This gluten free summer macaroni salad features veggies, gluten free pasta, and a creamy sauce made with cream cheese! Perfect for a summer BBQ or picnic!
Macaroni salads are the perfect summer side dish. Most often, it features pasta with a few veggies, drowning in a creamy sauce. A long-standing summer tradition, this cold dish makes a great picnic addition for many reasons. Well….as long as you are careful about mayonnaise sitting in the sun. You can also make a dressing with olive oil as the base. As picnic season is coming to an end, it’s now or never.
Some people love elbow noodles slathered in mayonnaise. Not this girl. There is even an Amish macaroni salad around these parts. The Amish version often features hard-boiled eggs, relish, and is made with Miracle Whip, not mayonnaise. I literally needed to ask around because neither one is landing on my plate. But, I do appreciate everyone’s love for this summer classic. Personally, I prefer a cream sauce using either cream cheese or Greek yogurt. I also like a lighter sauce, but the recipe could easily be doubled for a thicker and creamier texture.
Start with a mix of your favorite veggies or really whatever you can find in the fridge. Carrots, broccoli, asparagus, bell peppers, zucchini, celery, scallions, cilantro, parsley… And, I tend to go BIG with the veggies. Then, choose a shorter pasta- penne, rotini, elbow, shells, etc. Finally, a creamy sauce to bring everything together.
Fire up the grill- we’re ready!
Ingredients for Gluten Free Summer Macaroni Salad
Gluten Free Pasta
Bacon
Carrots
Broccoli
Bell Peppers
Cream Cheese
Olive Oil
Milk
Sriracha
Cilantro
What goes well with macaroni salad???
Pork BBQ
Hot Dogs & Hamburgers
Corn on the Cob
Honestly- most proteins and picnic food pairs beautifully.
40 minutes
Gluten Free Summer Macaroni Salad
This gluten free summer macaroni salad features veggies, gluten free pasta, and a creamy sauce made with cream cheese! Perfect for a summer BBQ or picnic!
Ingredients
- 6 - 8 slices of bacon
- 3 bell peppers, sliced
- Salt and pepper
- 12 oz. broccoli florets, chopped
- 10 oz. gluten free pasta
- 1 - 2 c. shredded carrots
Dressing
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. milk
- 2 Tbsp. water (leftover pasta water is best)
- 1 - 2 tsp. Sriracha
- Optional: cilantro
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, brown the bacon. Then, set aside on a paper towel. Crumble once cooled. Remove all but about 1 Tbsp. of bacon grease. Next, sauté the peppers in the bacon grease for 3-4 minutes. Season with pepper.
- In a medium saucepan, fill halfway with water and bring to a boil. Blanch the broccoli for 2-3 minutes. Remove broccoli from water, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Using the broccoli water, boil the gluten free pasta according to package directions, about 7-10 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, heat the cream cheese, oil, milk, and water. Whisk until smooth and creamy. If desired, whisk in the Sriracha. In a large mixing bowl, combine the bacon, peppers, broccoli, carrots, and pasta. Next, pour sauce over the pasta mixture. Stir carefully, until well-coated. Add cilantro before serving.For a thicker, creamier sauce, double the recipe.