Crab Mac Salad

On the very first night of starting night shift about a month ago, I was welcomed to the night crew with a potluck consisting of buffalo chicken dip, treats and this glorious pasta salad.....

One of my co-workers, Sonya, made this crab salad and we spent all night gobbling it up in between providing patient care, passing medications and operating the ER. After spending an evening snacking on all these tasty potluck foods and spending some quality time with my new night crew, I knew I absolutely loved my job.

Monday night I was working with Sonya when I looked at her and said, "You know what sounds good? Crab salad. Every time I look at you, all I can think about is the crab salad you made that one night." She just looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Do you just want the recipe?"

Oh heck yes!

 

And the recipe couldn't be easier. In the recipe, it calls for imitation crab, and that was all I could find in my tiny grocery store that never has anything I need. But if you have access to real crab (lucky you!) go for it and use that instead!

 

First you take a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Mix and stir it to combine with 1 cup Milk and 1 cup Mayonnaise.

 

Then thaw out a 1 pound bag of peas and carrots.

"Jenny and me was like peas and carrots" (Name that movie!)

 Sorry I couldn't help myself. It's what I think of every time I see peas and carrots. Lol.

Then boil 1 pound of elbow macaroni and cook until al dente.

 

In a very large bowl, add in the dressing, cooked elbow macaroni, thawed peas and carrots and roughly chopped crab meat.

 

Fold to combine....

 

And cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

 

You can serve this salad with practically anything and it's perfect for picnics, potlucks, etc. I made some slow-cooker ribs from picky-palate that were to die for and just as simple as this pasta salad.

Thanks for the recipe Sonya!

This is going to be a staple at my picnics and family gatherings!

 

Crab Mac Salad

{Serves 8}

 

-1 pound Elbow Macaroni

-1 pound frozen Peas & Carrots, thawed

-1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Mix

-1 cup Milk

-1 cup Mayonnaise

-8 ounces Imitation (or real) Crab Meat-roughly chopped

 

Boil and cook the elbow macaroni according to packaged directions until al dente. Drain and set aside. In a large bowl, stir until smooth the ranch seasoning mix, milk and mayonnaise. To the bowl with dressing, add the cooked elbow macaroni, thawed peas and carrots, and crab meat. Fold to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. 

Recipe By: Sonya M.