American Party Pasta Salad

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 500 g macaroni
• 2 onions
• 500 g minced meat, mixed
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp mustard
• 1 tbsp horseradish
• 2 cloves garlic
• 500 g cocktail tomatoes
• 10 gherkins
• 1 can of corn
• 1 pack of grated cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 4 slices of toast
• 4 tbsp cashew nuts
• 4 tbsp sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds
• 250 ml buttermilk
• 1 cup natural yogurt, low-fat
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp onion powder, alternatively pureed onions
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• Fresh herbs, mixed as desired
• salt and pepper
• Worcestershire sauce
• Cayenne pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 3 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 15 minutes

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, drain well, and place in a large salad bowl. Finely chop the onions and sauté briefly in a pan. Add the minced meat and fry until browned and crumbly. Make a paste from tomato paste, ketchup, mustard, horseradish, crushed garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoning. Mix this well with the minced meat and fry. Mix the minced meat with the pasta and let it cool. Meanwhile, prepare the croutons for the garnish. To do this, roughly dab the used pan with a kitchen towel, spread the sunflower oil in it, and heat on the stovetop until nice and hot. Cut the bread into 1 cm cubes, finely chop the nuts, and fry them with the seeds until well browned and crispy. Store the finished croutons in a separate container (lined with kitchen paper) until just before serving, otherwise they will become mushy. Once the pasta and ground beef have cooled, halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the pickles, and fold them into the salad along with the corn and cheese. For the dressing, whip the buttermilk until frothy and combine with the natural yogurt, sour cream, onion powder, garlic, and herbs. Mix thoroughly with the pasta salad about 2-3 hours before serving. Add the croutons at the very end.