Homestyle Elbow Macaroni Salad

by Nancy

This homemade elbow macaroni salad is a comfort food side dish that can be served any time of the year.

Whenever I’m at a deli with a variety of cold salads to choose from, before I know it my eyes have already scanned the options and locked on to the macaroni salad.

It’s generally always my first choice.

Macaroni salad tastes so good as a snack or side dish.

I especially like that it can be made ahead of time for parties or get-togethers.

And it’s perfect for a packed lunch for work, if there’s a fridge to store lunch in.

About this Recipe

Each bite of this macaroni salad has a little crunch, a little sweet, a little savory and a lot of flavor.

The ingredients include chopped sweet pickles, celery, onion and bell peppers.

And it’s made with a creamy dressing with mayonnaise, mustard, white vinegar and sugar.

When mixed together, these ingredients add a light tangy sweet taste, as well as a nice consistency to the overall salad.

And this macaroni salad can be customized to your liking, feel free to add more or less of the ingredients according to you preference.

Tips for Making this Macaroni Salad:

Cook the macaroni to al dente (firm to the bite)- Adds texture to the salad and leftovers last nicely in the refrigerator
Chill the macaroni salad in the refrigerator for a couple hours before serving – It tastes even better when the flavors have time to blend together
Just before serving, gently stir the salad – Just in case some of the dressing may have settled at the bottom of the bowl
Add enough salt – Enough salt makes all the difference in the world and really brings out the flavors

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Homemade Elbow Macaroni Salad ingredients

Macaroni Salad – elbow macaroni, celery (including some of the leafy parts), onion, sweet pickles, red bell pepper, fresh parsley (curly or flat leaf), salt, pepper and dressing

Dressing – mayonnaise, white vinegar, prepared yellow mustard, granulated sugar, salt and pepper

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

Macaroni Pasta

In a large pot, add water to about 2/3’s full and bring it to a boil.

To the boiling water, add salt.

Then carefully add the pasta.

Stir the pasta so that it’s evenly distributed in the pot.

As the pasta cooks, stir the pasta again to make sure it’s not sticking together.

Cook the pasta to al dente according to package instructions (about 7 to 10 minutes).

Carefully drain the pasta and rinse it in cold water.

Let the pasta cool completely.

While the pasta cools, make the dressing and chop the vegetables and parsley.

Dressing

While the pasta cools, make the dressing…

In a medium size bowl, add mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.

Don’t be like me and forget to add the mustard.

Whisk together…

…until combined.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator while chopping the vegetables and parsley.

Chop the Vegetables and Parsley

While the pasta cools, chop the vegetables and parsley…

In a large mixing bowl, add chopped sweet pickles…

…chopped onion…

…chopped celery (including the leafy tops if you have any)…

Chopped red bell pepper on cutting board

…chopped red bell pepper, and…

…chopped parsley (including the some of the stems).

Make the Macaroni Salad

To the large mixing bowl with the chopped ingredients, add the cooled pasta and…

…dressing.

With a large spoon…

…gently mix the ingredients together until the pasta mixture is coated with dressing.

Do a taste test and add salt to taste (the salt really brings out the flavor in this salad so make sure to add enough).

Chill the Macaroni Salad Before Serving

Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or more before serving.

Garnish and Serve

Just before serving, with a large spoon gently stir the salad and…

…garnish with a light dusting of…

…freshly ground pepper and sprigs of parsley.

Thank you so much for stopping by CCC!

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