What’s better than a summertime grill-fest and a side of macaroni salad? In my opinion, pretty much nothing. Last night we grilled up some tofu using a barbecue marinade and I made this salad. VERY easy to put together, but it came out great so I thought it was worth posting. Our garden is finally giving us some veggies, and I got to use some of those in this recipe too.

Next time I would sub in some greek yogurt for all or some of the mayo since that would make it a whole lot healthier, but since I had never really made macaroni salad before, I kept it basic (and full of mayo). We did add some vegan sausage to amp up the flavor and I made tons extra so I can eat it for the next few days!

I start by cooking the pasta. I used macaroni elbows, but just about any small pasta would work.

I cut up all the veggies and combine them. The key is choosing crunchy veggies that hold up in a salad. I used bell pepper, carrots, and red and green onions.

I make the vegan sausage. I am not a huge fan of “fake meats” but I don’t mind them once in a while and it worked well in this.

I make the sauce by whisking together all the ingredients – it was sweet, tangy and creamy! Everything comes together in no time at all!

Prep time: 15 minutes   Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 2 cups pasta elbows
• 2 vegan sausages, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• A bunch of green onions, chopped
• Half of a red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons mustard
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons black pepper (for sausage and for sauce)
• Little bit of oil for cooking the sausage

Recipe:

1. Cook the pasta according to directions. Set aside.
2. In a small pan, heat up some oil and throw in the vegan sausage. Season with black pepper as its cooking.  Let the sausage get brown.  Set aside.
3. Combine the mayo, vinegar, mustard seasonings and whisk together. Taste and add any seasoning that may be missing.
4. Once the pasta is cool, add the vegetables, sausage, and the sauce. Mix well.
5. Refrigerate for about 3-4 hours before serving.