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MACARONI SALAD RECIPE

Say hello to the warm summer months! It’s time for hikes, picnics, park playdates and lake trips. This Jalapeño Popper Macaroni Salad Recipe is great for any occasion and it packs up nicely.

I made this Jalapeño Popper Macaroni Salad for a picnic lunch. It is a creamy macaroni salad with the addition of cheddar cheese, roasted jalapeños and bacon.

MAC SALAD STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS:

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Eat within 3-4 days.

MORE PASTA SALAD RECIPES:

Greek Pasta Salad – Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad – Caprese Pasta Salad – Cold Spaghetti Salad

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Jalapeño Popper Macaroni Salad Recipe

Just in time for barbecue season, this Jalapeño Popper Macaroni Salad Recipe makes a fantastic side dish! Your favorite pasta salad made with cheddar, bacon and roasted jalapeños for a fun twist.

Course Side Dishes

Cuisine American

Keyword macaroni salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 1358kcal

Author Nicole Harris

Equipment

• Cutting Boards
• Knives

Ingredients

Roasted Jalapeños

• 5 Large Jalapeños (tops, seeds and veins removed)
• Olive Oil
• Salt/Pepper

Macaroni Salad

• 8 ounces Dry Elbow Macaroni (cooked according to package instructions)
• 2 ounces Cream Cheese (softened and cubed)
• 6-8 ounces Bacon (cooked and chopped)
• 4 ounces Mild Cheddar Cheese (cut into small cubes)
• 1/3 Cup Mayonnaise
• 1/4 Cup Sour Cream
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
• Ground Pepper (to taste)

Instructions

Roasted Jalapeños

• Preheat oven to 425°F
• Toss jalapeños with just enough olive oil to lightly coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast jalapeños on a rimmed baking sheet for 10 minutes. Let cool then chop.

Macaroni Salad

• Mix cooked macaroni and cream cheese while pasta is still slightly warm. Let cool then add bacon, cheddar, mayo, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and jalapeños.
• Store in refrigerator in airtight container until served.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 1358kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 85g | Fat: 103g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 62g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 264mg | Sodium: 4150mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g

The post Jalapeño Popper Macaroni Salad Recipe appeared first on WonkyWonderful.

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BACON JALAPENO CHICKEN SALAD

You just can’t go wrong with jalapeño popper inspired recipes. And what better way to liven up chicken salad than to add some roasted jalapeños, bacon and cheese!?!? Roasting the jalapeños ensures that it is not over-the-top spicy. The crisp, salty bacon and cheddar cheese take this chicken salad to the next level! This is a must try, especially for anyone looking for a pop of flavor in their lunches.

If this is making you hungry you might also like: Jalapeno Popper Macaroni Salad – Jalapeno Popper Guacamole – Jalapeno Popper Grilled Corn Salad

There you have it. The fabulous flavors of jalapeño poppers without the headache. Seriously, jalapeño poppers are a huge pain to prepare. And you get to enjoy it this way for lunch or dinner.

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Jalapeño Popper Chicken Salad

This Jalapeño Popper Chicken Salad is the ultimate! Creamy chicken salad with roasted jalapeños, bacon and cheddar cheese. Say goodbye to boring ol' chicken sandwiches and have Jalapeño Popper Chicken Wraps instead.

Course Lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword jalapeno popper chicken salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8

Calories 403kcal

Author Nicole Harris

Equipment

• Baking Dish
• Knives

Ingredients

• 2 Lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, (pounded to an even thickness)
• Olive Oil
• Salt/Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
• 4 Jalapeños (stems/seeds removed, sliced in half lengthwise)
• 4 ounces Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise (or sub with sour cream)
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Cooked Bacon
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Place chicken in large baking dish. Coat with olive oil, salt/pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and cumin. Cover baking dish with foil.
• Place jalapeños in a separate smaller baking dish. Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover baking dish with foil.
• Bake chicken and jalapeños at the same time. Remove jalapeños after 30 minutes. Let cool then chop.
• Continue to cook chicken until it reaches an internal temp of 165°F (typically 45-60 minutes total, depending on size and thickness) Remove chicken from oven and let cool.
• Transfer chicken to large bowl and shred with two forks. Add chopped jalapeños, cream cheese, mayonnaise, and bacon. Stir until combined. Salt and pepper to taste then gently stir in shredded cheddar.
• Serve in wraps, sandwiches, on top of salad, crackers or alone.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 403kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 420mg | Sugar: 1g

The post Jalapeño Popper Chicken Salad appeared first on WonkyWonderful.

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Homemade Salsa

While flipping through one of my food magazines I came upon a Ball Canning Recipe pull-out.  In it I discovered a new version of Salsa Verde, this one made with green tomatoes.  I’ve always made My Verde Sauce with tomatillos so I was curious to see how a green tomato salsa would taste.

Luckily friends have been giving me tons of green tomatoes this year to play around with.  I was surprised at how similar the flavor of green tomato salsa is compared to regular tomatillo salsa verde.  They are both delicious so I guess it just comes down to personal preference.

The tomatillo salsa usually requires cooking while my version of the green tomato salsa verde is not cooked.  The green tomato salsa verde can easily be made chunky or more restaurant style.

Green Tomato Salsa Verde is also very healthy.  It is made simply with fresh ingredients and a few dried spices.  Which is perfect for my attempt to eat healthier . . . of course the tortilla chips certainly cannot be categorized as healthy.

But, I did come up with a way to enjoy this delicious salsa verde without tortilla chips.  I will be sharing that recipe on this week’s Healthy Happy Wednesday post.

