Enjoy this easy-to-make macaroni salad at your next picnic or gathering.
Detailed ingredient list and step-by-step directions are below, but let's start with the basics:
The ingredients for this macaroni salad are:
Macaroni: Macaroni noodles are required! 2. Condiments: A creamy mayonnaise-yellow mustard mix provides flavor. 3. Sugar and vinegar: White vinegar balances the sweetness of white sugar. 4. Seasonings: Only salt and ground black pepper season this macaroni salad. 5. Vegetables: You need celery, onion, and bell pepper. Grated carrots and pimento peppers offer taste and color but are optional.
1. Salted water for macaroni. 2. Combine mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard, and seasonings. 3. Mix in macaroni and remaining ingredients. Cool in the fridge.
What to expect when making homemade macaroni salad:
Macaroni salad is a terrific potluck recipe to make ahead. Since the flavors need time to blend in the fridge, making it a day or two ahead may be best.
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This homemade macaroni salad can be refrigerated for five days in an airtight container. This recipe should not be frozen because the noodles will mush.
Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise
This recipe is fantastic, I tasted it when I finished mixing,” comments Sue Newman. I'm excited for it to get cold. I substituted celery salt for salt and omitted the green pepper and pimento.
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Great flavor,” says an Allrecipes user. I used cellentani pasta and a quarter cup of sugar. Also used garlic powder and no bell pepper or pimento. Nice complement to our BBQ.
This is a fantastic pasta salad,” Rebecca Timbers said. “The only drawback is that now I must bring a big bowl to every family gathering, regardless of season or holiday!”
– 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni – 1 cup mayonnaise – ⅔ cup white sugar – ¼ cup distilled white vinegar – 2 ½ tablespoons prepared yellow mustard – 1 ½ teaspoons salt
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– ½ teaspoon ground black pepper – 2 stalks celery, chopped – 1 large onion, chopped – 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped – ¼ cup grated carrot (Optional) – 2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers (Optional)
Gather all ingredients.
Boil a large kettle of water with salt. It will take about 8 minutes to stir the elbow pasta around in the boiling water until it is soft but still firm to the bite. Run Run cold water over it and drain.
A big bowl with salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, and pasta should be used to mix everything together.
Add the carrot, green pepper, celery, onion, and pimentos, and mix them in.
Put the salad in the fridge at least four hours before you serve it, but overnight is better.