The Tangy Secret Behind The Pioneer Woman's Macaroni Salad

Macaroni salad is among the most comforting foods you'll find at summer cookouts. Traditionally made with a sweet mayonnaise dressing, it differs from pasta salad, which is typically coated in a vinaigrette dressing. Macaroni salad mix-ins may vary, but typically, you'll find crunchy bell peppers, celery, and even shredded carrots. However, everybody's recipe varies slightly, and plenty of folks have their own signature secret ingredients from chopped dill to hard-boiled eggs. Ree Drummond's secret ingredient adds both crunch and tang: By chopping up sweet and spicy pickles, she takes this BBQ favorite to the next level.

On the Pioneer Woman blog, Drummond shares her recipe for macaroni salad. It's fairly traditional, featuring roasted red peppers, black olives, and green onions. But diced pickles are what give her recipe an edge. She writes that you can add whatever kind of pickle you'd like, whether it be dill, bread-and-butter, or half-sour. However, she uses a sweet and spicy pickle, which she purchases from a local company in her home state of Oklahoma. No matter what type of pickle you go for, this secret ingredient will bring an unbeatable crunch and a layer of tanginess that takes the salad to a whole new level.

If you give pickles a try and decide that they're non-negotiable in your macaroni salad, you might consider adding a splash of pickle juice to the mix, too. Drummond uses pickle juice to elevate the acidic, tangy flavors that abound in her recipe. If you choose to add pickle juice, you might want to toss your plain pasta in it before adding any of the other ingredients. Then, drain any excess liquid, and add your mix-ins and dressing. This will allow all those great flavors to soak into the pasta without it pooling at the bottom of the serving container.

In addition to pickles and pickle juice, there are other ingredients you might consider adding to your macaroni salad to give it some additional tang. Sour cream is a popular option; it's truly the secret weapon for a tangy macaroni salad, since it coats the entire macaroni salad, flavoring the entire dish. Unlike mayonnaise, which possesses a more neutral flavor, sour cream adds a layer of acidity to the mix that really packs a punch. Beyond sour cream, a bit of vinegar or cider vinegar also adds a subtle touch of tang, especially if you coat the pasta in it before adding your other ingredients.