Creamy honey dijon macaroni pasta salad! Forget all of your past notions of what a macaroni salad should be – this fun new twist on an old classic will leave you craving more!
We had plans this week. We intended to join my in-laws for a camping trip to Flaming Gorge, Utah. I’ve heard it’s got a touch of Lake Powell in it – one of my favorite places on earth – so I’ve been looking forward to the trip. Come wednesday though, the forecast showed nothing but thunderstorms and flash floods through the rest of the week. Call me a wuss but I just don’t think tent camping in flash flood weather sounds like loads of fun, just for the sake of wanting to sleep in a dry sleeping bag. Fish I like to catch. Pneumonia, not so much.
If it had just been the nearby family members who were planning on the trip, we might have cancelled altogether and tried another time, but part of the family drove down from Seattle to join the gang and that put a different kind of pressure on us to find an alternate destination.
In a desperate last minute attempt to salvage our camping trip, we drove up to Pineview. It’s a pretty lake about 45 minutes away from where we live, and it’s actually where we usually go boating for day trips. I’m not the least bit disappointed about our change in plans because I love this lake. I also love camping. And more to the point – – – > camping food. It’s simple, but there’s just something about eating around a campfire that makes everything taste better. Right?? Right.
I made this pasta salad last weekend for a Sunday get together on my side of the family. It was completely gone at the end of the partay. That’s how I know a dish is good. When people go back for seconds only to realize that it’s completely vanished and then ask for the recipe, it’s a definite keeper. I wish I’d thought to bring a batch on this camping trip because I’m sitting by the fire right this minute and wishing for a bowl of creamy sweet and tangy honey dijon macaroni salad. Perfect for camping, perfect for lazy Sunday meals, perfect for game day. . . it’s a winner. But don’t take my word for it – try it out, you’ll love it!
Honey Dijon Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces macaroni pasta - cooked according to package’s instructions
- 1 cup frozen peas - thawed
- ½ red bell pepper - diced
- ½ red onion - diced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup mayo - (I used reduced fat but any will work)
- ⅓ cup dijon mustard
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- optional: 1/2 cup grated/shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Combine cooked pasta (cooled to room temperature), peas, peppers, and onions and stir well.
- In a small bowl whisk together Italian seasoning, mayo, dijon mustard, honey, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add mayo mixture to pasta bowl and mix to coat well. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired. Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving. Optional: sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
Where is the amount of onions that you put in, recipe says to mix in onion but no amount listed on ingredients
Hi Susan! Thanks for pointing that out- it’s fixed now!
Step one mentions Onions, but I don’t see onions listed in the ingredients.???
Thanks for pointing that out! It’s fixed now 🙂
Hi Tiffany. The nutrition list didn’t include the size of the portion. Do the numbers also reflect your no fat mayo or are they calculated with regular mayo? Your ingredient list included 1 TBSP Italian seasoning but it wasn’t included in the directions. I assume it’s added into the mayo/honey bowl but just wanted to confirm it is an actual ingredient. Your other pasta salad’s look yummy also. I am going to try shredded broccoli in mine. I’m pushing it this summer. Thanks, Nana
A serving size is 1/8 of the recipe. Yes, I included the reduced fat mayo into the nutrition list. You, assumed correctly, thank you for catching that for me! I have updated the recipe to include the Italian seasoning in the directions. Hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