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Modern Macaroni Salad

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A modern take on the classic to healthify your summer. Magically grain-free & gluten-free macaroni mixed with fresh summer veggies and a creamy vegan veggie based puree to kick the mayo to the side!

Modern Macaroni Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 A modern take on the classic to healthify your summer. Magically grain-free & gluten-free macaroni mixed with fresh summer veggies and a creamy vegan veggie based puree to kick the mayo to the side!

I am so excited to share this macaroni salad with you! After my success with my reinvention of the Italian pasta salad, I knew macaroni had to be done before season’s end. The only major problem I had was finding something to take the place of all that mayo and creaminess that is used. Macaroni salad was never my number 1 summer side dish. Sometimes I would find a perfect macaroni salad, other times they would just be too mayo-y and sweet. The pasta wouldn’t be cooked enough or it would be cooked to mush. Now with not having eaten macaroni salad in too many years to count, I was at a stand-still.

Modern Macaroni Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 A modern take on the classic to healthify your summer. Magically grain-free & gluten-free macaroni mixed with fresh summer veggies and a creamy vegan veggie based puree to kick the mayo to the side!

I needed it to not only be gluten-free, but soy, egg, and dairy-free as well. I wanted it to be healthy and homemade. So what to use for the creamy goodness associated with the mac salad? After some serious thinking, I walked down to my kitchen for some ideas. I didn’t want this sauce to be calorie dense, so my go-to “mayo” of tahini and some non-dairy milk was out. Then I though a veggie puree. But what veggie was unique enough, light enough, bendable enough, and colorless enough for a creamy white sauce?

Modern Macaroni Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 A modern take on the classic to healthify your summer. Magically grain-free & gluten-free macaroni mixed with fresh summer veggies and a creamy vegan veggie based puree to kick the mayo to the side!

Then it hit me! Sitting right there on the table, in the produce basket, next to some Japanese Sweet Potatoes (no, I didn’t use potato), was my recent food love, celeriac root! Ding, ding, ding, jackpot! This was it, this was the answer to all my food requirements. From that moment, I knew this macaroni salad was going to be a star, but my searching for the right ingredients was not over yet.

Banza Chickpea Pasta | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666

Banza Chickpea Pasta | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666

The pasta! Low and behold, I finally got my hands on a pasta I had wanted to try for awhile now. Banza! (Before I continue, no, this is NOT sponsored). The perfect macaroni for my “modern” macaroni salad. Banza is made with JUST chickpeas, that’s it! Which means this pasta is 100% grain-free! How cool and how “modern” 😉 I’d say it was the perfect fit for this reinvention of the mac salad.  So I crossed my fingers and hoped it would taste and hold-up as good and it sounded.

Modern Macaroni Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 A modern take on the classic to healthify your summer. Magically grain-free & gluten-free macaroni mixed with fresh summer veggies and a creamy vegan veggie based puree to kick the mayo to the side!

Let me tell you right now, this pasta was a success! I was just as pleased with it as my other favorite pasta. The excitement and the glory of finding a good gluten-free pasta (which also happened to be grain-free). Creative small food companies like Banza, make my heart sing with joy. Feed us allergy-full foodies, feed us good food from the heart! My mission to not let this pasta down by putting it in a failure of a recipe was the next task at hand.

Modern Macaroni Salad

Modern Macaroni Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 A modern take on the classic to healthify your summer. Magically grain-free & gluten-free macaroni mixed with fresh summer veggies and a creamy vegan veggie based puree to kick the mayo to the side!

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Modern Macaroni Salad

A modern take on the classic to healthify your summer. Magically grain-free & gluten-free macaroni mixed with fresh summer veggies and a creamy vegan veggie based puree to kick the mayo to the side!

  • Author: Rebecca Pytell
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: American
Scale

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Boil a large pot of water, peel and cube the celeriac in to big chunks, and boil for about 30 minutes, until the root is soft.
  2. In the mean time, cook the pasta according to directions, drain (reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water, rinse the pasta, and set aside to cool.
  3. Now, take your celeriac chunks, add them to a food processor, along with the other sauce ingredients. Blend until you get a smooth puree.
  4. Once the sauce and pasta are done, make sure your veggies are all prepped (I did this during the boiling of the celeriac), and first add the pasta, then veggies, and finally the sauce to the bowl.
  5. Mix everything together until fully coated and combined.
  6. Refrigerate before serving (at least an hour) and enjoy! This is a great make-ahead and leftovers dish too! Trust me, it hold up!

Modern Macaroni Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 A modern take on the classic to healthify your summer. Magically grain-free & gluten-free macaroni mixed with fresh summer veggies and a creamy vegan veggie based puree to kick the mayo to the side!

No failures here! I’m pretty sure I made this macaroni proud. This is one macaroni salad you can feel good about scooping seconds and thirds on to your plate! Veggie packed and full of plant-based bean protein. The king bean does it again! I enjoyed this macaroni salad much more than anything (that I remember) from the store. I’m telling you folks, making allergy-free and healthy recipes CAN taste delicious and even more so than the old classics; I promise!

Modern Macaroni Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 A modern take on the classic to healthify your summer. Magically grain-free & gluten-free macaroni mixed with fresh summer veggies and a creamy vegan veggie based puree to kick the mayo to the side!

So tell me:

+ Macaroni salad fan? Think this modern take will convert you if not? I’m pretty sure I used to put some ketchup on macaroni salad as well. I know 😛

+ Have you tried Banza?

