Macaroni Icebox Salad with Creamy Red Wine Vinaigrette

By margiekyle

Ingredients

• DRESSING:
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• SALAD:
• Kosher salt
• 5 heads broccolini, cleaned and stems removed 3/4 cup elbow macaroni (about 10 ounces)
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cleaned
• 10 ounces ham steak, cut into 1/4-inch diced
• 3 cups 1/4-inch diced celery
• 3 red bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 3 cups grated sharp Cheddar

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 45mins
Cooking time 65mins
Adapted from cookingchanneltv.com

Preparation

Step 1

Special equipment: eight 16-ounce mason jars

For the dressing: Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, parsley, olive oil, onion powder, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the salad: Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Blanche the broccolini until bright green and crisp-tender, about 20 seconds. Using a sieve, remove the broccolini and submerge it in a bowl of ice water. Use the sieve to remove any broccolini particles still floating in the pot of water.

Use the same pot of water to cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Strain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside to continue to drain of any excess liquid.

Once the broccolini is cooled, remove from the ice water and pat dry. Chop into similar-size pieces. Lay the iceberg lettuce cut-side down and make thin crosswise cuts with a sharp knife to shred.

To assemble: In eight 16-ounce mason jars, layer 1/3 cup each of the following ingredients in this order: macaroni, ham, celery, bell pepper, broccolini, Cheddar and lettuce. Seal the jar with a tight-fitting lid. Your salad may be stored in the refrigerator, or "icebox," overnight. Serve with the dressing on top, or on the side. Then toss to combine.