Best Ever Classic Macaroni Salad
The best + easiest old-fashioned macaroni salad to bring to all the BBQs/potlucks! Everyone will be dying for the recipe!
We all need a good classic macaroni salad in our back pocket. One that we can always bring to backyard BBQs and potlucks. And one you can also make up to 2 days in advance.
But most importantly, we need it to be creamy. We need it to have tons of veggies. And we need plenty of extra-sharp cheddar cheese. Keyword being plenty.
So that’s what we have here. We have the four very important elements right in this classic macaroni salad (make-ahead, creamy, veggie-loaded, and abundance of cheese).
It’s quick, simple and make-ahead for up to two whole days! Just be sure to give it a good stir prior to serving.
And serve with all of my favorite kabobs – the bbq pineapple chicken kabobs, the shrimp boil kabobs, and/or the Korean chicken kabobs!
Best Ever Classic Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- ¾ cup diced extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Stir in peas during the last 1 minute of cooking time; drain well and rinse with cold water.
- Place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Cover eggs with a tight-fitting lid and remove from heat; set aside for 8-10 minutes. Drain well and let cool before peeling and dicing.
- In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, parsley, vinegar and Dijon. Stir in pasta, peas, eggs, bell pepper, onion, celery and cheese; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover; place into the refrigerator for 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- Serve cold.
Did you make this recipe?
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Absolutely delicious! I’ve made this so many times for crowds and always get raving reviews about it.
I made this recipe yesterday and hubby and I thought it was very good, to go along with the bass he caught. I happened to have all the ingredients, except for the parsley. Next time I’ll plan ahead and put parsley on the grocery list. I will be making this again. Thank you!
I just finished putting this together. Measured everything per the recipe, making sure not to use more than the the 2 cups of uncooked macaroni. My pasta called for a ten minute cook time, so I added my 2 eggs to the boiling pasta water with the pasta, and they both finished at the same time with the peas. Saved myself a bit of effort there.
Assembled everything and taste tested the end result. So good! My new favorite macaroni salad. Made it a day ahead of time to allow flavors to meld and will serve it with a tomato/cucumber salad and grilled chicken. Thank you!
I’ve made this many times, I just omit the egg. Always a hit! Thank you. If I’m having guests over, I double the recipe.
I would add a meat to this. Some small diced ham or small cooked shrimp?
Is it two cups of cooked pasta or two cups uncooked?
Definitely uncooked!
It’s the best salad I’ve ever made and I thank you for sharing every time I make it
Just made this for a get-together at my house. Fantastic! I did a shortcut and cooked the eggs and mac together, and then tossed in the peas for the last couple of minutes. That helped me with the dishes, but otherwise this is the perfect macaroni salad!
Use a good quality brand frozen peas..raw! Delicious.
I searched and searched for a recipe to make for my 4th of July party yesterday. I’m so glad I landed on this one. I made it and it turned out fabulously. I omitted the eggs – only because I made potato salad, as well, with eggs. Thank you for keeping the classics going!
P.S. I thawed out the frozen peas. No need to cook them at all.
This salad is a new family favorite, with just a couple minor changes. Absolutely delicious as is, but I omitted the peas and added crumbled bacon. I double the batch and there’s never too much!
I love this! I make it all the time!
I tried it and I liked it. It’s a solid recipe. Not as good as my “World Famous” Macaroni Salad but it is easier to make. I live in the Chicago area, we should have a Mac off. LOL
This is our go to easy summer salad recipe whenever it’s super hot out! It’s so good! I personally like to replace the eggs with some smoked ham so it’s a little more filling and we can have it as a meal. Delicious!
DAMN DELICIOUS DELICIOUS
I made this and it was a total hit! You are so right it was damndelicious.
I made some with and some without eggs as we were going to a picnic and Know of two that can’t have eggs. Everyone loved it. I gave your site info to them.
I haven’t made it yet but what do u think about adding bacon ? I think that would be a great add , also the ham sounds like a excellent add , I CANT wait try this , thanks so much for the recipe !
I didn’t make it yet but I wanted to ask a question. It says only cook the peas for 1 minute but on the package of my peas, it says between 6-8 minutes? Just curious about that. Thanks.
If you cook the peas for 8 minutes they will be great next to mashed potatoes and roast beef. But they will be far too tender to be stirred into a salad. They will quickly become pea puree and you will have a green macaroni salad. Maybe fun on St. Pats day, but otherwise maybe not…
Cultural norms vary, but typically in cold salads (pasta salad, potato salad, chicken salad, pea salad, etc.) the veggies are left raw or are just blanched so they retain some crunch as well as their physical identity.
OTOH If you wanted to make a salad using pea puree as a dressing base (using, perhaps, a recipe calling for hummus as a starting point) that would be a different thing.
The peas will taste more like fresh peas and will not fall apart in the salad if cooked only one minute.
My husband was absolutely delighted! He said its a meal all by itself..lol Thank you!
It’s SO delicious!!!!! It’s super simple to make and is pretty healthy considering it’s macaroni salad. We will be making this again <3
I have never had a mac salad that wasn’t boring. This sounds absolutely fantastic. I will make it next weekend for our bbq. The only dif. will be the parsley, let’s face it parsley just looks pretty. I will do dill instead, I love dill. Also the corn sounds like a nice addition. I think this summer I will try substituting potatoes for the Mac.