How to Make Macaroni Salad for the Holidays
The arrival of the holidays calls for food that’s as bright and colorful as the season. Filipinos are famous for having one of the longest Christmas seasons in the world. While it usually starts in December for most, Christmas carols and yuletide plans can often start as early as September! It’s no secret that Filipinos…
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The arrival of the holidays calls for food that’s as bright and colorful as the season. Filipinos are famous for having one of the longest Christmas seasons in the world. While it usually starts in December for most, Christmas carols and yuletide plans can often start as early as September! It’s no secret that Filipinos love Christmas for several reasons, one of which is getting to spend time with all your loved ones. Despite the unusual circumstances of the world today, nothing should stop us from being able to enjoy a happy, healthy holiday season. This is especially true when there’s delicious food on the table! Today, the macaroni salad we’re going to cook will definitely bring about some festive cheer.
Filipino Macaroni Salad
When we say macaroni salad, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? For many, macaroni salad is a delicious side dish to any hearty and rich meat. At family outings and barbecues, we often see macaroni salad on someone’s plate, alongside a huge slab of juicy, tender meat. Macaroni salad does its job well; it cuts through all those rich flavors preventing umay, and instead provides something bright and refreshing to your palate. Some even add chicken shreds to this dish to give it that extra layer of satisfaction! Cold, light, and creamy, this side dish is definitely a favorite for many around the world.
But in the Philippines, macaroni salad can mean something different entirely! While you still get that creamy taste you love in its original form, the other ingredients of this salad are a lot different. In the macaroni salad we’re making today, we’re leaning into the classic Filipino sweet tooth. Here are its ingredients.
A blend of Lady’s Choice real mayonnaise, condensed milk, and all purpose cream make up the sauce of this dish. Sound unusual? Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! It may be a strange combination to hear at first, but the result is a sweet, creamy baked macaroni you won’t be able to get enough of. The slight tanginess of the mayonnaise works well with the sweetness of the condensed milk, and mixing it with all purpose cream gives it that velvety texture and delicious taste!
Colorful, Rich, and Sweet
Since we want to get into a festive mood, you can’t go wrong with a splash of color! This is where your nata de coco comes in. In the macaroni salad we’re making today, we’ll be using two colors of nata de coco. Can you guess what they are? Yup — red and green, perfect for holiday cheer! While there may not be any difference in the taste between these two colors, the sight of them will make all the difference. Good food is more than just tasting great, after all; the visuals matter, too! And with the addition of these different nata de coco, your macaroni salad is sure to be stunning.
Additionally, sharp cheddar cheese strikes the perfect balance between the very creamy, nutty flavors of your macaroni salad. It’s good to have a little variety in your flavors, so as to prevent being overwhelmed by the richness of this dish. Using kaong and fruit cocktail also add an additional vibrant layer of textures to your macaroni salad. Each bite will be like an explosion of flavors in your mouth. What’s not to love?
How to Make Macaroni Salad
For all your holiday party tray needs, this macaroni salad is an easy, breezy treat you can whip up in no time! What’s most important is ensuring that you have enough time to let it refrigerate for at least an hour before your guests and loved ones arrive. Your macaroni salad is best served cold, so be sure that it’s as cold as it can be! Whether it’s a quick appetizer, a snack, or even dessert, your family will be having spoonful after spoonful of this delight.
There aren’t all that many ingredients for this dish, and preparation beforehand will be quite scarce. Of all the ingredients, the only ones that need prepping are your cheese, nata de coco, kaong, and fruit cocktail. The first ingredient requires dicing your cheese into smaller pieces, while everything else will need some draining before you begin cooking.
Let’s make this macaroni salad together! After cooking your macaroni noodles based on package instructions, combine your sauce ingredients together. These include your 250 ml of all purpose cream, 300 ml of condensed milk, and 470 ml of Lady’s Choice Mayonnaise. In a large mixing bowl, stir all of these together. Make sure you’ve incorporated every ingredient as well as you can. Then, add in the kaong, nata de coco, fruit cocktail, and cheese. Once again, mix your macaroni salad ingredients harmoniously — after which you’ll add the macaroni itself!
Toss and mix your macaroni salad around until you’ve incorporated all the ingredients to your liking. When you’re satisfied, cover the bowl with a plastic cling wrap, then pop it in the fridge. Let your salad cool for at least one hour, during which you can prepare the rest of the dishes you plan on serving. If you’re looking for another salad to try, why not give this Chicken Potato one a go?
When your guests finally arrive, take your macaroni salad out of the fridge and serve it chilled to everyone’s enjoyment. Share this dish with your family, and let us know what they thought of this creamy comfort food!
If you liked this dish so much, why not try the savory, classic chicken macaroni salad? I guarantee you’ll find just as much satisfaction in this as the sweet rendition we made today.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag us on Instagram at @panlasangpinoy or hashtag #panlasangpinoy so we can see your creations!
How to Make Macaroni Salad for the Holidays
Ingredients
- 500 grams elbow macaroni
- 470 ml Lady’s Choice real mayonnaise
- 300 ml condensed milk
- 250 ml all-purpose cream
- 250 grams sharp cheddar cheese diced
- 250 grams nata de coco red, drained
- 250 grams nata de coco green, drained
- 350 grams kaong (sugar palm) drained
- 850 grams fruit cocktail drained
Instructions
- Cook macaroni based on package instructions. Set aside.
- Combine all-purpose cream, condensed milk, and Lady’s Choice Mayonnaise in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
- Add kaong, nata de coco, fruit cocktail, and cheese. Mix well.
- Put the cooked macaroni into the bowl with the other ingredients. Toss until well blended.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Serve chilled. Share and enjoy!
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Generose Singson says
I’M LOOKING FOR SALAD RECIPE NA MIX FRUIT AT MACARONI,CAN’T WAIT TO TRY THIS FOR NEW YEAR..SALAMAT PO.
Vanjo Merano says
You are welcome!
Luz Drilon says
Hello I’ll try this holiday season macaroni fruit salad . It looked so yummy & easy to make .