Mark Wahlberg is probably the last person I would think to turn to for a recipe of any kind. In fact, I didn’t even know he had recipes. But that’s just the kind of chops we’re looking for when we’re comparing celebrity recipes — we want one that will surprise us! One to come out of left field, to give us something a little unexpected. The question is, would he deliver?
We made this Macaroni Salad as a part of our Celebrity Macaroni Salad Recipe Showdown. The showdown is a fun project where we take four celebrity recipes — some celebrity chefs, some not so much — cook them, and then taste and compare them to see how they stack up. This match-up included Dolly Parton, Alex Guarnaschelli, Guy Fieri, and Mark Wahlberg. We ended up with four very different mac salads!
What’s In Mark Wahlberg’s Macaroni Salad?
There is nothing too out of the ordinary with Mark Wahlberg’s Macaroni Salad! He calls for elbow macaroni, mayo, garlic powder, celery salt, green bell pepper, celery, red onions, parsley, and an optional dash of cayenne pepper. Pretty standard stuff.
How Do You Make Mark Wahlberg’s Macaroni Salad?
The instructions are simple too. Mark has you simply cook the pasta and rinse it under cold water before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. About as simple as it gets!
How Does It Taste?
Mark Wahlberg’s Macaroni Salad is pretty darn good! The flavor is really nice, very savory and keeps to the classic Macaroni Salad lane. The raw onion is a little sharp but the garlic powder adds an overall savoriness that carries through. It has nice crunch and texture and it’s a Macaroni Salad you’d be totally happy to find at any picnic or party.
We did find it to be a little on the dry side, but that is easily remedied by upping the mayo content a bit. Then this would easily be a great Macaroni Salad.
We made this as part of our Celebrity Recipe Showdown.
To see how it stacked up, read on here:
Celebrity Macaroni Salad Recipe Showdown
You can see the other celebrity Macaroni Salad recipes here:
Guy Fieri’s Mac-Daddy-Roni Salad
Dolly Parton’s Macaroni Salad
Alex Guarnaschelli’s Macaroni Salad
Mark Wahlberg's Macaroni Salad
Yield(s): Serves 8
10m prep time
10m cook time
Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons red onions, diced(optional)
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1 dash cayenne pepper (optional)
Preparation
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the macaroni until al dente, about 8-9 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well.
- To a large bowl, add the garlic powder, celery salt, mayonnaise, and macaroni, and toss to coat. Stir in cayenne, if using.
- Stir in green pepper, celery, onion, and parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe from Mark Wahlberg.