How To Make This Recipe For Macaroni Salad
I’ve perfected my macaroni salad recipe over the years, and I’m finally confident in the version that I’m sharing with you today. The dressing-to-pasta ratio is ideal. The sauce has a slightly sweet taste in the background , and there’s just a hint of yellow mustard in the mayonnaise-based dish. A garnish of fresh parsley is the final Southern touch that my mom and my grandmother would never omit!
How Long Can You Keep Macaroni Salad In The Fridge
Macaroni salad will be fine when kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Then its probably time to throw it out. Be careful when serving at room temperature. Itll be fine at room temperature for a couple of hours unless it is in a very hot environment. Be sure to toss your macaroni cheese if its been left out at a party for more than 2 hours. It likely wont be safe to keep for leftovers.
Here are a few more salad recipes that would be great for a party or barbecue:
- 4largehard-boiled eggs,chopped
- paprika,for garnish
Best Macaroni Salad Recipe
Lets get started!
Place the cooked and thoroughly cooled macaroni noodles in a large mixing bowl along with the celery, green onions, olives, roasted red peppers, capers, relish and onions. Toss to combine.
Next combine the sauce ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
Pour the mayo sauce over the pasta salad and stir to thoroughly coat the pasta.
Add salt and pepper to taste. If it doesnt taste excellent it needs more salt.
Transfer the salad to a non-reactive bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Dont skip this wait time, its crucial to the flavor fo the salad.
Serve as a side the same way youd serve coleslaw with your favorite barbecued foods and a green salad or, for a lighter alternative, serve with roasted vegetables, rolls and sliced fruit. Enjoy it at home, outside, at a potluck or on a picnic!
Enjoy!
- 2 1/2teaspoonskosher or sea salt
- 1/2teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
Recommended Reading: No Oil Salad Dressing Brands
What Can I Serve With Macaroni Salad
Getting ready to plan a cook out or a picnic? Here are more recipes you can serve with macaroni salad:
- Italian Potato Salad Every picnic Ive been to always has both macaroni and potato salad. This potato salad is an eggless potato salad made without mayo.
- BLT Pasta Salad Pasta salad made with bacon, tomato, and ranch dressing.
- The Pittsburger Usually when theres pasta salad, theres also burgers. This hamburger with fries and coleslaw is a Pittsburgh staple.
- Avocado Burgers Another burger recipe inspired by California flavors
- BBQ Bacon Burgers A sweet and tangy cheeseburger with bacon, onion rings, and BBQ sauce.
- Pesto Burgers A refreshing turkey burger with basil, mozzarella, and tomato.
- Greek Portobello Mushroom Burgers Need a meatless option for your cookout? Check out these vegetarian mushroom burgers!
Chill Time: Total Time:
No picnic is complete without this sweet and creamy Amish Macaroni Salad! This recipe is similar to Walmarts Amish Macaroni Salad with a tangy dressing made of mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and smoked paprika.
- 1/2 pound uncooked elbow macaroni
- 1 cup mayonnaise*
- 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Get The Latest Recipes Right In Your Inbox:
The best + easiest old-fashioned macaroni salad to bring to all the BBQs/potlucks! Everyone will be dying for the recipe!
We all need a good classic macaroni salad in our back pocket. One that we can always bring to backyard BBQs and potlucks. And one you can also make up to 2 days in advance.
But most importantly, we need it to be creamy. We need it to have tons of veggies. And we need plenty of extra-sharp cheddar cheese. Keyword being plenty.
So thats what we have here. We have the four very important elements right in this classic macaroni salad .
Its quick, simple and make-ahead for up to two whole days! Just be sure to give it a good stir prior to serving.
And serve with all of my favorite kabobs the bbq pineapple chicken kabobs, the shrimp boil kabobs, and/or the Korean chicken kabobs!
Don’t Miss: What’s In A Taco Salad
How Do I Keep Amish Macaroni Salad From Drying Out
Ever make pasta salad, only to have it absorb all of the mayonnaise and leave you with dry pasta salad?
You want to make sure the pasta is completely dry after draining and rinsing it. If theres water left on the noodles, the dressing wont coat it and instead get diluted and absorbed.
If you want to ensure a foolproof creamy macaroni salad, you can use the same method I do for my Caesar Pasta Salad.
Toss the pasta with half of the dressing then chill as directed. Right before serving, stir in the remaining half of the dressing.
Although its not a necessary step, it guarantees at least half of the dressing wont be absorbed.
Storing your Amish macaroni salad in an airtight container also helps keep it from drying out in the fridge.
Key Ingredients For Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad
You need just a few simple ingredients to make this mac salad recipe
- Dry elbow macaroni Elbow-style macaroni is classic for Hawaiian mac salad, but you can also use any other short pasta you like or sub in gluten-free pasta if needed.
- Best Foods Real Mayonnaise Locals swear by Best Foods Mayonnaise learn more below!
- Carrot A bit of grated carrot adds a little texture & some color.
