This Macaroni Salad recipe is the perfect dish to bring to a cookout, barbecue, or potluck! It's made with classic ingredients like celery, red pepper, and red onion, and tossed in a simple mayo dressing. It's creamy, slightly sweet, tangy, and full of incredible textures and flavors.
Looking for more easy side dishes for the summer? Try my Pasta Salad or Shrimp Pasta Salad next!
About This Recipe
Macaroni Salad is my all-time favorite salad! To my wife, that is a very controversial opinion since she hates creamy recipes made with mayo, and also, there are "no greens" according to her. But there is actually celery, so she is wrong. In any case, this recipe is amazing, and even my wife, who normally does not like this sort of stuff, always enjoys it.
Macaroni salad is a barbecue/cookout staple, and I can't imagine a summer get-together without one. It's the perfect side dish to eat with freshly grilled meat and vegetables. Today, I'm going to show you how I make my macaroni salad recipe filled with bright, crunchy vegetables and the perfect creamy dressing.
Key Ingredients
Macaroni: Obviously, we will need some macaroni for this recipe. But truthfully, any smaller pasta shapes, like shells or rotini, would work as well.
Red bell pepper: I absolutely love the flavor of red bell pepper in macaroni salad. It adds bits of crunchiness with a sweet, fruity flavor. Plus, the red color is beautiful.
Celery: Celery adds freshness and a bit of textural interest.
Red onion: If you're not a fan of onions, you can leave them out, but you can also soak them in ice water for 20 minutes to tame their flavor a bit. You could also use green onions for a milder flavor.
Eggs: Boil these for 13 minutes for "hard" doneness, then chop into pieces.
Dressing: For the dressing, you'll need mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, sweet relish, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
Instructions
STEP 1: Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Rinse with cold water and then drain well.
Note: It's better to have OVERCOOKED macaroni rather than undercooked. If the macaroni is undercooked, it will absorb the moisture from the dressing, and the salad can get dry the next day
STEP 2: In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. Taste and add more salt and black pepper as needed.
STEP 3: In a large bowl, add the drained macaroni, dressing, red pepper, celery, red onion, and eggs. Toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.
๐ Recipe
Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 8 ounces uncooked macaroni
- ยฝ medium red bell pepper (diced)
- 2 ribs celery (diced)
- ยฝ small red onion (finely diced)
- 2 hard-boiled eggs (chopped)
For the dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- salt and black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Rinse with cold water and then drain well.
- In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. Taste and add more salt and black pepper as needed.
- In a large bowl, add the drained macaroni, dressing, red pepper, celery, red onion, and eggs. Toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.
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