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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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!
This is UH-MAZING. I’ve made it a handful of times now and it’s always a hit. Just wanted to add a comment that I’ve been craving it as an actual meal so, I added seasoned ground beef to it.
TO DIE FOR combination. I always put a little cayenne in the actual salad so I seasoned the beef with salt, pepper, a little garlic salt, and cayenne- SO good.
Sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing!
OHHH, I love the idea of cayenne. thanks
I absolutely love this but took time to make ie: chop ingredients xx
What an exceptional pasta salad! My husband and I agree that it’s the best we’ve tasted. I made it exactly according to the recipe, save for substituting some dried parsley for the fresh (I was out of fresh). I like that this doesn’t have that sharp/bitter note that most macaroni salads seem to possess, but rather is nicely balanced and simply delicious.
This is my favorite way to make macaroni salad! I make it as the recipe states and add chopped hard cooked eggs and cubed ham. It’s almost a meal in itself. Delicious!
You go to fresh easy! What state do you live in our ‘s closed. Sorry to say. Really loved shopping there I’m going to try the avacado/bacon salad with lemon dressing this weekend! Love your blog & recipes!!
I love your site. Everything I’ve tried so has been great and I recommend your site to everyone. Thanks for the great recipes!
Thank you, Donna! We love that.