- Granulated sugar Just a tiny bit, to help balance the richness of the mayo dressing.
- Spices Mom likes to use Lawrys seasoned salt in her mac salad, which is not traditional but we think its the secret ingredient that makes her recipe so special & crave-worthy. I dont stock my kitchen with Lawrys, so youll see this mac salad recipe uses a blend of garlic powder, onionpowder, paprika, turmeric, & cayennepepper to replicate its spiced flavor.
Also Check: Chicken Salad Chick Owensboro Ky
How To Keep Pasta Salad From Sticking
Typically when you drain pasta, you dont rinse it because youre serving it hot. Cold water would bring the temperature down, and you certainly dont want to eat cold noodles for dinner.
However, you definitely want to rinse it under cold water when making pasta salad because youre intentionally serving it cold.
Not only does this stop the cooking process, it helps keep the pasta from sticking together because it washes the starches away. When left unrinsed, the starch causes the pasta to clump together.
The Only Macaroni Salad Recipe You Need
- 21.0K
This is the only Macaroni Salad recipe you will ever need! The secret to the best macaroni salad is a perfectly sweet and tangy dressing, not overcooking the macaroni, and chopping the veggies into small pieces so they dont take over the pasta. Oh, and plenty of hard boiled eggs! They are the best, right?
Our 3-year-old daughter Valentine came out of her room very late last night. My bed is not letting me go to sleep. Nice try, kid. I cant really empathize my bed lets me go to sleep before Im even in it sometimes.
Eric and I went to the drive-in movie theater last weekend. There are only like 300 drive-ins running in the US, isnt that crazy? Its only a 3 minute drive from our house so we take the kids all the time. And its easy to social distance!
Anyway, there are no new movies of course, so the drive in is showing all these old movies from when we were kids. The Mummy, Transformers, School of Rock. So much fun to see them on the big screen again! Eric usually sets up the back of our minivan with blankets and pillows so we can lay down and relax, and I fall asleep every time. Every. Time. See Valentine? I dont even need a bed to go to sleep, the back of a car will do for me. I think Im getting old!
And to top it off, they were driving through her graduation ceremony, and 4 cars away from the front where she was supposed to get her diploma, they ran out of gas!! ha! Way to make a weird situation even weirder!
You May Like: How Do You Make Taco Salad Bowls
A Better Macaroni Salad
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This macaroni salad has all the appeal of the old-fashioned, mayo-dressed version but with a few updates to make it taste brighter and better.
Macaroni salad is a staple at summer picnics, BBQs, and potlucks. I call this one better because its got all the appeal of the old-school, mayo-dressed version but with a few updates namely, sour cream, Dijon mustard, fresh basil, and loads of crisp, crunchy veggies to make it taste brighter. Cutting the traditional all-mayo dressing with sour cream and mustard makes the salad tangy and less mayonnaise-y, while the basil and veggies add fresh summer flavor. The key to the perfect creamy texture is thinning the dressing with a bit of water, so it coats the pasta without getting too clingy. However, keep in mind that the dressing thickens and gets absorbed by the noodles as the salad sits, so while all the components can be prepared ahead, its best to wait until right before serving to toss everything together. Macaroni salad pairs nicely with burgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, BBQ ribs, or grilled or BBQ chicken.
How To Make The Best Macaroni Salad:
Prepare macaroni according to package directions. Drain macaroni well, and rinse with cold water until pasta has cooled.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine mayonnaise with chicken stock.
Whisk together well and season with a bit of salt and pepper. I do enjoy about a tablespoon or so of freshly ground black pepper in this.
Add in drained pasta along with green pepper, radishes and onion.
Stir well until combined. Cover with plastic wrap.
Now, this next step is really important. You need to put it in the refrigerator and let it cool for at least 3 hours.
This really helps the flavor come together and give the pasta a bit of time to soak up the mayonnaise mixture.
Don’t Miss: Extra Large Salad Serving Bowl
Our Favorite Macaroni Salad
You cant have a BBQ party or a potluck without some delicious Macaroni Salad. No need to get it at the store because it is so easy to make with a few simple ingredients. This is our favorite Macaroni Salad full of red onions, celery, bell peppers, herbs, and of course, delicious creamy dressing.
There are a few more BBQ sides you will need for the backyard party so dont forget the Southern Potato Salad, Cajun Corn Salad, and Italian Tortellini Salad.
What Makes This The Best Macaroni Salad
Have you ever tried the macaroni salads that they sell in the deli section at your grocery store? Theyre over-slathered with a thick mayonnaise dressing, and the flavor is just not there. It tastes like it is mass-produced because it is! Yuck.
Making this Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad at home is infinitely better. You can control the amount of dressing you add to the salad. Its totally your preference whether you like it heavily dressed or not. And it turns out 100% more delicious than store-bought macaroni salad.
