Homemade Macaroni Salad! A classic pasta salad recipe made amongst tender macaroni tossed amongst colorful veggies together with eggs, together with covered in a rich in addition to creamy dressing.
Nothing super fancy hither, simply that delicious comfort nutrient we crave! And when served chilled on a hot summertime twenty-four hours it makes it something to really look frontwards to.
Classic Macaroni Salad
A delicious macaroni salad is simply i of those things I didn’t ever appreciate. I would ever walk right past pasta salads and murphy salads onto the adjacent pick and instantly I absolutely beloved both of them!
I think they are a truthful summer staple.
This macaroni salad recipe is perfect for cookouts together with picnics, too it’s such a tasty side to couplet with grilled or tedious cooked substance whatsoever mean solar day of the twelvemonth.
This version is actually my go-to favorite! It has a delicious blend of fresh, colorful ingredients, a tempting low-cal crush too such a refreshing gustatory modality!
And the dressing is perfectly creamy without being overwhelmingly heavy. I’ve made it a petty healthier past subbing out or so of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt (merely if preferred you tin go the all mayo road instead).
Everything here combined together but creates a harmonious blend of satisfying season. Chances are it volition go a new favorite for you lot also!
What to Serve alongside Macaroni Salad
I dearest to serve it with:
- bbq chicken (basted with a homemade bbq sauce)
- kalua pork
- pulled pork sandwiches
- grilled corn on the cob
- chilled homemade lemonade
- too permit’sec non forget the rainbow fruit salad or ice cold watermelon
Macaroni Salad Ingredients (together with Possible Substitutes)
To make the macaroni salad dressing, y'all’ll postulate:
- Mayonnaise: Use skillful character mayo for best flavour, such as Hellman’s/Best Foods.
- Plain Greek yogurt: I like to purpose whole fat to go on it a niggling richer merely depression fatty or fatty gratis go as well. Another option would live to function sour cream.
- White vino vinegar: Red vino vinegar or apple tree cider vinegar volition run dandy here besides.
- Dijon mustard: This is i component you lot tin can kind of add to taste. If you lot desire a stronger mustard gustation and so role up of i one/2 – ii Tbsp. Regular yellow mustard volition work as well.
- Honey: This balances out the tang of the vinegar together with mustard, don’t worry it doesn’t gustation like a sugariness dressing. Granulated sugar plant too.
- Salt in addition to freshly earth black pepper: Don’t forget to table salt the H2O for boiling the macaroni pasta.
And for the balance of this unproblematic macaroni salad, you’ll call for:
- Dry elbow macaroni: Ditalini, tubetti or mini farfelle pasta should function fine hither besides.
- Hard boiled eggs: My preferred method to brand difficult boiled eggs is actually to steam them. Peeling is and so much easier!
- Red bell pepper: This adds a squeamish crush too lightly sweetness flavor. Another color will go.
- Matchstick carrots: I ordinarily buy pre-cut but you lot tin definitely cut whole carrots into tiny sticks instead.
- Celery: I like to die pocket-size then in that location’s no major crush.
- Red onion: This adds a calorie-free seize with teeth in addition to brings a lot of flavour. Yellow onion or fifty-fifty shallot will operate.
- Fresh parsley: For extra herb flavor add more than of this. Dried parsley volition live fine.
Want to meet how slow this macaroni salad recipe is? Watch the video!
How to Make Macaroni Salad
- Cook the pasta: Cook macaroni inward salted H2O, to al dente according to directions on packet.
- Drain and rinse: Drain together with rinse amongst common cold H2O until completely cool, drain rattling well (or toss drained macaroni amongst a little olive petroleum together with refrigerate until cool).
- Make the macaroni salad dressing: In a medium mixing bowl stir together mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, vinegar, mustard, dear, as well as flavour amongst common salt too pepper to gustation.
- Add salad ingredients to mixing bowl: Add well drained macaroni to a big mixing bowl along with eggs, bell pepper, carrots, celery too onion.
- Toss alongside dressing: Pour dressing over peak, add inward parsley in addition to toss mixture to evenly coat. Serve or store inward refrigerator.
