Get ready to elevate your summer cookouts with this delicious and easy-to-make macaroni salad recipe. Made with fresh ingredients, this dish is always a hit with friends and family. This salad is so easy that you can whip it up and have it on the table in about twenty minutes.
Delectable Macaroni Salad
This Creamy Macaroni Salad Recipe is a real crowd-pleaser. It is perfect for your next patio party or BBQ but simple enough for a weeknight dinner with New York strip steak and roasted corn. With all the colorful vegetables, the presentation is phenomenal. My late mother-in-law made a wonderful macaroni salad. She would add small bits of cubed cheese and sweet pickle relish to it. This one is creamier with just a hint of sweetness and plenty of fresh, beautiful vegetables!
Simple Ingredients – Homestyle Flavor
- Elbow macaroni – or other small pasta noodles like bowties, small shells, or rotini
- Mayonnaise – I prefer Duke’s
- Mustard – Dijon
- Cider vinegar
- Sour cream
- Vegetables – bell pepper, grape tomatoes, red onion, and celery
- Seasonings – like salt, black pepper, and fresh parsley
How To Make Macaroni Salad
Cook the noodles according to the package instructions and drain well. In a large bowl, whisk together mayo, mustard, cider vinegar, and sour cream. Add the cooked macaroni, peppers, tomatoes, red onion, celery and parsley. Stir gently to combine. Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
Recipe Variations
Macaroni salad is traditionally made with creamy mayonnaise-based dressings but is just as delicious with an oil and vinegar-based dressing. All kinds of small or finely diced vegetables can be added, such as peas, broccoli, peppers, celery, onions, cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, radishes, and more. Other delicious additions included very small cubes of cheese, spinach, sunflower seeds, jalapenos, pimentos, capers, green onions, and hard-boiled eggs.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. I do not recommend freezing this pasta salad because the mayonnaise will separate and the texture of the vegetables will change.
Creamy Macaroni Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 orange pepper chopped finely
- 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes halved
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook noodles according to the instructions on the box. Drain well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, cider vinegar, and sour cream. Add the cooked macaroni, bell peppers, tomatoes, red onion, celery, and parsley. Stir gently to combine. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.
Nutrition
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Melanie Bauer
Looks really awesome! One of my all time favorite side dish, so excited to make this!
Sara Welch
What a great side dish with dinner! This paired perfectly with our barbecue dinner last night; delicious!
Kim Seghers
This macaroni salad is wonderful. Adding it to my menu plan for this week’s dinner.
Fran
I love pasta salads I can’t wait to make it! I Think I’ll boiled eggs ?
Wade Ferguson
Might add some cooked shrimp!!!
Beth Pierce
Yummy!Sounds delicious!
Veena Azmanov
Delicious, creamy and colorful and my family to love it.
Eden
Perfect for memorial day next month! My family really enjoyed it and I’ll be making again!
Tisha
This is one of my favorite side dishes for a back yard get together!!! Love your version
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
This dish looks perfect for summer entertaining and so versatile with whatever is in the fridge!
Nicolas Hortense
Ooo nice! Love how you added the sour cream as well as the mayo (:
Suzy
Love to make this for potlucks and barbecues.
Mikayla
I love a good pasta salad for summer bbqs! This looks so creamy, and I love the veggies!
Sharon
This macaroni salad looks amazing! I’m saving this for summer cookouts. Looks great.
Rosa
Mmm this looks so creamy and flavourful!
Julie
What is mirin?
Beth Pierce
Mirin is sweetened sake. If it is not available you can sub 1 part sugar to 3 parts sherry or omit it.
Kim Smith
These look so delicious. I think I could come here and plan out my menu for all my summer salad meals!
bpierce
You just made my Monday!!!! Thanks so much! 🙂