Easy Macaroni Salad
Pasta salad is such a popular summer side dish and for good reason. This Easy Macaroni Salad recipe was sent to me by one of my lovely readers and it’s delicious! Perfectly cooked pasta covered in a dreamy, creamy dressing and bejeweled with peppers, onions, carrots and celery – so good! You can even make a big batch the night before, it’s the side that keeps on giving.
Why this is so good
An easy side dish. Ditch the store bought! This popular side dish is a breeze to whip up and you can make a big batch for parties. Customize. This pasta salad has so many variations, you’ll never be bored of serving it up. A delicious and creamy dressing. Tangy mustard mixed with creamy mayo and vinegar, for a little bite. Simple and utterly addictive!
Ingredients
Elbow macaroni: Mac is the daddy here, but if you want another pasta, select a pasta with plenty of surface area and nooks and crannies to capture all that blissful dressing. Mayonnaise: If you love miracle whip you can always replace the mayonnaise entirely with miracle whip or do 50% of each. Vinegar: If you do not have apple cider vinegar available you can always use white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar. I have also heard that distilled vinegar works with this recipe as well. Granulated sugar: I know that it sounds odd to add sugar into your pasta salad but I promise this is still a savory dish. The sugar just adds another depth of flavor into the pasta salad and helps combat the mayonnaise and vinegar ingredients. Yellow mustard: You can substitute your yellow mustard for Dijon mustard. Vegetables: Celery, bell pepper, carrot, red onion. Salt
How to make this Easy Macaroni Salad
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
Can I add anything else to my macaroni salad?
Absolutely, this creamy pasta salad is divine on its own, but also serves as a great base for a variety of ingredients These are some of the variations that marry up with macaroni salad so well:
Green bell pepper Pimento Peppers Peas Ham or salami Cheese Hardboiled egg
Can I make macaroni salad ahead of time?
You can make macaroni salad one day ahead of time. I recommend keeping the dressing and pasta separate and refrigerated until needed. When you are ready, stir the dressing and pasta together and serve.
Can I eat macaroni salad warm or cold?
Macaroni salad tastes best when served and eaten cold. You will achieve the creamiest texture when it is served cold.
Storing this Easy Macaroni Salad
Although I recommend chilling your macaroni salad for 1-2 hours, the pasta tends to soak up most of the dressing when stored overnight. You may want to set a little of the dressing aside if you don’t feel that the macaroni salad will be eaten on the same day. That way you can combine the extra dressing with the noodles when you are ready to eat it and you will have a creamier texture.
More Macaroni Dishes We Love
Loaded Chili Mac and Cheese 15 Minute Macaroni and Cheese Instant Pot Chili Mac King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese White Cheddar Skillet Mac and Cheese
Other Delicious Salads
Macaroni Salad with Shrimp Olive Garden with Copycat Dressing Cucumber Salad Best Caprese Salad Pesto Pasta Salad Easy 3 Bean Salad
Have you tried this Easy Macaroni Salad? Feel free to leave a star rating and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
