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Make this classic pasta salad even easier and even more delicious! A super Easy Macaroni Salad recipe that’ll be a hit at parties, potlucks, picnics, BBQ’s or just as an easy weeknight side.
With just a few simple ingredients you can whip up this Easy Macaroni Salad in no time! Ditch the deli or store bought macaroni salads, this is packed with all sorts of goodies and covered with the most heavenly creamy homemade Greek yogurt dressing.
Why you’ll love this Easy Macaroni Salad
- Easy! With just a few pantry staples, you can whip up a batch of this delicious pasta salad in around 20 mins.
- A dreamy creamy dressing. Mayo, Greek yogurt, sweet pickle juice and a host of other mouthwatering ingredients come together for a zesty, creamy and oh so satisfying homemade dressing.
- An amped up, classic summer side. This is one hearty pasta salad, loaded with veggies and packed with flavor!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Elbow Pasta
- Vegetables: Bell pepper, onion, jalapenos, carrot sticks, celery, sweet pickles.
- Eggs
- Italian Parsley
For the dressing
- Mayonnaise
- Greek Yogurt
- Dijon Mustard
- Lemon Juice
- Cane Sugar
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- Sweet Pickle Juice
How to make this Easy Macaroni Salad
- Make the pasta. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until tender and just about fully cooked. During this time you can also cook the eggs and chop the veggies.
- Make the dressing. In a bowl mix all the dressing ingredients together and stir very well to combine.
- Combine. Once the pasta is cooked, transfer to a sieve and run under cold water to cool. Add in a shallow bowl, then add in the chopped veggies and give them toss.
- Add the dressing, then the chopped boiled eggs and dressing. Toss gently together to coat everything well with the dressing.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe notes and tips
- Use enough cold water so once the pasta begins to cook and expand, there will still be plenty of room for the pasta to move freely.
- As soon as you drop your pasta in the water, stir it. This stops the pasta from sticking together.
- Make sure to thoroughly drain your pasta, so the dressing will stick.
- For an extra colorful pasta salad, use green, red and yellow bell peppers, kids love it!
- If making ahead, keep the dressing aside in a jar and mix the salad when ready to eat.
- You can leave out the eggs if preferred. I added it for extra proteins.
- You can replace regular mayo with vegan mayo or light mayo.
- If you like your salad to be cold you can cover and shill for about 15 minutes in the fridge before serving.
FAQ’s
Can this Easy Macaroni Salad be made ahead of time?
Yes indeed! Macaroni salad will keep for up to five days when stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. This is a great salad for making in advance. I recommend you leave off the dressing and add just before serving.
Try not to leave out any leftovers at room temperature for very long as the salad dressing will not keep well in the heat.
What to serve with this Easy Macaroni Salad
This hearty side goes well with a host of mains. Here are a few ideas:
- Spicy Salmon Salad Recipe
- Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- Korean BBQ Chicken Skewers
- Grilled Harissa Chicken Thighs
- Mexican Shrimp
Add ins to this Macaroni Salad
This pasta salad is packed with flavor but you can totally add in other goodies. Here’s some ideas!
- Curry powder
- Rotisserie chicken
- Grape or cherry tomatoes
- Sliced olives
- Chicken sausage
- Avocado
- Peas
- Corn
Other delicious salad recipes
- Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe
- Avocado Mango Salad
- Tomato and Burrata Salad
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Easy Macaroni Salad recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!
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Easy Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup elbow pasta, dry, uncooked
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, petite diced
- 1/4 cup purple onion, petite diced
- 1/3 cup pickled jalapeños , finely diced
- 1/2 cup carrot sticks, finely chopped
- 3 large eggs, hard boiled, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup celery , petite diced
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup sweet pickles , finely diced
Dressing
- 3/4 cup regular mayonnaise, or mayo of your choice
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsps Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsps lemon juice
- 2 tbsps cane sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil, lightly flavored
- 1 tsp black pepper, fresh ground
- 1/2 tsp salt, or more to taste
- 1/4 cup sweet pickle juice, use from pickle jar, don't skip
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions until tender and just about fully cooked. During this time you can also cook the eggs.
- Meanwhile chop of the veggies.
- In a bowl mix all the dressing ingredients together and stir very well to combine.
- Once the pasta is cooked, transfer to a sieve and run under cold water to cool. Add in a shallow bowl, then add in the chopped veggies and give them toss.
- Next, add in the chopped boiled eggs and dressing. Toss gently together to coat everything well with the dressing.
- If you like your salad to be cold you can cover and shill for about 15 minutes in the fridge before serving. If not, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Use enough cold water so once the pasta begins to cook and expand, there will still be plenty of room for the pasta to move freely.
- As soon as you drop your pasta in the water, stir it. This stops the pasta from sticking together.
- Make sure to thoroughly drain your pasta, so the dressing will stick.
- For an extra colorful pasta salad, use green, red and yellow bell peppers, kids love it!
- If making ahead, keep the dressing aside in a jar and mix the salad when ready to eat.
- You can leave out the eggs if preferred. I added it for extra proteins.
- You can replace regular mayo with vegan mayo or light mayo.
- If you like your salad to be cold you can cover and shill for about 15 minutes in the fridge before serving.
I absolutely love this recipe. I make a double batch for barbecues and my family eats it up! It’s been requested several times since I first made it.
So refreshing and tasty, and has a great balance with the sweet pickles. I use sweet relish to cut down the prep 🙂 other than that, I do the exact recipe. Saw it first on Instagram. Thank you, Mima!!!
Thank You for the comment Savana, I appreciate your time.
Hey! I loved your writing way and explain things step by step. Its much helpful for cooking lovers.
Appreciated your smart writing skill.
Sailly from TechRecur
Thanks Saily!