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    Home » Recipes » Salads

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    Ensalada de Coditos (Pasta Salad: Mayo, Tuna, Ham, or Vegan)

    Plate with Ensalada de Coditos (Elbow Pasta Salad)
    Ensalada de Coditos (Elbow Pasta Salad)
    Ensalada de Coditos (Elbow Pasta Salad)

    En Español Recipe ↆ

    Ensalada de coditos (elbow pasta salad with mayo) is easy to prepare and everybody's favorite. This delicious dish is a perfect choice for BBQ or Christmas dinner. Find here the classic macaroni salad, as well as tuna, ham, or vegan for you to choose your favorite.

    Ensalada de coditos (pasta salad).
    Ensalada de coditos (pasta salad).

    JUMP TO: show ↓
    1. Why we ❤️ it
    2. Classic elbow macaroni salad
    3. Macaroni salad with tuna
    4. Healthy macaroni salad without mayo
    5. Serving suggestions
    6. Top tips
    7. About this recipe
    8. Video
    9. Recipe
    10. FAQs

    Why we ❤️ it

    Ensalada de coditos (elbow pasta salad with mayo) was always part of our family recipe repertoire, served on special occasions, and one of the salad choices at the Christmas feast.

    This colorful, filling, creamy Dominican macaroni salad is one of my favorite pasta recipes, and has all the Dominican sabor you'll love so much.

    Classic elbow macaroni salad 

    This simple macaroni salad with peas, red bell peppers, sweet corn, and carrot is combined with as many ingredients as budget and family taste allows. Though always recognizable, each home will have its preferred combination.

    Feel free to adapt the salad to your taste, but we've added the most common ingredients to our recipe.

    Macaroni salad with tuna

    One version of this salad that pops up often has tuna in it. You can substitute the ham in the recipe for a can of tuna in water (discard the liquid).

    Healthy macaroni salad without mayo

    As is often the case, we also try to find alternatives for people on special diets. Instead of mayonnaise, we offer a vegan lighter dressing, and you have the option to leave the ham out if you do not eat meat. This is a very forgiving dish. It will work either way.

    Pasta salad with ham.
    Ensalada de coditos.

    Ensalada de coditos (elbow pasta salad with mayo

    Serving suggestions

    We generally serve ensalada de coditos for lunch, but it's also great for parrilladas (cookouts), and it is the perfect side dish with barbecued meats, as a side dish, as a hearty entree, or to bring to a paseo.

    This cold pasta salad is also a popular option for our Christmas Eve dinner alongside or instead of Ensalada rusa.

    Top tips

    • Usually prepared with macaroni, you can use another type of short pasta for this dish.
    • You can use blanched frozen veggie mix for an easy, quick pasta salad. My preferred one is flashed-frozen veggies (thawed, of course), which are more nutritional than canned.

    About this recipe

    There isn't one ensalada de coditos in our country; instead, each home will add and take out things, depending on their gusto (taste) and availability of ingredients, but all these ingredients --save the paprika, my personal touch-- will almost certainly be present in most salads served at home.

    Is there an ingredient you love in your ensalada de coditos? Let me know in the comments.

    Buen provecho!

    Tia Clara

    Video

    Recipe

    This awesome free recipe contains Amazon affiliate links, we receive a small commission from any purchase you make at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

    Keep screen on while cooking

    Ensalada de Coditos [Recipe + Video] Elbow Pasta Salad

    By: Clara Gonzalez
    Ensalada de Coditos (Pasta Salad) is easy to prepare, and everybody's favorite. This delicious dish is a perfect choice for BBQ or Christmas dinner.
    5 from 8 votes
    Save for Later Send by Email Print Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 35 mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch
    Cuisine Dominican, Latino
    Servings 6 porciones
    Calories 349 kcal

    Ingredients

    • 1½ tablespoon salt, (or more, to taste), divided
    • ½ pound macaroni, (or similar short pasta) [0.23 kg]
    • 1 large carrot, diced and boiled
    • 1 bell pepper, diced into small cubes
    • 1 medium red onion, minced
    • ½ cup sweet peas, (from a can, see notes)
    • 1 cup sweet corn, (from a can, see notes)
    • ½ pound york ham, [0.23 kg] diced into small cubes (optional, see notes)

    Traditional Dressing

    • ¼ cup mayonnaise
    • 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika, (optional)

    Vegan/light dressing

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
    • 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)

    Instructions
     

    Boil pasta

    • Boiling pasta
      Heat ½ galon [2 liters] of water over medium-high heat in a large pot till it reaches a rolling boil, add a tablespoon of salt. Cook the pasta in the salted water a minute longer than instructed in the package, so you get pasta that is slightly softer than al-dente. Stir regularly to prevent it from sticking.
      Drain water, and let the pasta cool to room temperature.

    Combine ingredients

    • Combining ingredients in a bowl
      In a large bowl, combine pasta, carrots, bell pepper, onion, peas, corn, and ham.

    Make classic mayo dressing

    • Adding mayo and paprika
      Add mayo and paprika and stir to combine. Season it with salt to taste if needed.

    Make vegan dressing

    • Salad mixed ready to serve
      If you want to add vegan dressing instead, whisk the vinegar into the olive oil in a separate bowl, followed by the mustard and pepper. Then combine this with the salad and season with salt if needed.

    Serving and storing

    • Plate with Ensalada de Coditos (Elbow Pasta Salad)
      Serve at room temperature, or cover and chill if it will be served later. Best if served within 6 hours.

    Tips and Notes

    Leave ham out for a vegan salad. For a tuna pasta salad, you can switch the ham with a can of tuna in water, drained. Another choice is to add shredded supermarket rotisserie chicken instead.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 349kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 15gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 1101mgPotassium: 389mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 2650IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.

    READERS SEARCHED FOR classic macaroni salad, dominican ensalada de coditos, dominican macaroni, macaroni salad with peas, simple macaroni salad
    More recipes with: carrot, cheese, corn, ham, pasta

    FAQs

    Can ensalada de codito be refrigerated?

    You can cover tightly and keep in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours without much change in texture or flavor. For more extended periods (2 days), refrigerate without the mayonnaise and mix in the mayo shortly before serving.

    What is ensalada de coditos??

    Ensalada de codito is elbow pasta or macaroni salad in Spanish, and it's a Latin-style pasta salad.

    How to make ensalada de coditos?

    Enalada de codito is made with boiled elbow pasta and mixed with vegetables and dressing, typically mayo.

    Published Dec 21, 2010, revised Nov 27, 2022

    More Great Dominican Salads we Love

    • Ensalada Verde (Dominican Salad)
    • Ensalada Rusa or Ensalada Mixta (Potato Salad)
    • Cabbage and Carrot Salad (Ensalada de Repollo y Zanahoria)
    • Salsa Rosada (Mayo-Ketchup Pink Sauce)
    Edited: Nov 27, 2022 | Publish: Nov 27, 2022

    ¡Hola! I am Tía Clara, your host. Thanks for visiting.
    - Any questions or comments about this?
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