And just for the record, Mom never would add celery and green onion to her macaroni salad. She doesnt care for anything crunchy. But I chop them up quite small they just add a little something extra to the recipe. This salad is always a big hit- gobbled up quickly and hardly ever any leftovers
Don’t Miss: Monkey Pod Salad Bowl Set
Make Ahead Storage And Freezing Instructions
- To make ahead: I love making this creamy macaroni salad a day or two ahead of time. This really lets the flavors develop!
- Storage: Store leftover salad in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Can you freeze macaroni salad? It is possible however I would not recommend freezing this easy macaroni salad recipe. The creamy dressing will not taste the same frozen then thawed. Its best to make this fresh and eat within 4 days. You can also cut this recipe in half if you are serving for only 2 people.
How To Lighten Up Broccoli Salad
Broccoli salad certainly isnt health food, but there are a few modifications you can make to make it a bit less fattening. Ive found that when people see broccoli salad they think theyre getting something healthy, so if thats what youre looking for, there are a few modifications you can try.
- Instead of using regular mayo, use one made with olive oil. Im very picky about the type of mayo that I use and cant stand the taste of reduced fat . Ive found that using olive oil mayo in my broccoli salad recipe gives you all of the same creaminess and flavor while saving a few calories.
- You can replace some or all of the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt.
- Using pre-cooked bacon will save time and fat and calories. Make sure youre using real bacon pieces and not imitation flavored bits. These are usually found in the salad dressing aisle and should say that theyre real bacon on the packaging. Ive also found that this bacon holds up best to the moisture from the broccoli salad.
Keep in mind that ultimately broccoli salad is meant to be an indulgent side dish, and not health food!
OK, I hope I didnt lose you with all of the broccoli photos!
Enjoy!
Read Also: Taco Salad Dip With Meat
Dressing For Pasta Salad
When making a pasta salad, its best to toss it in A LOT of dressing to prevent it from drying out and getting pasty. Instead of using all mayo, we add in a bit of sour cream to cut through the fat, making it less oily. You can also use yoghurt or Mexican crema.
WHAT TYPE OF MAYONNAISE? I suggest using whole egg mayo as it tends to be less sweeter and creamier than regular mayo.VINEGAR: adds a kick of tang! You can use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar. Substitute with lemon juice for a citrus kick.DIJON MUSTARD adds MORE flavour, making it nice and thick.MINCED GARLIC completes the flavour profile. You can use garlic powder, onion powder or minced shallots if you prefer.
You all know how much we love drowning our food in sauce! That INCLUDES all of our salads and dressings. NO pasta salad recipe of ours will ever be lacking in dressing!
Best Macaroni Salad Recipes
Macaroni salad might not be wild or glamorous, but it sure gets invited to a lot of parties. Easy to make and endlessly customizable, homemade macaroni salad is welcome everywhere it goesand did I mention that it gets along with just about any other dish on the menu? So, when it comes to choosing side dishes for picnics, potlucks, or even just everyday meals, don’t overlook the macaroni salad! Here are some of our favorites, featuring classic macaroni salad, Amish macaroni salad, Hawaiian macaroni salad, and more.
“A colorful and flavorful macaroni salad made with hard cooked eggs, bell pepper and celery in a creamy dressing,” says recipe creator CONNIE0751. This sweet macaroni salad is one of the most popular macaroni salads on Allrecipes.
You May Like: Cold Noodle Salad With Spicy Peanut Sauce
How To Make Macaroni Salad Ahead
The dressing can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated the pasta, vegetables, and basil can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Before serving, bring all of the components to room temperature. Add the dressing to a large bowl and whisk to loosen, then stir in the pasta, vegetables and herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve.
How To Make A Creamy Dressing For Macaroni Salad:
The dressing for this macaroni salad is my favorite! It has a bit of tang thanks to the vinegar. Plus a bit of sweetness thanks to the small amount of sugar being added. And the dijon mustard adds a wonderful flavoring.
Mix together the dressing in a small bowl and add to the cooked macaroni and add ins. You can substitute some of the mayonnaise for sour cream or greek yogurt if desired.
If you are storing the macaroni salad overnight or for a couple of days, you may need to mix together some more of the dressing to stir into the salad before serving. The salad will soak in a lot of the dressing as it sits over a few days.
More side dish recipes you may enjoy:
Recommended Reading: Healthy Cold Pasta Salad Recipes
How To Make Classic Macaroni Salad
The Perfect Pasta Salad
Today Im sharing my take on my grandmothers shrimp pasta salad recipe. Its a close cousin to my popular macaroni salad with a surprisingly tasty seafood twist.
The perfect companion to your next BBQ, serve it alongside pulled BBQ chicken and ice cold lemonade .
My family has been enjoying this recipe for years and I was a little surprised that it hadnt made its way onto the blog yet . Because I cant help myself, I made a few variations to make this recipe my own, but if youd like to see her original recipe just scroll to the bottom of the post beneath the recipe card.
You May Like: Salad Seasoning For Pasta Salad