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–+ servings
Macaroni salad in a glass bowl.

Macaroni Salad Recipe

Chef Dennis Littley
Made with simple ingredients this creamy, tangy, delightfully delicious macaroni salad will be a welcome addition to your table any time of year.
5 from 56 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
chill 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 23 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 223 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz elbow macaroni
  • 1 cup celery thinly sliced
  • ½ cup red bell pepper - finely diced or roasted red peppers
  • ¼ cup carrots - shredded
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ cup sweet onion finely diced -optional
  • 1 cup sweet baby peas fresh or frozen -optional
  • 2 tablespoon Italian Parsley finely chopped - save some for the garnish

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Instructions
 

Salad Dressing

  • Add the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, apple cider vinegar, granulated sugar, salt, and black pepper to a small bowl.
  • Whisk the ingredients together until well blended. Refrigerate until needed.

Macaroni Salad

  • Cook the dry elbow macaroni in a large pot of salted water, following the package directions for al dente pasta.
  • Drain the cooked pasta and rinse with cold water.
    *Make sure the macaroni noodles are well drained before using.
  • Place the cooked well drained pasta in a large bowl.
  • Add the thinly sliced celery, roasted red peppers, shredded carrots and chopped Italian parsley to the bowl.
  • Mix all the ingredients together until well blended.
  • Add the creamy dressing and mix until all the ingredients are well coated. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Notes

I like add chopped red onions or chopped sweet Vidalia onions to my macaroni salad, but more and more people don’t seem to like the flavor. If you like onion, feel free to add some into the salad, or add onion powder to the dressing.
Additional Macaroni Salad add-ons:
  • sweet baby peas (fresh or frozen)
  • chopped hard-cooked eggs
  • bacon bits
  • green onions
  • small cubes of cheese
  • tuna, chicken or shrimp
  • chopped pineapple
For a healthier version you can substitute some of mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 223kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 3gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 203mgPotassium: 118mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 619IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
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