Macaroni Salad
マカロニサラダ
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Macaroni salad is a familiar side dish on Japanese preschool lunch trays, and one that children rarely leave behind. Soft pasta, tender carrot and cucumber are folded into a creamy dressing, with everything cut small enough to scoop up easily with a toddler's spoon. It's made with egg-free mayonnaise (called Mayodore in Japan), and the dish contains no egg or milk. In preschool kitchens even the cucumber is briefly boiled, which keeps things safe for small children while giving it a gentler texture.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 10.5 gmacaroni
- 10.5 gcarrot
- 16.5 gcucumber
Seasonings
- 7.5 gegg-free mayonnaise (Mayodore)A Japanese egg-free mayonnaise-style dressing. Substitute: Any egg-free or vegan mayonnaise.
- 0.1 gsalt
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- egg-free mayonnaise (Mayodore) (マヨドレ)
- A Japanese egg-free mayonnaise-style dressing. Substitute: Any egg-free or vegan mayonnaise.
Directions
Video is in Japanese and may show a different version of this dish (other ingredients or steps). Follow the ingredients and steps on this page, especially when cooking for allergies.
- 1
Boil the macaroni, then rinse it under cold running water to cool.
- 2
Cut the carrot and cucumber into short, thin strips and boil each separately. Rinse under cold running water to cool.
- 3
Squeeze the vegetables from step 2 to drain off the excess water, then toss them with the macaroni from step 1 and the seasonings.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 82.5 kcal | 165 kcal | 82.5 kcal |
| Protein | 1.5 g | 3 g | 1.5 g |
| Fat | 4.5 g | 9 g | 4.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9.8 g | 19.5 g | 9.8 g |
| Fiber | 1 g | 2.1 g | 1 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Calcium | 9 mg | 18 mg | 9 mg |
| Iron | 0.2 mg | 0.3 mg | 0.2 mg |
| Potassium | 87 mg | 174 mg | 87 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 82.5 kcal | 1.5 g | 4.5 g | 9.8 g | 1 g | 0.2 g | 9 mg | 0.2 mg | 87 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 165 kcal | 3 g | 9 g | 19.5 g | 2.1 g | 0.3 g | 18 mg | 0.3 mg | 174 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Cooking for bigger kids? See the elementary-school portion of this recipe.
