relish or pickles in my macaroni salad. It's one of those things that I just don't like in macaroni salad, so I tend to stay away from recipes that include either of the two ingredients. So when I finally found a recipe on Food Network that didn't include pickles or sweet relish, I knew it was a must try!
I made this recipe for the first time tonight, and it definitely didn't disappoint.

Macaroni Salad

(Source: Food Network)

2 cups dry elbow macaroni, cooked, rinsed, and drained

1/3 cup diced celery (omitted because I didn't have celery at home)

1/4 cup minced red onion, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes, drained

1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup diced vine-ripened tomato

1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise

3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar

3 tablespoons sour cream

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl combine the macaroni, celery, onion, parsley and tomato, if using. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, sour cream and salt. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. Store covered in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.