Cheddar Sour Cream Macaroni Salad
A Simple, Tangy, Delicious Side
Cheddar Sour Cream Macaroni Salad is a very simple recipe to make using mayonnaise, sour cream, and vegetables like celery, carrots, and red bell pepper. Celery salt and celery seed plus bits of your favorite cheddar cheese throughout the pasta makes for a delicious bite every time.
This Cheddar Sour Cream Macaroni Salad is inspired by one of my former careers. One of my favorite jobs I ever had was working at a local Chicago grocery chain called Jewel-Osco.
I worked in the deli that is actually called the “Chef’s Kitchen.” I was in charge of cleaning the deli case every morning and making all the salads fresh.
This Cheddar Sour Cream Macaroni Salad was one of my favorite salads. It is unique and delicious and I love the bits of cheddar cheese throughout.
This salad is great for any party or to make for meal prep and enjoy throughout the week. In my opinion, it gets better as it sits so there is no need to worry about letting it mellow in your fridge for several days.
A perfect side for grilled meats and hot dogs.
Mexican Crema Makes The Cheddar Sour Cream Macaroni Salad
The ingredients in the Cheddar Sour Cream Macaroni Salad are very simple. The recipe calls for sour cream but I state on the recipe card that I use Mexican Crema.
It is a thinner, slightly sweet version of sour cream that you can find it at most stores. There is a picture above of the one I use but you can use any brand or just use regular sour cream.
Small Bits
It is very important that you dice all the vegetables very small for this salad. You want to make sure that you are getting small bites of everything.
Take the time for this step so that your salad is the perfect texture. You do not want to have huge chunks.
For this recipe I also grate the carrot and then run my knife through the grated carrot to make sure the carrots are also very finely chopped up. Trust me, take the time for this step so you have the perfect bite every time.
Seasonings Are A Suggestion
As always, seasoning is a suggestion. You can adjust the salt and seed to as much or as little as you like.
There is also flexibility on the sour cream and mayonnaise. Make sure you taste as you go and make adjustments as you see fit for your tastes.
Other Jewel Recipes
If you are a fan of Jewel-Osco or just deli salads in general, here is a list of all my Jewel INSPIRED recipes!
- Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato Pasta Salad
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Bean Salad
- Seven Layer Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- French Quarter Dressing
Cheddar Sour Cream Macaroni Salad Recipe
Cheddar Sour Cream Macaroni Salad is a copycat version of a deli favorite. Made with ziti pasta, a sour cream and mayonnaise combo with fresh veggies, and seasonings like celery seed and celery salt. Chunks of your favorite cheddar throughout.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. box of Ziti Pasta
- 1.5 cups of Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup of Sour Cream
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 medium sized Red Onion
- 1 bunch of fresh Parsley *optional
- 1 large Carrot
- 2 stems of Celery
- 2 teaspoons of Celery Salt *or to taste
- 2 teaspoons of Celery Seed *or to taste
- 2 tablespoons of diced Pimientos with the liquid
- 1 lb. block of your favorite Cheddar Cheese
- 2 teaspoons of White Sugar
Instructions
- Boil your pasta according to package directions, I cook it to al dente as it will soften in the salad dressing. Rinse well with cold water and drain.
- VERY finely dice the onion, bell pepper, and celery, add to a large bowl. Sprinkle with the celery salt and celery seed and toss to coat. Add the diced pimientos. You can add as many or as few as you like, make sure to add some of the liquid from the jar.
- Grate the carrot and then run the knife through the grated carrot to make the bits even smaller. Add to the bowl with the vegetables.
- In a bowl whisk the sour cream, mayonnaise, and the white sugar. I use the Mexican Crema instead of regular sour cream, you can use either. If you like, add a pinch of celery seed and celery salt to this.
- Mince the fresh parsley if using and add to the bowl of vegetables and toss to coat.
- Let this all sit for about 15 minutes.
- Toss the vegetables with the mayo/sour cream mix, then add the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Taste and add more celery salt if needed.
- Dice the cheese VERY small and fold into the salad.
- Can be served immediately but it is better if you cover it and put in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours or even overnight.
*pictures, links and more details in the post before the recipe card