Lightened Up Macaroni Salad #SundaySupper

Hello Everyone,

Today for #SundaySupper we are having a virtual picnic to celebrate US Independence Day on July 4th and/or Canada Day on July 1st! I love a big picnic! I only wish we could actually have a picnic together, then having one virtually! But I will settle for this kind of picnic for now. What I am bringing to our picnic is my Lightened Up Macaroni Salad! Yum!

I love a good macaroni salad, but honestly I hate the calories! So I had to take my traditional macaroni salad and make a few modifications to make it guilt free. My biggest change was using less mayonnaise and subbing in greek yogurt. Yup good old greek yogurt! No one even noticed the difference! I love that! I usually use more egg whites then full eggs but the family loves the eggs in the recipe, so I left them in.

The salad is made with elbow noodles, celery, onion, salt, pepper and paprika. I love adding paprika to my salad, it adds a little bit of color and a little bit of different flavor. Plus I love adding paprika to my recipes that contain hard-boiled eggs.  As you can see from the above photo, I kind of went a little overboard with the paprika, but it mixes in well!  🙂

This salad is light, refreshing, guilt-free and tastes just amazing! If you’re a macaroni fan, I think you will like this recipe! Oh and get this it’s only 229 calories for a cup, which is pretty darn good for macaroni salad! I’ll take that! This is great paired with barbecue chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs and just about anything you cook on the grill!

Lightened Up Macaroni Salad

Nutrition Information

• Serves: 8 cups

• Serving size: 1 cup

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  45 mins

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A traditional macaroni salad that is guilt-free and lightened up by using greek yogurt! It's simply the perfect picnic food!

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 3 cups elbow noodles
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup onion, diced small (if your onions are string taste, cut back a little, use ½ cup)
• 1 cup celery, diced small
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• ½ tsp. paprika

Instructions

1. In a large pot bring water to a boil, add your macaroni, bring to a boil and cook until tender. About 10 minutes. Drain your noodles and place in a bowl to cool.
2. While your cooking your noodles, make your hard boiled eggs. Place the eggs in a medium pot, just cover the eggs with water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Rinse the eggs under cool water and let cool completely. I place them in the refrigerator.
3. To make the salad, add onions and celery to macaroni, mix until incorporated. Add mayonnaise, greek yogurt and mustard. Mix until well incorporated. Taste test the salad to see if you need to add salt.
4. Peel and slice your eggs and place on top of salad. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Refrigerate the salad for at least one hour before serving.

Notes

Calories per cup: 229, Fat: 8.6, Cholesterol: 118, Carbs: 26, Fiber: 2, Sugar: 2, Protein: 11

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I just love picnic food! Do you have any plans for your 4th of July? I am just so happy that we have off from work! I am sure we will be having a family BBQ and watching the fireworks.

If you need more picnic food ideas, be sure to check out what the gang at #SundaySupper has made!

Have a great day!

Toodles,

Jennifer

Beverages

• Orange Blossom Iced Tea by girlichef
• Red, White, and Blue Sangria by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Rosemary Nectarine Sparkling Cocktail by Food Lust People Love
• Best Picnic Wines by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

Appetizers

• Baked Garlic Parmesan Wings by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls by Daily Dish Recipes
• Peppadew Dip by Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Savory Red, White, and Bleu Truffles by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Mains

• Asparagus and Cheddar Quiche by Mess Makes Food
• London Broil with Caramelized Red Onions by Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Stilton Potato and Stilton Pies by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Waffle Batter Fried Chicken Tenders with Maple Mustard Dipping Sauce by Kudos Kitchen by Renee

Sides

• Mushroom and Gruyere Cheesecake by Peaceful Cooking
• Scotch Eggs by Small Wallet, Big Appetite

Salads

• Caprese Pasta Salad by La Bella Vita Cucina
• Farro & Walnut Salad by Foxes Love Lemons
• Fruit Tortellini Salad by Jelly Toast
• Gluten Free Potato Salad by Gluten Free Crumbley
• Japanese Noodle Salad by Noshing With The Nolands
• Kale and Quinoa Tabbouli by Healthy. Delicious.
• Layered Chicken Salad by Nosh My Way
• Lightened Up Macaroni Salad by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Loaded Potato Salad by Granny’s Down Home Sassy Southern Cooking
• Mexican 3 Bean Salad by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Old Fashioned Potato Salad by Life Tastes Good
• Orzo Salad with Kale Pesto by Cooking Chat
• Pizza Pasta Salad by Curious Cuisiniere
• Red, White and Blue Fruit and Cheese Salad by Shockingly Delicious
• Tomato Bean Salad by Family Foodie
• Tuna Noodle Salad by Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
• Vegetable Salad by Magnolia Days
• Veggie Pasta Salad by Pescetarian Journal
• Watermelon and Feta Salad with Verjus by The Wimpy Vegetarian

Sandwiches and Wraps

• Pan Bagnat by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Panino con la Salamella by Manu’s Menu
• Roast Beef Wraps by Cookin’ Mimi

Sweets

• Banana Pudding Cheesecake by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
• Berry Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups {#glutenfree option} by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Cherry Chip Blossom Cupcakes by NinjaBaking.com
• Cherry Pie Crumb Bars by The Girl In the Little Red Kitchen
• Chocolate Chunk Brownies by What Smells So Good?
• Chocolate Syrup Brownies by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Chocolate Zucchini Cake by Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies by Alida’s Kitchen
• Flag Cake by Pies and Plots
• Peanut Butter Frosted Brownies by Feed Me, Seymour
• Red, White, and Blue Berry Angel Food Cake Parfaits by Neighborfood
• S’mores Crumb Bars by The Redhead Baker
• Stained Glass Jello with Coconut Milk Panna Cotta by Simply Gourmet
• Strawberry Banana Oat Muffins by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

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