This macaroni salad recipe is a family favorite. It's easy to make and customize to your own tastes! This simple and flavorful macaroni salad is a summer classic.
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This macaroni salad is one of my all-time favorite summer recipes! This is another family classic that made many appearances on our large, outdoor glass table during my childhood. It's a super simple recipe but it delivers on flavor every single time!
One of my favorite things about this salad is how easy it is to customize to your tastes. Our classic combination is always peppers, egg, olives, pickles, and some kind of onion. But you can really add whatever veggies you have. I've used shredded carrots before, celery, it's all up to you.
This recipe does call for hard-boiled eggs, so I want to give you some awesome hard-boiled egg tips. Here is how you can make hard-boiled eggs that are EASY to peel.
How to Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs for Macaroni Salad
- Use eggs that are at least two weeks old.
- Place eggs in a saucepan in a single layer in cold water, covering them by about 1 inch.
- Place pan on the stove and bring to a boil.
- Once the water is at a rolling boil, turn it off and place the lid on. Don't move for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, place eggs in an ice bath until cool.
- The eggs will peel very easily and be perfectly cooked!!
I just love all of the different colors in this salad. I use green onion in this salad because I like the mild flavor. If you don't have green onions for the macaroni salad or want to use a different kind, I recommend grating it and then placing it in vinegar for 5 minutes before adding it to the salad. That will take off some of the harsh raw flavor.
The next part of this recipe is the macaroni salad dressing! So easy. It's just mayo, a little sugar, some spices, and milk. All of these can be adjusted to your taste.
The macaroni salad dressing recipe will make more than you need, so don't use it all right away. I put enough on so that the salad is nice and creamy and then save the rest. As the macaroni salad sits, it will soak up the dressing so I always add a little bit more right before serving.
This is a great make-ahead party dish - you can make it the morning before or the day before! Just save some dressing to moisten everything up right before serving.
I always like to garnish this macaroni salad with fresh herbs, but that is totally optional. I love fresh parsley and basil, they add a nice summer touch to the salad!
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Delicious! Tell me your favorite add-ins to macaroni salad in the comments below!
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Macaroni Salad Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (macaroni or any other short pasta will work)
- ½ cup bell pepper (diced, any color)
- ⅓ cup olives (sliced)
- ⅓ cup dill pickles (diced)
- ⅓ cup scallions (sliced)
- 4 hard boiled eggs (diced)
- 1 cup mayonaise
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon season salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine pasta, peppers, olives, pickles, scallions and hard-boiled eggs in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine mayonnaise, sugar, milk, and seasonings. Mix well.
- Dress the salad with almost all of the dressing, tasting as you add and mix. Reserve ⅓-1/4 cup to serve with the salad or to add to the salad before serving (see note).
Alli
A family favorite!!