Classic Macaroni Salad

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A delicious creamy pasta salad made with elbow macaroni. This salad is a perfect side dish for BBQs, potlucks, and picnics.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Chilling Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings people

Calories 464kcal

Cook the macaroni according to package directions.
1 pound elbow macaroni
Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and remove any excess starch. Drain well and place in a large bowl.
Chop onion, celery, pepper, and pickle into very small pieces.
½ cup red onion, ½ cup celery, ½ cup red bell pepper, ¼ cup dill pickle
In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustards, vinegar, sugar, and seasoning.
1 ¼ cups mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 3 tablespoons white vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon celery seed
Combine the cut veggies and half of the dressing with the pasta. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Before serving, remove from the fridge and stir. The pasta will appear dry.
Add the remaining dressing and stir until the pasta is well coated.
Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
Top with fresh chopped parsley before serving, optional.

Rinse the pasta with cold water - This stops the cooking and cools everything down quickly, so the dressing doesn’t get absorbed too fast.
Let the pasta drain well - Excess water will dilute your dressing and make the salad watery.
Add the dressing in two stages - Stir in about half of the dressing while the pasta is still slightly warm so it can soak in all that flavor. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Just before serving, add the remaining dressing and stir well. This keeps the salad creamy and prevents it from drying out.
Taste and adjust at the end - After chilling, you may need a bit more salt, pepper, or a splash of vinegar to brighten everything up.