How to Make Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Just role one cup mayo, no Greek yogurt.
- Skip the bell pepper, celery, eggs, mustard and parsley (Hawaiian macaroni salad is merely very basic).
- Thin salad alongside a little milk equally needed.
How to Make to Tuna Macaroni Salad
- Add ane – 2 (five oz) cans tuna in water, drained.
- Replace vinegar with fresh lemon juice.
- Optionally supplant ruby bell pepper with cooked peas.
- Include ane/three cup diced infant dill pickles.
- Omit the eggs together with dijon mustard.
Can Macaroni Salad Be Made inward Advance?
Yes, this is smashing for making the night earlier serving. Making it ahead of fourth dimension actually gives the macaroni around fourth dimension to soak upward all that flavour and makes for a cold pasta salad.
If needed you can sparse with a lilliputian more yogurt the next twenty-four hour period.
How Long Does it Last?
You can shop this homemade macaroni salad inwards the fridge for upwardly to 2 days.
More Mix-In’sec Ideas
I beloved this homemade macaroni salad recipe every bit is, only it’sec fun that y'all tin can make it your own!
Here are another skillful things to add together inward:
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes (seeded)
- Diced baby dill pickles or pickle enjoy
- Capers
- Peas
- Cheddar cheese
- Bacon
- Paprika
- Hot sauce
- Chopped ham or chicken
- Green onions, chives or dill
Tips for the Best Macaroni Salad
- Don’t over ready macaroni.
- Cool the macaroni thoroughly.
- Use skilful quality mayo.
- Be certain to add enough common salt or it tin gustatory modality bland.
More Pasta Salad Recipes You’ll Love:
- Avocado Caprese Pasta Salad
- Chicken Caeser Pasta Salad
- Greek Orzo Salad
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Mexican Macaroni Salad
- Poppy Seed Chicken in addition to Grape Pasta Salad
Classic Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- i/two cup Hellmann'sec or Best Foods Mayonnaise
- ane/two loving cup evidently Greek yogurt*
- one ane/2 Tbsp white vino vinegar
- two tsp dijon mustard,** then more to gustation (I like nigh iv tsp)
- ii tsp dear
- Salt together with freshly earth dark pepper
Macaroni Salad:
- 8 oz dry out elbow macaroni
- two steamed or difficult boiled eggs , peeled in addition to chopped
- 1 loving cup diced red bell pepper
- ane cup matchstick carrots , approximately chopped
- iii/4 cup diced celery
- ane/iv loving cup diced crimson onion
- 1 - two Tbsp minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook macaroni inward salted water according to directions on parcel (I added most 1/two tbsp common salt to the water).
- Drain in addition to rinse with cold H2O until completely cool. Let drain rattling good.
- In a medium mixing bowl stir together mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, vinegar, mustard, love, and flavour alongside common salt too pepper to taste (outset with almost one/two tsp common salt and ane/four tsp pepper and then add more salt subsequently y'all've added the dressing to the pasta).
- Add good drained macaroni to a big mixing bowl along with eggs, bell pepper, carrots, celery in addition to onion (if you similar to take close to colour over y'all salad I similar gear up aside just about of the veggies to sprinkle over the tiptop).
- Pour dressing over tiptop, add together inward parsley in addition to toss mixture to evenly coat. Serve or store inwards refrigerator upwardly to one day.
Notes
- *If you want an even richer, creamier dressing you tin can omit Greek yogurt, but role i loving cup mayonnaise together with a few tablespoons milk to sparse.
- **If y'all don't take Dijon on manus, experience gratis to use a dissimilar type of mustard instead.
- Try it amongst other mix-ins. You don't accept to purpose those listed. Some ideas include - minced infant dill pickles, pickle savor, bacon, dark-green onions or chives, paprika, capers, cucumbers or tomatoes.
Amount Per Serving
Calories 247
Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Note that recipe originally called for 1/ii cup mayonnaise. I like it a footling richer and so have increased that amount to two/iii loving cup.