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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Delicious..
Very good, well worth making, will use again!
I suffer from shaken baby syndrome and one of the parts of my brain that has to do with becoming addicted doesn’t work.
So, I can’t be addicted to this awesome macaroni salad but it’s so delicious that I think I could eat it every day.
This recipe is so good! I added chopped dill pickles & more mayo & Dijon mustard. I might add a little sweet relish (Southern Texas thing) but still thinking on. I followed it to the T other than that! My husband & I love different variations of Macaroni Salad & this one is definitely a keeper!! Thank you so much Damn Delicious for this yummy recipe!
What great additions, Margaret!
Perfect recipe w/o the sweetness(don’t care for sweet).
Made it exactly as is and love it…..the way macaroni salad should be! Next time I will add tuna!
Great idea, Lauri!
Made without the cheese because I didn’t have any but was delicious! Thankyou!
You are so welcome, Tammy!
I’m a Chef who likes cooking,,,can I join ur team
Absolutely perfect. Loved that this didn’t have tons of sugar. It was light and refreshing and my husband ate the whole batch.
Totally a winner! I’ve brought this macaroni salad to several BBQs and it is totally addictive! As a bonus, it is also easy to make.
I made this with gluten-free ingredients and opted out of the cheese. It was great! Thank you! Made this for my Memorial Day cookout!
It was delicious! Everyone loved it, even my Daughter who only loves her plain macaroni salad which she thinks is the best, but after tasting this recipe, she just loved it. Only thing I did different was leave out the cheese, apple cider vinegar and didn’t put in the eggs or my daughter wouldn’t have eaten it, and really, didn’t need it , it was awesome! Will make it again ))
So glad you and your family enjoyed it, Joanne!
This really is the best!!! I think I will use a bit less onion next time, but that’s just a personal preference. The seasoning of this is spot on. I have been waiting for the perfect recipe and this is it. Thanks
We love it, Regi! So glad you found the one! 🙂
As with all your recipes, dead simple and really tasty…
except.
We all found it (8 of us) a touch bland. I felt it needed some hot sauce, maybe some diced jalapeños… does anyone else have some things they’ve added to this great base to really give it some more flavor?
After I removed it from the fridge Ww thought the same so I whipped up more sauce mayo, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, healthy sweetener (we have our own blend of pyure and xylitol blended to a Powder I’m not big on sugar) and rice vinegar making sure it is tacky and not to runny. Delicious, Sorry I really don’t measure when I make sauce taste a feel
Ive added some cayenne pepper, and it gave it just the kick we needed. Also added some sour cream to cut the mayo
I always love a good macaroni salad, and I find this to be one of the tastiest ever! So many flavors mix together. I made it as the recipe stated. This recipe was chosen as I’ve made other recipes from this great website, Damn Delicious.
Thanks, Anne! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
This recipe is now in competition with my all-time favorite macaroni salad – Betty Crocker’s Cookbook 1969 edition, page 382 – Tuna Macaroni Salad. I subbed in dried parsley flakes and regular mustard. I have fibromyalgia and fresh parsley tastes like soap to me (as do cilantro and a few other fresh herbs) and Dijon mustard is much too intense for me but plain mustard in small quantities is fine (in this recipe I used only 1 teaspoon – just right!). Great recipe. Thank you for posting it.
Thanks so much, Kay! We’re so happy to hear that you liked it so much!
I made this for a family BBQ and it is so good. I think it may even be better the next day. I doubled the recipe so I would have leftovers. My family ate every single bit of this salad and I will definitely be making this again. It will be a summer staple!
It’s such a great summer recipe! And the flavors just get better the next day. Thanks, Julie!
Simply delicious. Add old-bay seasoning for that added touch. Try also adding small diced chunks of ham.
Those are great additions! Thanks for sharing, Bonnie!
Absolutely delicious. Thank you so much
I usually make my macaroni salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and cheese. Wanted to try something different and tried your recipe. I was impressed, it was really good. The only thing I added was some sugar. Guess that’s a southern thing. Ha
Delish! Thank you!
Very tasty macaroni salad I made a double amount and I enjoy the tangy apple cider vinegar. This recipe is very easy and can be adapted well to any changes.
Thanks Kelly!
What a fresh clean and pretty salad, a step up from your standard Midwestern style. I made it with pumpkin shaped pasta left over from Halloween. It’s gorgeous going to take it to work and share at a potluck.
Thanks, Melinda!
I’m a picky eater and I still loved this recipe! Thank you for sharing!
The site is one of the best, but you lose points with this recipe. All the ingredient are great! Except for the Peas? And not to be overly critical, but Yellow Mustard will do just fine and also plain white vinegar followed of course by omitting the egg . This will then be the classic Macaroni Salad. Keep in mind Macaroni Salad is/was traditionally made in order to use up left overs. It was not a side dish but for many families a main course (the only course) which if a family was lucky enough to scrape some pork/ham trimmings or turkey, chicken scraps and yes even fish cought by a family member, then this meal would have been one of the years best.
#damndelicious
Alf, there’s no need to be “overly critical” here. You can substitute any of the ingredients to your liking based on what you prefer and/or what you have on hand. Isn’t that what home cooking is all about?
Wow no need to get all deep on the whole where mac salad came from. I think this is a great recipe and you can absolutely take the things out you dont care for but there is no need to criticize what this recipe is.
Really…. make your own salad and move on, no need to be so b….y!