*Recipe linking up for the week! Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeOfTheWeek,#StrangeButGood, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays,Tasty Tuesdays, Savoring Saturdays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Tasty Tuesdays, Meatless Mondays, Lena’s Tasty Tuesdays!*


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Comments

  8. Kim~madeinaday says

    What an amazing looking pasta salad! You’ve made me want to try the chickpea noodles! I am sharing your post today on my Recipes to try Board and FB page! Have a great week!
    Best,
    Kim

    Reply

  9. Joann says

    I will have to keep my eye out for this Banza pasta next time I am at store – and pinning your recipe as I have yet to make a macaroni salad this summer to accompany the bbq dinners we enjoy.

    Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      I hope you find it!! It’s so good and the perfect “macaroni” for macaroni salad 😉 Haha!

      Reply

  11. Marla says

    Hi Rebecca,
    Sounds like a delicious, tasty recipe and I would really like to try the Banza pasta -sounds like a great grain free alternative.

    Reply

  13. Christine says

    You found a good gluten free pasta???? I must try it! And I seem to remember several recipes in David Lebovitz’s book that use celeriac root. Need to try that, too. I always learn something new on your blog.

    Reply

  16. casey says

    1) I have never had chickpea pasta and am intrigued.
    2) your photography is on point! Awesome job. You should do a post on your photo tips!
    3) it wasn’t my intention to comment as a list, but I’m finding it hard to stop.
    4) bye!

    Reply

  23. Miss Polkadot says

    Now that’s a pasta salad I could get on board with! I don’t like the usual ones because even pre-vegan/lacto-vegetarian I thought mayonnaise was gross. Just thinking of the scent alone … no way!
    And you know my take on celeriac yet I’d have never thought of using it as the main ingredient of a dressing – clever! If only chickpea pasta was sold [and at an acceptable price] around here …

    Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      Hahaha, I think mayo is something people either love or hate!
      Celeriac is like my best friend now, haha!
      You’ll just have to use “normal” pasta :/
      Thank you dear!

      Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      Celeriac only have a slight celery taste, nothing like an actual piece of celery. Give it a try!

      Reply

  28. Hannah says

    I love that you used a veggie puree instead of mayo! I love creamy pasta salad, but I’m so creeped out by mayo – vegan or otherwise. Yum yum!

    Reply

  29. Jenn says

    Celeriac root? Wow, I would have NEVER thought of that….mainly, because I’ve NEVER tried it. LOL! Very creative. I will definitely have to try this sometime. Looks so creamy and delicious!

    Reply

  32. Farrah says

    Ooo, macaroni made of chickpeas?! This is so awesome! 😀 I’m a fan of macaroni salad, but not so much on the mayo. I love this alternative! :]

    Reply

  35. Jennifer Stewart says

    I make a lot of gluten free pastas and I have never heard of this brand before. Usually I use heartland, mostly rice and corn, but I want to try this one! I love a macaroni salad and somethings you can’t fake with spaghetti squash!

    Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      I know your kids will like this chickpea pasta for sure 😉 and Drew will like ketchup on it too….so good 😉

      Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      I’ve never heard of a macaroni salad without the veggies! Mine just has a lot more than the usual!

      Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      Get some Banza and make this then! I bet I can get you to love the “modern” take 😉

      Reply

  42. Sarah says

    Yum! I’m going to have to give this a try! My mom use to make huge batches of pasta salad in the summer growing up and my husband and I would live off it when we got married too but than I couldn’t eat it. We than use to do big jumbo batches of quinoa salad (with avocado not mayo) and did that for years but than one of the girls stopped eating it and I think I got a little bored and over did it. I was just thinking about making some the other day but I think we will have to give this a try.

    Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      I think this one will be an all around crowd pleaser! You will not be bored with this one! (But an avocado quinoa salad sounds really yummy to me right now!)

      Reply

  43. Lemonade Wise says

    How on earth do they make pasta from chickpeas?!? I’m going to have to show this to a friend of mine who has recently been diagnosed with Chron’s (sp?) disease and now needs to eat gluten free.

    Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      Crohns 😉 It is one fabulous pasta! Just chickpea flour, water, and some xanthum gum I believe! Pretty stellar! The fact that it held up to this crazy salad still amazes me!

      Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      Haha, thanks Megan! Mayo is pretty gross…I just never understood what it WAS. Just like hot dogs…ew. One of those foods that just does not make sense 😛

      Reply

  47. Liz says

    Yum! I love Banza 🙂 Love the idea of using a veggie sauce… I HATE mayo (it grosses me out) but this looks like a macaroni salad I’d actually love to eat!

    Reply

  49. EA-The Spicy RD says

    Such a creative and delicious looking recipe Rebecca! I’ve never been a big Macaroni Salad eater either {cole slaw or potato salad? yes, please!}, but this looks to good to pass up! And, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that Banza pasta too 🙂 Can’t wait to make this!

    Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      I think you will love this one! But I’m with you when it comes to potato salad! O yes please!

      Reply

  59. Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says

    That sauce is awesome!!!!!! As soon as you said veggie puree I was thinking of something that started with a C, but celeriac root was not it 😉 So creative! And with the mustard and pickle juice tang it sounds amazing! And macaroni elbows are my favorite pasta shape, so I just love everything going on here <3 You are a pasta salad pro this summer! xoxo

    Reply

  61. Debbie says

    I really can’t wait to try this salad. I hated macaroni salad when I was a kid, but have come to love it as an adult. I’m happy you’ve created a healthier version.

    Reply

  66. Chelsie says

    This looks so so yummy! My husband is supposed to be gluten free (but it’s hard to get him to do it) but if I make him things like this, I know it’ll be easier! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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Meet Rebecca

Hey there, welcome to Strength and Sunshine! I’m Rebecca and I’m so glad you’re here! This is your go-to destination for delicious, fun, and (mostly) healthy gluten-free and allergy-free recipes, tips & tricks, advice, as well as celiac and food allergy coaching services!

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