Easy Macaroni Salad
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.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time0 minutes mins
Total Time20 minutes mins
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
- 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
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!
- 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.
Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 848mg | Potassium: 237mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2278IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg