Macaroni Salad is a classic pasta dish that is easy to make with a simple ingredient list. This is a great side dish to bring to your next BBQ, picnic, or social gathering. 

Macaroni Salad is one of the best side dishes to bring to a gathering because it is budget-friendly and a recipe you can make beforehand. 

Tips for The Recipe

• Chill the salad: this recipe should be chilled for at least an hour before serving for the best flavor. It’s also best to keep it refrigerated (not leaving it out for too long) on hot days to preserve the mayonnaise dressing.

• Substitute cheddar cheese for eggs: if you’d rather not include the hard-boiled eggs, shredded cheddar cheese is a popular alternative.

• Cook your pasta al dente: when cooking your elbow macaroni, boil it until barely tender, al dente. If you overcook your macaroni, it can cause your salad to become too mushy.

Substitutions or Additions to Macaroni Salad

Mix in some of your favorite vegetables or toppings. You can come up with so many different varieties of this classic dish. 

• Try adding some of your favorite shredded cheese.
• Green peas are a great vegetable add-in to get that extra fiber.
• Meat/Seafood – You can add turkey, bacon, ham, crab, or even shrimp to this recipe.
• Pickles will add some crunch.

Share Your Creations with Me!

If you make this easy Macaroni Salad recipe, I’d love to see your creations on Instagram. Make sure to tag your post with #azbrecipes or #azestybiterecipes, so I’ll be sure to see them. 

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Macaroni Salad

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Chill Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Macaroni Salad is a classic pasta dish that is easy to make with a simple ingredient list. This is a great side dish to bring to your next BBQ or social gathering. 

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Ingredients

• 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• ½ cup minced red onion
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, finely diced

For the dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ⅛ cup distilled white vinegar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoons sweet pickle relish
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 ½ tablespoons dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons sour cream

Instructions

1. Cook the macaroni according to the package
directions until al dente and barely tender. Strain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix the red onion, bell pepper,
celery, hard boiled eggs and macaroni.

3. In a medium bowl, make the dressing: stir
together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, relish, garlic powder, mustard, and sour cream.

4. Pour the dressing over the macaroni mixture and
stir to combine. For the best flavor, cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes

Best served chilled, this macaroni salad is a simple dish to feed a crowd. It’s ready in about 15 minutes but should then be chilled for at least an hour before serving.

Did you make this recipe?

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Other GREAT side dishes to consider.

• Feta Coleslaw – great for people who don’t like mayonnaise
• This is another excellent classic Cucumber Salad with Ranch. 
• Take your potato salad up a notch with this Tex-Mex inspired Mexican Potato Salad