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.

Homemade Elbow Macaroni Salad in bowl

Whenever there’s a variety of cold salads to choose from like at a deli, 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.

It’s also great with burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches or comfort food such as fried chicken.

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

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

About this Recipe

The dressing in this salad is made with mayonnaise, white vinegar and sugar.

When mixed together, these 3 ingredients add a light tangy sweet taste, as well as a nice consistency to the overall salad.

Tips for Making this Macaroni Salad:

Cook the macaroni to al dente (firm to the bite). It adds so much texture to the salad and leftovers last nicely in the refrigerator.
Chill 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.
Don’t be shy with the salt. Just enough salt makes all the difference in the world and really brings out the flavors.

Let’s check out the 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.

For the Pasta:

In a medium to large size 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.

Give the pasta a quick stir 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 the package instructions; about 7 to 10 minutes) and drain it in a strainer.

Rinse the pasta and let it cool completely.

For the Macaroni Salad:

While the pasta is cooling, chop the sweet pickles,

onion,

celery,

red bell pepper, and

parsley (including the some of the stem).

To a large mixing bowl, add the cooled pasta, sweet pickles, celery, red bell pepper, onion and parsley.

Set aside for a moment.

For the Dressing:

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

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

Whisk together…

…until incorporated.

Add the dressing to the large mixing bowl.

With a large spoon…

…mix until the pasta is coated with the dressing.

Do a taste test and add more salt if needed.

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

Just before serving,

…garnish with a light dusting of…

…freshly ground pepper and a sprig of parsley.

Thank you so much for stopping by CCC!

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