Macaroni Salad

(2)

No cookout is complete without a bowl of macaroni salad.

Southern Living Macaroni Salad in a bowl to serve topped with scallions
Photo:

Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel

Active Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
50 mins
Servings:
8 to 10

Southerners know that the MVP of any summer potluck, picnic, or cookout is the macaroni salad. It's refreshing, flavorful, and the perfect side dish to round out any meat 'n' three.

And while macaroni salad is technically a pasta salad, not any pasta salad can be a macaroni salad: It's special because it's made with elbow macaroni and a uniquely tangy mayo-based dressing with aromatic veggies.

It's true that each ingredient has an important job, and it always delivers, whether it's celery to provide aroma and crunch, or a touch of yellow mustard to add some depth of flavor to the dish. Learn how to make macaroni salad, and watch it disappear at your next potluck or tailgate.

Ingredients for Macaroni Salad

  • Elbow macaroni: You can use any shape of pasta here, but the elbow shape is classic for a macaroni salad recipe.
  • Red onion: Provides some sharp oniony flavor and texture.
  • Celery: Adds freshness that perfectly complements the creamy dressing and pasta, with an aromatic snap.
  • Diced pimientos: These are often found already diced at the grocery store at most conventional Southern grocery stores. They're sweet and aromatic of pepper, but they're not overly strong or spicy.
  • Mayonnaise: Provides the creamy, slightly tangy base of the dressing.
  • White vinegar and yellow mustard: Together, just a bit of white vinegar and yellow mustard adds necessary acidity to the creamy mayo dressing for a nice balance of flavors.
  • Granulated sugar: Sugar mellows and rounds out the dressing flavors overall, especially alongside the vinegar.
  • Kosher salt: Balances and enhances the overall flavor of the salad.
  • Black pepper: Adds some piquant pep to the macaroni salad.
  • Granulated garlic and onion powder: A combination of dried granulated garlic and onion powder are an easy way to infuse the fresh flavor notes without a lot of fuss, making for a super flavorful dish.
  • Scallions or celery leaves: Fresh scallions for topping adds some green snap and oniony flavor; celery leaves are aromatic with a slight kick—like parsley—but perfectly complement the celery flavor in the dish.
Southern Living Macaroni Salad ingredients

Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel

How To Make Macaroni Salad

The full directions are below, but here are the basic steps to get started:

  • Step 1. Cook pasta: Cook macaroni until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
  • Step 2. Combine remaining ingredients and chill: Stir to combine the macaroni with the red onion, celery, and pimientos in a large bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and onion powder in a small bowl. Add half of it the the bowl with the macaroni and stir to coat. Cover both mixtures and chill at least 30 minutes.
  • Step 3. Toss and serve: Before serving, toss together the macaroni salad with remaining dressing. Add any garnishes, and serve.

Our Tips for Making Macaroni Salad

Macaroni salad is a fairly uncomplicated recipe, but the Southern Living Test Kitchen still has a few tips and tricks to make this your best version yet:

  • Chill out: Allowing the macaroni salad and veggies to marinate with half of the dressing in the fridge first, before tossing it all together, helps to ensure that the salad starts to take on some of the dressing flavors while cooling things down at the same time.
  • Dressing room: By adding the rest of the dressing just before serving, the salad stays loose and not too firm or stuck-together for serving.
  • Cut back: Red onion slices can be soaked for about 10 minutes in iced water to remove some of that sharp, pungent oniony flavor. Simply make sure to drain and dry well before adding to the salad.

How To Store Macaroni Salad

Store leftover macaroni salad in airtight containers for up 3 days in the refrigerator. Be sure to stir the pasta salad before serving to help loosen up the dish again.

Can You Make Macaroni Salad Ahead of Time?

Yes, macaroni salad can be made up to one day in advance and stored in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Ingredients

  • 1 (16-oz.) pkg. uncooked elbow macaroni

  • 1 medium-size (8 oz.) red onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

  • 3 small (1 1/2 oz. each) celery stalks, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

  • 3 Tbsp. diced pimientos (from 1 [4-oz.] jar), drained

  • 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise

  • 3 Tbsp. white vinegar

  • 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

  • 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard

  • 2 tsp. kosher salt

  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper

  • 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic

  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder

  • Sliced scallions or celery leaves

Directions

  1. Cook pasta:

    Cook macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch, about 2 minutes.

    Southern Living Macaroni Salad draining and rinsing the pasta

    Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel

  2. Combine pasta and chopped vegetables:

    Stir together macaroni, red onion, celery, and pimientos in a large bowl until well combined.

    Southern Living Macaroni Salad stirring the vegetables into the pasta

    Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel

  3. Make dressing:

    Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and onion powder in a small bowl until dressing is smooth.

    Southern Living Macaroni Salad whisking together the dressing

    Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel

  4. Coat macaroni with dressing and chill:

    Add half of dressing to macaroni mixture; stir to coat. Cover mixture and remaining dressing, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.

    Southern Living Macaroni Salad adding the dressing to the salad

    Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel

  5. Add remaining dressing:

    Before serving, add remaining dressing to macaroni mixture, and stir to combine. Garnish with scallions or celery leaves.

    Southern Living Macaroni Salad ready to serve garnished with scallions

    Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel

Related Articles