Dad s Working Man s Macaroni Salad

2 cups elbow macaroni

6 slices American cheese

4 thick slices beef bologna

5 hard-cooked eggs, diced

6 sweet pickles, diced

1 large stalk celery, diced

½ large green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 ½ cups low-fat creamy salad dressing (such as Miracle Whip Light®)

2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain and cool under running water until chilled. Transfer to a large salad bowl.

Stack American cheese slices alternating with bologna slices and cut into 1/2-inch dice. (Stacking helps prevent cheese from sticking together.) Mix bologna and cheese into macaroni and stir in hard-cooked eggs, sweet pickles, celery, green bell pepper, and red onion. Mix thoroughly.

Stir creamy salad dressing and mustard into the salad and season with black pepper. Cover salad and chill in refrigerator until serving time.