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Green Tomato Salsa Verde

Green Tomato Salsa Verde is bright, flavorful and made with fresh ingredients!   A blend of lime, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, spices and tangy green tomatoes . . . the perfect end of summer snack!

Course Snacks

Cuisine American

Keyword green tomato salsa, homemade salsa

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Calories 30kcal

Author Nicole Harris

Ingredients

• 1 Small Lime - Juiced 1-2 Tb
• 1 Finely Chopped Garlic Clove
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Pinch Garlic Powder
• Pinch Cumin
• Pinch Chili Powder
• 1 Tb Chopped Fresh Cilantro omit if you Hate cilantro
• 1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Onion * about ½ small onion
• 2 Tb Finely Chopped Jalapeno about ½ small pepper
• 1½ Cups Chopped Green Tomatoes about 2 tomatoes

Instructions

For Restaurant Style

• It is not necessary to chop the ingredients.
• Remove the stems and cores of the green tomatoes.
• Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree to desired consistency.

For Chunky Style

• Remove the stems and cores of the green tomatoes.
• Chop all the ingredients and combine.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes

*I used red onion, but a white onion is fine too.
Yields approximately 1¾ Cups Salsa.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 30kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 59mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g

More to dip into:

Easy Salsa in less than 10 minutes!

Green Salsa Guacamole

One-Pot Taco Casserole

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Easy Pork Tacos

 Here in California we have so many excellent authentic Mexican food restaurants.  But, I’m too cheap to eat out often and I prefer to have control over the ingredients used to make the meal.  There is a reason restaurant food tastes so delicious, or three reasons to be exact . . . Lard, Salt and Cheese!

Once you start making your own restaurant copycat dishes you will notice how much better you feel after eating the homemade versions.  The food is so much lighter and doesn’t leave you feeling like there is a brick in your stomach.

 This verde sauce is made simply with tomatillos.  If you have never cooked with tomatillos they are actually very easy to prepare.  

When choosing which tomatillos to purchase; make sure they are firm, green and still covered by the husk.  When prepping your tomatillos, remove the husks and wash off the strange sticky film that covers the outside.

 I used the leftover pork from my Slow Cooker Apple Barbeque Pulled Pork recipe.  You can check out that recipe or cook whatever type of meat you prefer.  Shredded chicken would be delicious in these tacos!  This meaty verde sauce would taste great over rice too!

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Pork Verde Tacos

If you ever get insane cravings for Mexican food, like I do, these Pork Verde Tacos will make you so happy! The perfect family dinner.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword dinner recipe, mexican food, tacos

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Calories 186kcal

Author Nicole Harris

Ingredients

Verde Sauce

• 1 lb Tomatillos
• 2-3 Tb chopped Jalapeno 1 small pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped White Onion 1/2 small onion
• 2 Tb Lime Juice 1 lime
• 4 Garlic Cloves chopped
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• Pinch of Pepper
• Pinch of Cumin
• Pinch of Chili Powder

Tacos

• 2½ cups Shredded Pork*
• 1 package Tortillas
• Sour Cream optional
• Cilantro optional
• Shredded Cheese optional
• Avocado optional

Instructions

• Cook and prepare the pork or meat of choice.*

Verde Sauce

• Remove husks and clean the tomatillos.
• Transfer to medium saucepan and add 1/2 cup of water.
• Cook on medium heat until a fork can be easily inserted (about 10-15 minutes). Turn tomatillos once while cooking.
• Once tomatillos are cooked, transfer to blender or food processor and puree (Carefully!).
• Return to saucepan and add the jalapeno, onion, lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder.
• Simmer on medium-low heat 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Add the shredded pork to the verde sauce and reheat in the sauce if necessary.
• Remove from heat.

Tacos

• Grease a frypan with butter and cook each tortilla over medium heat for about 30 seconds on each side. (optional)
• Now fill each tortilla with the verde sauce meat then add the toppings you like. Enjoy!

Notes

*I used leftover meat from a previous recipe: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Use pork, chicken or beef. Chopped, shredded or sliced. Your preference.
This recipe makes about 8-10 tacos, but it depends how much meat you stuff into each taco.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 127mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g

“Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.”     – Pedro Calderon de la Barca

The post Pork Verde Tacos appeared first on WonkyWonderful.

Easy Jalapeño Popper Dip with Bacon

• Cream Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Shredded Cheese
• Bacon
• Jalapeños

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Jalapeño Popper Dip Recipe

Jalapeño Popper Dip is loaded with peppy jalapeno flavor, packed with smoky bacon pieces and overflowing with melted cheesy goodness! This appetizer recipe is great for parties, holidays or game day. This dip is low carb and keto friendly.

Course Uncategorized

Cuisine American

Keyword dip, jalapeno popper

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 244kcal

Author Nicole Harris

Ingredients

• 8 ounces Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
• 1½ Cups Shredded Cheese Blend mozzarella, monterey jack, cheddar, - divided
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Bacon (approx 8 slices)
• 1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Jalapeños* (3-4 peppers)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Set aside 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Mix all ingredients together and spread into oven safe dish. Top with the remaining cheese.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes. Then broil on high for two minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.
• For the jalapeno garnish – Slice jalapeno in half (lengthwise) and remove all seeds. Wrap with bacon and cook on a baking sheet or piece of foil next to the dip. Remove after fifteen minutes. Once the dip has finished cooking, place on top.

Notes

*Remove all seeds and the white veins inside the peppers before chopping.

Nutrition

Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 9g | Sodium: 415mg

The post Keto Jalapeno Popper Dip appeared first on WonkyWonderful.