Grab For Eats Super creamy mouthful bites can soothe anyone’s taste bud in no time. Macaroni or pasta salad is very easy and quick to prepare. Also, it doesn’t take much time to get dull and wilted. You will find after 4 or 5 hours at room temperature the creaminess is gone and the taste is also gone forever.
As this dish is guaranteed to be devoured at any barbecue parties, get-together, or potlucks you will have this summer, it is important to know the storing procedure and how long you can store them without ruining the tempting flavor.
So, how long does macaroni salad last in the fridge? To be precise, this food doesn’t last long 3 days to 5 days, even if properly stored. Let’s learn about the preparation process along with storing.
Methods of Storing Macaroni Salad in the Fridge
We know that macaroni salad lasts 3 days to 5 days in the refrigerator under the condition of perfect storing. But what is this perfect storing? Macaroni Salad goes bad in the refrigerator for wrong storing. Let’s learn about it.
Scooping in an Airtight Container:
The salad you have should be stored properly in an airtight container. The airtight container helps to expand the lifespan of the salad as there is no chance of growing any more bacteria.
Covering with Plastic Wrap:
Covering with plastic wrap is a good idea if you are planning to have it one or two days after. Cover the macaroni salad bowl tightly with a large portion of plastic wrap.
Never leave the salad in an open box; it will get rotten in 24 hours.
Creamy Macaroni Salad Recipe
Macaroni salad can be found at the store. But store-bought macaroni salad doesn’t taste good However, why not try to make them at home? This dish is pretty easy to make and can be versatile as per your taste bud.
Ingredients we need:
- 1 lb of elbow macaroni, cooked to desired tenderness
- 1⁄3 cup of green olive, sliced
- 1 1⁄2 cups of mayonnaise
- 1⁄2 cup of celery, thinly sliced
- 1⁄4 cup of sweet onion, finely diced
- 1⁄4 cup of sweet pickle relish
- 2 tsp of granulated sugar
- ½ cup of red sweet bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1⁄2 tsp of Kosher salt
- 1⁄2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp of yellow mustard paste
- 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp of celery seed
- 1⁄2 lb of bacon bits, cooked (optional)
Methods of preparing step by step:
Step 1: Take out a large bowl and add 1 lb of macaroni, ½ cup of celery, ¼ cup of sweet onion, ½ cup of sweet bell pepper, and 1/3 cup of green olive. The macaroni has to be at room temperature. Mix them finely.
Step 2: In a small mixing bowl, add 1 ½ cup of mayonnaise, 1 tbsp of celery seed, 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup of sweet pickle relish, 2 tsp of yellow mustard paste, 2 tsp of granulated sugar, ½ tsp of kosher salt and ½ tsp of freshly ground black pepper. Mix finely.
Step 3: Now add the mayo mixture dressing to the macaroni mixture.
Step 4: This step is optional but adding bacon bits enhance the taste of your pasta salad.
The pasta is done and now it is time to keep the bowl in the fridge to enjoy the macaroni salad. Keeping the salad in the fridge makes it more tempting and flavorful.
How to Keep Macaroni Salad Fresh for Longer at Room Temperature?
The bacteria in macaroni salad grows very quickly above the temperature of 40 degrees F. So, it is significant to keep the macaroni salad in the fridge for a longer time. In the recipe, readers were told to keep the bowl in the fridge, this is one of the reasons.
However, pasta salad’s shelf life is no longer than 2 hours at room temperature. So, you may ask what to do after that. When enjoying a party at home yard or somewhere distant and the macaroni salad is there, what will you do!
There is a way to keep the salad fresh during these times. In a bowl, have ice cubes (plenty actually) and set the salad bowl above. It keeps the internal temperature of the salad cool thus helping to keep the dish flavorful.
Another way to keep the salad fresh for longer is the recipe itself. There are plenty of dairy-free recipes for macaroni salad. It is suggested not to use dairy products and eggs. Discard the mayo from the recipe I have written above (if you are following that one). Toss the veggies in apple cider vinegar and then it will remain long-lasting.
How to Keep Macaroni Salad Creamy?
We often face the problem of drying out the macaroni salad. This dryness eradicates the creamy texture as well as taste. There is a way to get rid of this problem. The cooked pasta is the main gateway to keep the salad creamy. So, if you have the intention of storing them, make sure the pasta is undercooked. Remove the pasta before getting al dante. In this case, the pasta will not be able to absorb the dressing enough. Thus the salad dressing won’t dry out.
You can also freeze pasta salad for easy storing. However, whatever the case is, I’m telling you not to overcook the pasta at all. Overcooked pasta makes the salad swampy and soggy.
Macaroni salad is a very tempting but sensitive dish I must say. Making them ahead is not wise enough but if necessary anyone can follow the methods to expand the lifespan of this super creamy flavorful pasta salad.
