• Home
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure & Privacy
  • Media Kit
  • Little Family Adventure Shop

Little Family Adventure

Active Family Travel and Lifestyle Blog

  • Get Outside
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Family
  • Go Green
  • Deals

August 19, 2013 By Nicky 3 Comments

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Little Family Adventure sometimes receives compensation and/or hosted travel and sample products related to blog posts. This story may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe

How about a little escape from your day-to-day routine? Sit back and close your eyes. Imagine island breezes, crashing waves on the shore, and the smell of fresh flowers around your neck. Aloha, we’re traveling to the tropical paradise of Hawaii and enjoying a side of Hawaiian Macaroni Salad.

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Years ago, my husband and I took an amazing Hawaiian vacation. We had friends that were stationed at Kaneohe Bay on the eastern side of Oahu. We went and spent a week traveling around Oahu. In my humble opinion, a Hawaiian vacation should be on everyone’s bucket list. It’s a trip not to be missed, especially for food lovers. Since we were with island residents, we skipped a few of the more touristy areas and tagged along to many of the local eateries and sites. When you live in a place, you hear about the best local dives and places to go. We had some of the best food on the island! One of our favorite things was a plate lunch with shredded pork, rice, and Hawaiian macaroni salad.

Hawaiian Plate Lunch Macaroni Salad

My plate lunch of Kalua pork, macaroni salad, and brown rice.

A traditional  island Plate Lunch is nothing fancy. It’s quick, easy, and very filling. You can find a plate lunch with a main entree (my favorites are Chicken teriyaki and Kaula Pork) , a scoop of macaroni salad, and two scoops of plain rice. Just like potato salad on the mainland, island macaroni salad recipes are as varied as the people and restaurants that prepare them. The macaroni salad we loved the best was unique and delicious. It contained one ingredient that is found all around the islands, tuna. Yes that’s right, shredded cooked tuna made this mac salad out of this world.

In California, we could get a plate lunch at any Hawaiian BBQ restaurant. Unfortunately, we don’t have anything like it here in Oklahoma. So, we’ve had to improvise and create our own version of the Plate Lunch. This is my recipe for a plate lunch style macaroni salad with tuna. Even if you’re skeptical about the tuna, just try it. You’ll LOVE it!!  The salad gets better the longer you let it sit in the refrigerator. I will make it a day ahead, but it can be served immediately if needed. The trick to getting this salad as authentic as possible is to completely cook your pasta noodles. Al dente is NOT the desired product here. You want the noodles soft and fully cooked so they will absorb all that flavor.

This recipe makes a lot of salad. I always make more than I need. That way I’m assured that I can actually get a bowl or you before its gone. You can easily split the recipe in half. I hope you enjoy this island recipe.

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Continue to Content

Hawaiian Plate Lunch Macaroni Salad

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. pasta, preferably elbow macaroni
  • 2 medium carrot, grated
  • 2 celery stalk, finely diced
  • 3 Tablespoons grated red onion
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and finely diced
  • 10 ounces package frozen peas, thawed and drained
  • 1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 can tuna, drained
  • 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package instructions, about 12-15 minutes. You'll want pasta fully cooked (not al dente). Drain and set aside.
  2. Combine cooked pasta, carrot, celery, onion, eggs, and peas in a large bowl.
  3. Place mayonnaise, milk, tuna, and vinegar in a small bowl and stir together.
  4. Add the dressing to the pasta. Stir together until completely combined. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Place mixture in the refrigerator for at least an hour (best if overnight) and adjust seasoning before serving.
© Nicky

 

 

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: side dishes

blank

About Nicky

Nicky Omohundro is a travel and active family lifestyle blogger and social media influencer based out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She shares stories, destinations, and ideas on food, family, health, and outdoor recreation to help families find their own adventures. Her spirit animal is a caffeinated squirrel fueled by coffee, real food, and the desire to seek new adventures.

« Baked Pork Spring Rolls
Easy Kalua Pork Recipe for the Slow Cooker »

Comments

  1. blankwhitelionmoving1 says

    August 29, 2013 at 4:18 pm

    My mouth is watering!!!
    Cool post! You are so lucky to get to experience such a great trip!!

    white lion moving company blogger group
    whitelion.com

    Reply
  2. blankPatty Haxton Anderson says

    March 20, 2014 at 11:19 am

    Hey what a great blog post. This is a nice spin on a plain tuna mac salad. Love it.

    Reply
    • blankLittle Family Adventure says

      March 20, 2014 at 1:57 pm

      Thanks Patty. I’m not a big fan of canned tuna, but love it in this salad.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Find What You’re Looking For Here

Welcome to Little Family Adventure

blank Hi, I'm Nicky. I'm an active mom of 3 who wants to help you have "No Child Left Inside." We're getting outdoors and traveling as a family to bring you new ideas, destinations, and activities. Let me help inspire you to find your own adventure at home, outdoors, and around the world.

Follow Our Adventures

Want Easy Camping Food Ideas?friends family camping laughing

 

coffee table with cups and text overlap
HOT DEALS OF THE WEEK  (Updated Every Thursday)
campfire meme

FAMILY OUTDOOR GUIDES

Family Vacation Ideas

Camping Checklist

Weekend Camping Menu Under $50 

Camping Breakfast Ideas

Outdoor Activities for Kids

Funny Camping Memes

Camping Gifts

Hiker Gifts

Backyard Camping Ideas and Activities

blank

Reader Favorites

Kringla shaped cookies in a tin

Kringla Recipe for Traditional Norwegian Cookies

Easy Gumbo Recipe - This Instant Pot Pressure cooker version is so simple to make. I also share the secret to getting the roux perfect every time

Easy Gumbo Recipe (Instant Pot version)

campfire cooking

Don't Go Camping Without Seeing these 25+ Camping Recipes First

The FTC has set regulations on disclosing when bloggers advertise or recommend products. Find this information outlined in my disclosure policy

blank

Copyright © 2021 · Little Family Adventure - Divine theme by Restored 316 & Designed by That Pretty Face