Valentina Ablaev
There’s nothing like a creamy mac salad to enjoy on a warm day. This macaroni salad recipe makes the easiest, most delicious creamy pasta salad. The salad comes together in less than 20 minutes, making it an ideal and easy recipe for all your salad needs.
A pasta salad can come in many forms! From a classic caesar pasta salad to an italian pasta salad, you can never go wrong with these side dishes.
This macaroni pasta salad recipe is full of elbow macaroni, red pepper, celery, and hard-boiled eggs. The best part is the creamy mayo salad dressing. Our homemade macaroni salad dressing is sweet and tangy and so flavorful, perfect for bringing to a potluck.
What Makes This the Best Easy Macaroni Salad Recipe?
- Make-ahead. This is the perfect salad to make up to a couple of days in advance.
- Party favorite. Everybody loves a good pasta salad.
- Perfect leftovers. A macaroni salad makes perfect leftovers.
- Meal planning. Easily make a large batch and enjoy it throughout the week.
Macaroni Salad Ingredients
- Macaroni – elbow macaroni makes the perfect base for this salad.
- Vegetables – a combination of red bell pepper, celery, and red onion, diced and cubed to your preferences.
- Eggs – hard boiled eggs cubed up.
- Mayonnaise dressing – mayo, sour cream, vinegar, mustard, and fresh garlic make an incredible salad dressing.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Pasta shape: From elbow macaroni to fusilli and even ditalini, you can’t go wrong with a short pasta shape.
- Vegetables: Customize this macaroni salad by adding a variety of your favorite vegetables and fresh herbs.
- Add protein: Level up this salad by adding air-fried bacon, or leftover shredded chicken to make a southern chicken style pasta salad!
How to Make Macaroni Salad Recipe
Step-by-step instructions for making the best macaroni salad:
- Cook pasta: Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the elbow pasta al dente according to the package instructions. Drain that water, and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Combine: Add the cooled pasta to the cubed red pepper, celery, red onion, and cubed hard-boiled eggs in a large bowl.
- Dressing: Combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and add it to the salad. Toss the salad until well combined.
Expert Tips:
- Prep pasta: Make sure the pasta is fully cooled before adding it to the salad.
- Let the flavors marinate: Chill the macaroni salad in the fridge for a couple of hours to let the flavors soak into the noodles. Serve the salad cold for the best results.
- Seasoning: Taste the salad and adjust for seasoning after mixing together.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve this macaroni salad with a bbq pulled pork sandwich for a delicious barbecue meal.
- Macaroni salad is the perfect side for grilled food. Grilled kabobs with vegetables and the grilled chicken sandwiches would pair perfectly with a macaroni salad.
Recipe FAQs
You can rinse the pasta after boiling to stop the cooking and get the pasta to cool down faster.
Prep all of your ingredients and combine the salad without adding the dressing. Add the dressing to the salad a couple of hours before serving and refrigerate until ready.
You can use an easy caesar dressing, a quick zesty italian dressing, or even a homemade greek dressing for this salad.
Store & Reheat
- Storage. Keep this salad in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze. We do not recommend freezing this pasta salad.
More Salad Recipes
If you enjoyed this macaroni salad recipe, be sure to try our other popular salad recipes; here are some of our favorites:
Easy Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz elbow macaroni
- 1/2 red pepper cubed
- 1 celery stalk cubed
- 1/2 red onion finely chopped
- 2 hard boiled eggs cubed
dressing –
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1½ Tbsp white vinegar
- 1½ tsp mustard
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
- Boil elbow pasta until fully cooked. Drain the pasta, and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- To a large bowl, add red pepper, celery, red onion, hard boiled eggs, and pasta.
- In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
- Add the dressing to the salad and toss together.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
- Serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to cook the pasta all the way and not just al dente.
- Taste the macaroni salad and adjust the seasoning to your preferences.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
