Macaroni Salad with Shrimp

Perhaps this is an early sign of cabin fever…and it’s only the first week of the new year.The great thing about Macaroni Salad–regardless of the time of year–is that it makes so much on a tight budget and I usually have all of the ingredients in my refrigerator and pantry.  Try this easy, Shrimp-inspired version of macaroni salad that yields a ton of leftovers and is sure to please any cabin-fever-dreaming of warm summer days friend.

Macaroni Salad

This recipe comes from Elise Bauer over at Simply Recipes and can be found here. Although her version calls for tuna, I’ve used shrimp instead and adjusted some of the other ingredients to taste.

Ingredients:

* 1 (1-pound) box elbow macaroni, cooked

* 1/2 yellow onion, chopped fine

* 2 stalks celery, chopped

* 1 cup green, yellow, or red pepper, chopped

* 1/2 cup mayonnaise

* 1 lb shrimp, cooked

* 1 lemon, juiced

* 1 teaspoon paprika

* Salt & pepper, to taste

* 1/4 cup parsley, chopped fine

1.) Prepare pasta al dente, according to package instructions.  Remember, pasta will have significantly more flavor if it is prepared according to the Italians’ rule of thumb–pasta water should taste like sea water.

2.) Drain macaroni and cool under cold water.  In a large mixing bowl add chopped onion, celery, peppers, and parsley.  Mix to combine. Now add spices and mayonnaise.  Mix to combine.  Slowly add pasta to wet mixture and season to taste.

3.) Refrigerate for 2 hours until serving.  Enjoy! Makes 8-10 servings.

–Helana Brigman