Healthy, bold, and flavorful Curried Macaroni Salad is made without mayo, and offers a curry kick paired with sweet raisins and grapes and crunchy walnuts making this the perfect combination of flavors and textures!
Macaroni salad. It’s like that redheaded stepchild at the barbecue. Usually slathered in mayo, lacking in flavor and, if your gatherings are anything like my work functions, picked up from the grocery store where it has already been sitting for 48 hours. I always avoid it at all costs. In fact, it wasn’t until I started making my own macaroni salad (it’s the hubby’s favorite), that I realized why people liked the stuff. I love pasta salad, and macaroni salad isn’t all that different. If you use the right ingredients, it’s actually super delicious!
I’ve made plenty of traditional (well, my version of traditional) macaroni salad, so this time I wanted to do things a little different. I took my traditional mac salad recipe and married it with one of my all-time favorites, curried chicken salad. The two recipes fell in love, lived happily ever after, and produced this baby. They’re very happy parents.
There is not a drop of mayo in this recipe, but if you love mayo, feel free to sub out some, or (sniff, sniff) all (but really, please don’t) of the Greek yogurt with mayo. Because this recipe has no oil like traditional mayo contains, it can easily dry up in the fridge, so it is best served the day of, or with added Greek yogurt before serving.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt I used nonfat, but any will work
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tbsp curry seasoning
- pinch garlic salt
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 cups whole grain macaroni cooked and cooled
- ¾ cup grapes halved
- ½ cup raisins
- ⅓ cup walnut pieces
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together Greek yogurt, mustard, curry seasoning, garlic salt and cayenne until well combined. Add cooled macaroni, grapes, raisins and walnuts. Lightly stir to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container. If refrigerating, add a little more Greek yogurt before serving.
Velvet & Vinegar says
the perfect version for fall, love it!