Macaroni Salad

You’ll love this macaroni salad recipe because it’s easy to make and, most importantly, because it’s a sure crowd-pleaser.

This recipe is an American classic born from the intersection of two cuisines: Italian cuisine, where immigrants brought over macaroni to the US.

And German cuisine, rich in creamy mayonnaise-based sauces with a sweet and tangy taste.

There are three main components to make a delicious macaroni salad:

1. Noodles: you can use any pasta shape. The most popular is elbow macaroni.
2. Dressing: traditionally is mayo based. Our version combines egg-free mayo with Greek yogurt to make a light yet incredibly creamy dressing.
3. Veggies: pick colorful, seasonal, and crunchy veggies. They are usually added raw.

While this recipe is heavily inspired by classic macaroni salad, we made a few modifications to make it more balanced, nutritious, and delicious.

Pasta

You can use any Italian pasta to make macaroni salad. The most common shape is elbow macaroni.

Other shapes that work well are fusilli, rotini, and ditalini.

Frozen peas

We include frozen peas to add a naturally sweet flavor, bright green color, and fulfilling protein.

You can cook the frozen peas in the same pot with the pasta.

Bell pepper

Crunchy red bell pepper is best; cut into small pieces.

Substitute halved cherry tomatoes or yellow bell pepper for red bell pepper.

Celery

Celery adds crunch and freshness, and we love it in macaroni salad. Cut it into small pieces.

Substitute thinly sliced radishes for celery.

Red onion

The red onion should be finely chopped.

Substitute shallots or green onions for red onion.

Carrot

The carrot adds color and sweetness. You can grate it with the large holes of a box grater.

Substitute corn for carrots.

Pickle cucumber

You can add dill pickles, sour pickles, or sweet pickles, chopped into small pieces.

Substitute sweet pickle relish, capers, or olives for pickles.

Our dressing is creamy and indulgent while being lighter and healthier than a regular macaroni salad dressing. You can make it with:

• Mayonnaise: you can use vegan mayo or regular mayo.
• Greek yogurt: substitute with unsweetened non-dairy yogurt to make the recipe vegan.
• Apple cider vinegar: substitute red wine or white wine vinegar.
• Mustard: you can use yellow American mustard or Dijon mustard.
• Sugar: optional, but we think a little sugar makes this recipe more authentic.
• Garlic powder.
• Salt and black pepper.

Boil the pasta in a large pot with salted boiling water per package instructions.

Halfway through cooking, add frozen peas to the pasta in the same pot.

When the pasta is cooked, drain them, rinse them under cold water for 15 seconds, and add them to a large bowl.

Note: rinsing the pasta under cold water for a few seconds is essential to prevent it from overcooking. Don’t rinse for more than 15 seconds, or you’ll remove flavor.

While the pasta cooks, make the dressing by whisking together mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.

Add shredded carrots, diced bell pepper, finely chopped red onion, chopped celery, chopped pickles, and the dressing to the bowl with the pasta.

Stir until well combined and enjoy immediately or store in the fridge, covered with a plate or in an airtight container.

This creamy macaroni salad is excellent as a main or side dish for summer cookouts, BBQs, and get–togethers alongside your choice of protein and veggies:

• BBQ tofu (probably the best tofu you’ll ever have).
• Barbecue sauce (ketchup, smoked paprika, mustard, sugar, soy sauce, etc.)
• Grilled tofu (tofu slices, olive oil, sesame seeds, smoked paprika, etc.)
• Grilled zucchini (zucchini olive oil, garlic, basil, salt, etc.)
• Microwave sweet potato (sweet potato, butter, sage, salt, etc.)

• Salt the pasta water: you should always cook the pasta in salted water. If you don’t salt the water, the pasta will taste bland, no matter how much dressing you cover it with.

• How much salt?
  
  8 ounces of pasta (230 grams): cook pasta in 2 quarts of boiling water (8 cups or 2 Liters) with 1 tablespoon of salt (15 grams). Serves 2 – 3 people.
  
  12 ounces of pasta (340 grams): cook pasta in 3 quarts of boiling water (12 cups or 3 Liters) with 1 ½ tablespoons of salt (21 grams). Serves 4 people.
  
  1 pound of pasta (450 grams): cook pasta in 1 gallon of boiling water (16 cups or 4 Liters) with 2 tablespoons of salt (30 grams). Serves 5-6 people.
  
• Cool the pasta with water: while many people might disagree, it is best practice to drain the pasta and cool it under running water to prevent it from overcooking. The trick is to be fast here. You should only rinse it for 15 seconds tops. Rinsing it longer will ruin the flavor and texture of the pasta.
  
• Cut the dressing with yogurt: reducing the amount of mayo and adding some Greek-style yogurt not only will almost half the calories of this dish; it will also make it lighter, more digestible, and more nutritious.

Make ahead: you can make macaroni salad a couple of days ahead of time. Remember that the dressing will dry as the salad sits in the fridge. The next day, add a squeeze of lemon juice and toss before serving the salad.

Refrigerator: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezer: we don’t recommend freezing macaroni salad.

Get more fresh and summer-friendly summer ideas with these pasta recipes:

• Creamy pasta salad (pasta, corn, olives, bell pepper, white beans, mayonnaise, etc.)
• Chickpea pasta salad (chickpeas, cherry tomato, olives, corn, pasta, etc.)
• Pesto pasta salad (basil pesto, green beans, bowtie pasta, cherry tomatoes, etc.)
• Vegan pasta salad (white beans, pasta, corn, red onion, lemon basil, olives, etc.)

If you love creamy dishes, try these colorful and super creamy sides:

• Dill potato salad (potato, radish, celery, Greek-style yogurt, dill, pickles, etc.)
• Coleslaw (cabbage, carrot, parsley, yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, etc.)
• Red cabbage slaw (red cabbage, carrot, parsley, vinegar, mayonnaise, etc.)
• Broccoli salad (broccoli, sundried tomatoes, red onion, mayonnaise, vinegar, etc.)

For many more pasta ideas, check out our pasta category page.