Nothing says summertime eating like a serving of the best, classic macaroni salad with eggs and crisp vegetables dressed in a simple and creamy but still light mayonnaise dressing for any picnic, potluck, or barbecue.
Sometimes you just don’t mess around with the classics. Much like my Grandma’s Potato Salad (THE BEST) and my Creamy Coleslaw, there’s no bells and whistles on this macaroni salad. I’m not reinventing the wheel here, and that’s exactly why it’s a timeless favorite. This macaroni salad recipe was born after years of suffering through versions that were too dry, too plain, or too heavily loaded with a goopy, flavorless mayo dressing that coated the macaroni like oil on a dipstick and likely came from a pre-packaged box from the deli counter—yes! There’s nothing worse than that acrid taste of fake mayo macaroni salad. But, this traditional macaroni salad is everything those others were not. First off, it’s homemade and dressed just right with a tangy but light mayo mixture. The pasta is neither clumpy nor starchy, but smooth and satisfying with every bite. It’s simple but well-seasoned—everything you want in a traditional macaroni salad.
What’s in This Macaroni Salad
Like many of my favorite classics, I found the base of this recipe in a recipe collection of one of my grandmothers. This recipe is list is short but fresh and full of flavor.
- Short macaroni of your choice. I use ditalini (these extra short tubes) but classic shells or elbow macaroni works great too.
- hard-boiled eggs
- celery
- red bell pepper
- red onion
- mayonnaise
- sweet pickles plus their juice
- Dijon mustard
- sugar
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to Make This Macaroni Salad
This traditional macaroni salad is so simple to make. Here’s how:
Cooking the macaroni correctly is essential to a good mac salad. Overcook it and you’ll end up with mushy bites that won’t stand up to the mixing with the vegetables. Cook the macaroni al denté as you would your favorite Italian pasta. Watching your cooking time and cooking to the package directions should ensure the perfect bite. And to be sure, taste test every minute or so when coming to the end of your cooking time.
After cooking, rinse the macaroni so it doesn’t stick. The macaroni salad trick I learned from my mom is to rinse the pasta after cooking and drain it really well so there’s no residual water lurking in the pasta nook and crannies. Rinsing the pasta under cold water stops the cooking time and removes some of the starches created from cooking. As the pasta cools, toss it a bit with your hands or a spoon so it stays loose and doesn’t clump together.
Add the pickles, peppers, eggs, and celery. Transfer the drained pasta to a large bowl. Add the eggs, celery, red bell pepper, red onion, and sweet pickles. Grandma’s recipe had the same basics as this one, but I added more sweet pickles—because I could eat pickles on dirt if I had to—and hard-boiled egg—because in my humble opinion, mayo-based salads always taste better with a touch of a hard-boiled egg.
How to Make This Macaroni Salad Dressing
In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, pickle juice, sugar, and Dijon mustard. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pickle juice is the secret! The dressing for this salad is a mayonnaise base that’s been thinned out with pickle juice reserved from the sweet pickles added to the salad. I always use sweet pickles, so if you use another style, taste test it to your liking. If you’re not a fan of pickles, you could substitute vinegar or lemon juice. Taste as you go to get the right balance. But for me, it’s sweet pickle juice all the way.
Stir it all together. Add the dressing to the macaroni and fixings, and toss until everything is evenly coated. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with fresh parsley to add a little color if desired.
Refrigerate for the flavors to meld. This salad tastes best when it’s had some time in the refrigerator for the flavors to meld and the mayo sauce to permeate the noodles. Chill it for at least an hour before serving, or make it the night before for the best, flavorful taste. And always remember to taste again before serving to decide if more salt and pepper seasoning needs to be added.
How to Make THE BEST Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound ditalini pasta or other short pasta or shell
- 3 hard-boiled eggs diced
- 2 celery ribs minced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and minced
- ¼ red onion minced
- ¼ cup sweet pickles chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped parsley if desired.
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions, Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cooled. Shake the colander to toss the pasta, and drain for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally.
- Transfer the drained pasta to a large bowl. Add the eggs, celery, red bell pepper, red onion and sweet pickles. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, pickle juice, sugar, and Dijon mustard; season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add to the macaroni and toss until evenly coated. Season with more salt and pepper to taste then refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley to add a little color if desired.
