Classic Macaroni Salad
This the best old-fashioned macaroni salad you’ll ever taste. This Classic Macaroni Salad is the best summer side dish! A crowd-pleasing side dish recipe that is a perfect potluck recipe, BBQ side dish or to serve as an easy side dish for a weeknight meal.
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I’m kicking it old school today and sharing my favorite recipe for Classic Macaroni Salad. Maybe I should clarify that it is my mom’s delicious recipe that we serve at every summer gathering and then some.
This old-fashioned macaroni salad is great to bring to a summer potluck, BBQ or serve just because you love it as much as I do.
Macaroni Salad is not just for your July 4th picnic. It’s perfect for happenings like a tailgate or home gate. I mean, you can’t get more basic than macaroni salad. It may be a must-have staple for any casual party or barbeque but it tastes absolutely delicious.
I even will make a small batch to serve as a side for lunch or dinner. And this salad is just not your average macaroni salad. It’s super creamy.
Macaroni Salad Ingredients
- Elbow Macaroni: Elbow macaroni seems to be the classic pasta used for this recipe, but don’t feel like you have to. I have made this salad with ditalini and small shells too. Any smaller-sized pasta will work.
- Red Bell Pepper: I love the flavor red pepper adds to this salad. It also adds a pretty pop of color too.
- Celery: Celery adds a nice crunch to this salad.
- Red Onion: If you don’t have red onion, any sweet onion will do. Again, I like the pop of color it adds
- Hard-Boiled Eggs: I love hard-boiled eggs, so I naturally add them to both my potato salad and macaroni salad. Here is a post on how to make the perfect hard-boiled eggs?
- What About Pickles? Ok, so I am not a fan of pickles or relish in my salad. But if you like it, then add a 1/2 cup of chopped pickles to a little kick.
- Dressing: This dressing is simple: mayo, sour cream, yellow mustard, celery seed, salt, pepper and a splash of vinegar.
How To Make Macaroni Salad
The beauty of any macaroni salad or pasta salad is that it can be prepared ahead of time.
Technically, this is a one-bowl wonder because after you drain your cooked pasta, you can use the pot as your mixing bowl. I am all about kitchen shortcuts and making my life easier. Who likes to wash all those prep dishes anyway? Not I!
That means I can spend more time on the couch watching the game. Another beautiful thing about making salads is that they are EASY to make. Easy like, boil water, cook the pasta, chop some vegetables and mix together.
As far as the vegetables go, I like to stick with the basics of onion, peppers and celery, but you can really add vegetable you like. I have added tomatoes and cucumbers to this recipe before too. You can raid your garden or grab some at your farmers’ market haul.
I usually don’t like to talk about things I don’t like in recipes, but I absolutely DO NOT like relish in my macaroni or potato salad (sorry mom). Sweet salads are just not my thing. By all means add some sweet relish to this recipe if that’s your thing. No judgment here.
Try These Summer Salad Recipes
Salad Making Essentials
Save This Easy Macaroni Salad Recipe. Pin the image below to your favorite Pinterest Board.
Classic Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 red pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 green pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1/4 cup grated carrot (optional)
- 2 large hardboiled eggs finely chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped pickles (optional)
- Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, vinegar and seasonings together. Stir in macaroni, eggs and vegetables.
- Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours.
No carrots in my macaroni salad, I’d use 8 hard boiled eggs yolks only, sweet pickle relish or salad cubes and no sour cream.
I don’t like egg whites so I only use the yolks.