Pick Up A Packet Of Onion Soup Mix For Crave-Worthy Potato Salad

Potato salad is an easy and affordable side dish that earns a spot at nearly every party. Starchy potatoes are mild in flavor, meaning it's easy to turn this dish into anything because those spuds are ready to take on whatever flavors you pair them with. At its core, potato salad is just a blend of cooked potatoes tossed with mayonnaise, but there are so many other ways to build flavors in this dish. For a punch-packing kick without much additional effort, turn to a packet of onion soup mix.

Onion soup mix is available in most grocery stores and is an affordable addition to potato salad. Plus potatoes and mayonnaise are both bland, so they could use the addition of salt to help boost flavor. Onion soup mix tends to be high in sodium, making it the perfect addition to the salad in the salt sense, but be careful because it can be a little too salty for some.

Seasoning packets are so easy because there is no need to measure out individual spices. The ratios have already been taste-tested by the professionals and are ready for whatever recipes you want to add them to. Onion soup mix isn't just for French onion soup. The secret ingredient to some varieties of the mix is soy sauce, which adds generous umami flavor in addition to elements like onion powder, salt, and sugar — perfect for potato salad.

To add the onion soup mix, just make the potato salad as you normally would, sticking with your regular ratio of potatoes and mayonnaise. Then, add the packet's contents a little bit at a time, tossing them with the potato salad and taste-testing as you go to make sure the flavor isn't overpowering. If you accidentally add too much powder mix and the potato salad becomes overly salty, you can neutralize that salt by adding a little more mayonnaise or balancing everything with an acid, such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

The onion soup mix is a great addition, but you can add other ingredients to incorporate different flavors and textures into the dish. Rather than only adding the powder, try slicing some fresh red onion and using a little less of the mix. The onion slices will add flavor and also give some crunch to balance those softer potatoes.

If onion soup mix isn't available, you can still add plenty of flavor without having to chop or measure your own herbs. Ranch seasoning can upgrade plenty of recipes, and it's another great option here because it contains garlic and onion powder, so it still resembles that onion soup flavor. Plus, you can easily add a little hot sauce to the potato salad along with this seasoning packet for a kick. If you go this route, enhancing the potato salad with red or sweet onion and a little fresh dill will not only build texture but also add some color.