Grandma’s Amish Pasta Salad
I grew up near a large Amish community in northeastern Ohio. My grandmother loved eating dinner at a nearby Amish restaurant on Saturdays and browsing the shops with all the handmade items that Hartville had to offer. Recently, I found her recipe for Amish Pasta Salad tucked inside a cookbook she gave me years ago. I made it for Easter lunch this year and everyone loved it. A great recipe and such fond memories of a dish my grandmother liked to make and share.
Grandma’s Amish Pasta Salad is a combination of small pasta shells, hard-boiled eggs, chopped vegetables and a tangy, creamy homemade dressing. It’s flavorful salad for any spring meal. Making perfect hard-boiled eggs is key to making this recipe tasty and pretty. It isn’t hard. Here’s how I do it:
How do I make a perfect hard-boiled egg?
- Place your eggs in COLD water in a medium saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow the eggs to sit in the hot pan of water for another 8 minutes.
- Run very cold water over the eggs to cool. Crack and peel them under running water. The eggs turn out perfect every time.
- Chop them into small pieces for this salad.
Tangy, creamy and crunchy all at the same time, Grandma’s Amish Pasta Salad is easy to make and will feed a crowd. No matter how much I make, it seems to vanish quickly.
Grandma’s Amish Pasta Salad
What’s needed:
- 3 cups of small pasta shells, uncooked
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/3 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1/3 cup shredded carrots (optional)
- 1 1/3 cups mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
How to make Grandma’s Amish Pasta Salad?
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, relish, sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery salt and black pepper.
- Cook, peel and chop the eggs. See ‘Tips’ above for making a perfect hard-boiled egg.
- Add the eggs, celery, onion, carrots and pasta to the mayonnaise mixture and stir to combine. Garnish the top with a slice or two of egg and some celery leaves. Sprinkle the paprika over the pasta salad.
- Refrigerate the pasta salad overnight. It is ALWAYS better the next day. Serve with chicken, fish or pork. The recipe makes 8 servings, about 1/2 cup each.
This is a recipe that you’ll want to keep on-hand for family gatherings or to take to a church potluck. And then pass along a copy to a friend or family member, they’ll thank you for it.
For more of the best pasta salads, check out these delicious recipes:
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Grandma’s Amish Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups pasta shells, small, uncooked
- 4 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1/3 cup sweet onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup carrots, shredded, optional
- 1 1/3 cups mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, relish, sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery salt and black pepper.
- Cook, peel and chop the eggs. See tips below on how to cook a perfect hard-boiled egg. Add the eggs, celery, onion, carrots and pasta to the mayonnaise mixture and stir to combine.
- Garnish the top with a slice or two of egg and some celery leaves. Sprinkle the paprika over the pasta salad.
- Refrigerate the pasta salad overnight. It is ALWAYS better the next day. Serve with chicken, fish or pork. The recipe makes 8 servings, about 1/2 cup each.
Notes
- Place your eggs in COLD water in a medium saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow the eggs to sit in the hot pan of water for another 8 minutes.
- Run very cold water over the eggs to cool. Crack and peel them under running water. The eggs turn out perfect every time.
- Chop them into small pieces for this salad.