Sweet & Sour Carrot Salad

This retro carrot salad goes by an affectionate old name, ‘copper pennies,' because the cooked carrot coins look just like a pile of shiny pennies in their glossy tomato dressing. It’s a potluck salad classic for good reason: it’s cheap, it feeds a crowd, and it somehow tastes better every day it sits in the fridge.

The dressing is the surprise. A can of tomato soup blends with sugar, oil, vinegar, Worcestershire, and dry mustard into a tangy-sweet bath that the carrots, onion, and green pepper soak up overnight. That marinating time is the whole point, so don’t rush it.

Cook the carrots just to tender-crisp before they go in; they should hold their shape and snap, not turn to mush. From there it’s hands-off. The longer it chills, the deeper the flavor, and it keeps for the better part of a week.

Kitchen Tips

• Cook the carrots only to tender-crisp; overcooked coins go mushy in the marinade.
• Let it chill overnight at minimum; the carrots absorb the dressing and the flavor deepens over several days.
• It keeps for the better part of a week refrigerated, which makes it a great make-ahead for gatherings.

Variations

• Add bell pepper in other colors, or swap in red onion for a milder, sweeter bite.
• Adjust the sugar and vinegar to taste, leaning sweeter or more sour as you like.