BBQ Macaroni Salad for #BBQWeek

WELCOME to BBQ Week! I'm so excited to be joining a group of fabulous bloggers ready to help get you in the mood for breaking out the grill and firing up some hot and tasty eats. Be sure to follow our Pinterest board for more summer BBQ ideas. Thank you to Christie from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures and Ellen from Family Around the Table for hosting the event.

Today I'm sharing a macaroni salad with a bbq flavored twist! This makes a terrific side dish that you can mix and match your add-ins into. If you like green or raw onion, add some of that. If you like cherry tomatoes, or hardboiled eggs I think either of those would work really well in this dish as well. If you want to turn it into an entrée pasta salad, add in the suggested optional cooked chicken (or sausage, shrimp, etc.). This is a fantastic base to play with! It has a nice bite from the chili powder and hot sauce - if you don't like things spicy, omit the hot sauce to begin with and add only to taste if desired. I also ended up adding in some grilled corn I had and that was really tasty in this dish as well! 

Monday #BBQWeek Recipes

Appetizers and Drinks

• Cherimoya Margarita by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Creamy Fruit Naan Bread Appetizers by The Freshman Cook

Side Dishes

• BBQ Macaroni Salad by Making Miracles
• Cool Beans Salad by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Creamy Pea Salad with Bacon by House of Nash Eats
• DIY BBQ Potato Chips by Palatable Pastime
• Homemade Barbecue Sauce Recipe by SueBee Homemaker
• Honeydew Cucumber Salad by Kate's Recipe Box
• Sweet Macaroni Salad by The Spiffy Cookie
• Warm New Potato and Pea Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Main Dishes

• Cuban Marinated Chicken Tacos by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Grilled Citrus-Marinated Pork Chops by Sweet Beginnings
• Grilled Flounder Tacos with Peach Jalapeno Salsa by Our Good Life
• Sausage and Peppers by Devour Dinner
• Teriyaki Chicken Skewers by Cheese Curd In Paradise
• The Best Grilled BBQ Pork Ribs by Daily Dish Recipes

BBQ Macaroni Salad

Ingredient

4-oz dry elbow macaroni

2 celery rib, finely chopped

4 baby carrots diced

1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken (OPTIONAL)

1/2 TBS cider vinegar

1/4 tsp hot sauce

1/4 tsp chili powder

dash garlic powder

1/4 cup mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip)

2 TBS barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)

Other suggested add-ins / mix and match: sausage, shrimp, hard boiled eggs, grilled corn, cherry tomatoes, etc. 

Directions

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, and cook macaroni noodles to al dente.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl combine: diced celery, carrots, chicken (if using), cider vinegar, hot sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip), and BBQ sauce.
3. When pasta is cooked through, drain and rinse in cold water until pasta is cooled off completely. Add pasta to the other ingredients, and then gently stir everything together to combine. 
4. Taste, and adjust the seasonings.
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from Plain Chicken