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    Home » Recipes » Salads

    Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad

    Published: May 10, 2023 by Fox Valley Foodie · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Classic Macaroni Salad recipe #pastasalad #sidedish #potluck #picnic #cookout

    This old fashioned macaroni salad with peas packs that creamy and deliciously tangy flavor you grew up with in every bite. This is the perfect side dish to finish off any picnic, potluck, or barbecue. Best of all, it is easy to make in advance!

    Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad.

    What is Macaroni Salad?

    Classic macaroni salad is a summertime side dish served frequently at picnics and outdoor BBQs. This cold pasta salad is recognized by its creamy dressing infused with a subtle tanginess from mustard and vinegar, which is offset by the sweetness of sugar. An old fashioned macaroni salad recipe typically contains the added crunch of fresh peas, celery, and chopped onion mixed in with the tender elbow macaroni and dressing.

    Ingredients & Substitutions

    • Elbow macaroni
    • Mayonnaise - You can make macaroni salad with Miracle Whip as well.
    • Distilled white vinegar - Apple cider vinegar can be substituted.
    • Dijon mustard - Yellow mustard is fine to substitute.
    • Sweet onion - Substitute red onion for a stronger onion flavor.
    • Celery 
    • Fresh peas - Frozen peas are fine to use as long as they are thawed. Avoid canned peas.
    • Sweet pickle relish - Chopped sweet pickles can be substituted.
    • Granulated white sugar
    • Table salt - Kosher salt is fine to substitute.
    • Fresh ground black pepper

    Even a classic macaroni salad recipe has flexibility on the acceptable ingredient add-ins. Red bell pepper, hard-boiled eggs, green onions, and shredded cheddar cheese are among the many additions people sometimes include in their recipes. I've even seen dill pickles included as well, though I would rather make my Dill Pickle Pasta Salad if I was going that route. The point is, feel free to customize it to your own tastes.

    How to Make Macaroni Salad.

    How to make it

    This easy old-fashioned macaroni salad recipe is straightforward to make. To begin, boil the elbow macaroni noodles in a large pot of water until al dente and prep the remaining ingredients while it cooks. 

    While the pasta boils, add all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and mix to combine. Once the pasta is tender, remove it from the water then rinse the warm pasta under cold water prior to mixing it with the other ingredients to prevent heating up the pasta salad.

    Tip: Make sure the pasta is well drained or your pasta salad can get runny. If it does turn out runnier than you prefer, you can add more mayo.

    Serving & Storing Macaroni Salad

    Macaroni salad is the perfect make-ahead side dish because it can keep well in the refrigerator for up to one week. Just be sure to store it in an airtight container to preserve the flavor. For best flavor, I recommend only making it one day in advance.

    Since the tangy dressing is mayo-based, you don't want to let it sit at room temperature all afternoon when serving, or you risk food poisoning. Don't let it sit at room temperature longer than two hours without chilling it.

    Classic Macaroni Salad recipe.
    Classic Macaroni Salad recipe

    Classic Macaroni Salad

    This old fashioned macaroni salad recipe is loaded with that creamy and deliciously tangy flavor you grew up with in every bite.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 16
    Calories: 269kcal
    Author: Fox Valley Foodie

    Equipment

    • Large pot
    • Large serving bowl

    Ingredients

    • 16 ounces elbow macaroni
    • 1 ½ cups mayonnaise
    • ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
    • 1 medium sweet onion (chopped)
    • 3 ribs celery (chopped)
    • 1 cups peas
    • 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 ½ teaspoons salt (plus more for pasta)
    • ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper

    Instructions

    • Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions.
    • While pasta is cooking prepare the remaining ingredients and stir together in a large bowl.
    • When the noodles are tender drain them from the pot and rinse under cold water until cooled.
    • Combine cooled pasta with remaining ingredients and mix well to combine. 
    • Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

    Nutritional Information

    Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 396mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 140IU | Vitamin C: 4.4mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.6mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it Today!Mention @FoxValleyFoodie or tag #foxvalleyfoodie!

    More BBQ Side Dishes

    • Smoked mac and cheese recipe.
      Smoked Mac and Cheese
    • Chicken Salad with Apples recipe
      Chicken Salad with Apples
    • Smoked Corn on the Cob
      Smoked Corn on the Cob
    • Creamy Red Potato Salad
      Creamy Red Potato Salad

    This recipe was originally published here on July 13, 2018.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mary

      September 09, 2023 at 2:19 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent dressing! Just like my mom made back in the day. Nothing fancy, but the vinegar definitely makes the difference with melding the flavors.

      Reply
    2. Alice

      July 24, 2018 at 8:40 am

      5 stars
      This tastes like summer growing up!

      Reply
    3. Sandra Perdeiel

      July 13, 2018 at 10:15 pm

      Don't you do Yum any more?

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        July 14, 2018 at 7:55 am

        Something weird is going on with my Yummly account, it doesn't seem to be sending my Yums to my website's page anymore and I am working on getting that fixed.

        Reply
    5 from 2 votes

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