Loaded Macaroni Salad with Bacon
This macaroni salad makes a wonderful side dish any time of the year.
Macaroni salad makes the best side dish or snack.
This macaroni salad is filled to the brim with flavors and textures.
For crunch, there’s celery, red bell pepper, sweet pickles and onion.
And for creaminess, there’s a quick and easy mayonnaise-based dressing.
I especially like the subtle flavor of fresh dill with each delicious bite.
It’s really important to add enough salt to this macaroni salad which really brings out the flavors.
So just before serving do a quick taste test and add more salt if needed.
Let’s check out the ingredients.
Pasta – salad macaroni (diti pasta), water and salt
Vegetables and Dressing – celery, green onions, sweet pickles, red bell pepper, real bacon bits, fresh dill, fresh Italian parsley, salt, pepper, prepared yellow mustard, and mayonnaise
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 size saucepan add water and bring it to a boil.
To the boiling water, add salt.
Next, add the macaroni pasta.
Cook until al dente according to package instructions.
Drain the pasta but don’t rinse it.
Set aside.
TIP – Don’t rinse the pasta after cooking it. When pasta is rinsed, the starch is removed.
The starch on pasta helps to hold and absorb the dressing so it’s important to keep the starch on the pasta.
For the Vegetables and Dressing:
Chop the celery…
…and add it to a large bowl.
Next chop the sweet pickles (about 3 or 4 sweet pickles depending on the size) and add them to the bowl.
Chop the green onions,
…and the red bell pepper.
Add them to the bowl.
To the bowl add bacon,
…chopped Italian parsley and dill,
…salt, pepper, mustard and…
…mayonnaise.
Stir together.
For the Macaroni Salad:
To the bowl, add the cooked macaroni.
Gently stir together until the macaroni is coated with the dressing.
Serve right away or serve chilled.
Garnish with bits of bacon.
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Loaded Macaroni Salad with Bacon
Ingredients
For the Macaroni Pasta:
- 1 cup uncooked (dry) salad macaroni (diti pasta)
- 3 teaspoons salt for the boiling water
- Water for boiling the pasta
For the Vegetables and Dressing:
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 3/4 cup chopped sweet pickles
- 2 green onions chopped (including the green top part)
- 1 red bell pepper stem and seeds removed, and chopped
- 1 bunch fresh dill stem ends cut off; and chopped (including the stems)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Italian or curly parsley
- 1/4 cup real bacon bits
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 cup mayonnaise
Instructions
For the Pasta:
- In a medium size saucepan, add water and bring it to a boil. To the boiling water, add salt. Then add the macaroni pasta.
- Cook until al dente according to package instructions. Drain the pasta but don't rinse it. Set aside.
- Don’t rinse the pasta after cooking it. When pasta is rinsed, the starch is removed. The starch on pasta helps to hold and absorb the dressing so it’s important to keep the starch on the pasta.
For the Vegetables and Dressing:
- To a large mixing bowl, add celery, sweet pickles, green onions, red bell pepper, dill, parsley, real bacon bits, salt, pepper, mustard and mayonnaise.
- Stir together until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Do a taste test and add more salt if needed.
For the Macaroni Salad:
- To the bowl, add the cooked macaroni pasta and gently stir together until the pasta is coated with the dressing.
- Serve right away or serve chilled. Garnish with bits of bacon.
Notes
TIP:
Don’t rinse the pasta after cooking it. When pasta is rinsed, the starch is removed. The starch on pasta helps to hold and absorb the sauce so it’s important to keep the starch on the pasta.Salads That are Served Chilled
Here are salads that are also served chilled that you may like “Easy Potato Salad with Egg“, “Homestyle Elbow Macaroni Salad” and “Simple Coleslaw“.
Side Dish Recipes
More Side Dishes You May Like:
Sautéed Mushrooms, Pepperoni and Bell Peppers
Garlic Wasabi and Sage Green Beans
