Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe – Lexi's Clean Kitchen

this Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe It’s a summer staple! It's made with elbow macaroni, celery, red peppers, carrots and red onions tossed in a creamy and slightly sweet mayo.

Enjoy this easy macaroni salad for lunch or dinner with your favorite protein, or make it ahead and take it to picnics, potlucks, barbecues, you name it!

Easy Macaroni Salad Recipe

I'm no stranger to pasta salad. We have many favorites…BLT Pasta Salad, Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad, Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad…. Just to name a few!

I recently realized that while I have tons of delicious pasta salad recipes, I was missing out on the beloved deli-style pasta salad we all know. That’s how the classic macaroni salad recipe was born!

This is seriously the best macaroni salad ever. It's so simple, bright, and delicious, filled with fresh, crunchy veggies and slathered with creamy mayonnaise. It's perfect for any summer gathering, or paired with your favorite protein for a complete and delicious meal.

Bonus: It can easily be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator!

Required raw materials

• Macaroni Pasta – I used gluten-free elbow macaroni pasta, but feel free to use regular elbow macaroni pasta if you prefer.
• dressing – Our mayonnaise is a simple combination of mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, honey (optional), Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
• vegetable – We kept our veggies simple but colorful with a mix of celery, red bell peppers, carrots and red onions. These veggies add the perfect crunch to a creamy pasta salad.

Variety

• Try other mixes. Add more texture and flavor with sliced ​​kalamata or black olives, capers, chopped broccoli florets, diced cucumbers, feta cheese, zucchini, diced tomatoes, you name it.
• Season it. Try adding a little hot sauce to the dressing or sprinkling in some cayenne pepper.
• Use another pasta shape. While it's no longer called “macaroni salad,” you can switch things up and use almost any small pasta shape in this recipe! Try rotini, fusilli, penne, cavatap, you name it.

How to Make Macaroni Salad

1. To cook the pasta: Cook macaroni according to package directions. Once cooked, drain immediately and rinse with cold water.
2. Prepare seasonings and mix-ins: Chop and julienne the vegetables and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper.
3. Merge and serve: In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta with vegetables. Pour over the dressing and mix until just combined. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator.

Should I rinse macaroni when making macaroni salad?

Yes! Rinsing pasta after cooking it serves several purposes:

• Cool the pasta. Chilling the pasta helps stop the cooking process so the texture is just right.
• Remove excess starch. The starch in pasta causes macaroni (or any other pasta) to become stringy. Rinse to separate them.

How to keep macaroni salad moist?

As the pasta sits, it will naturally absorb some of the moisture from the sauce. Here are a few things you can do to curb this:

• Add pasta to oil. The oil acts as a barrier between the pasta itself and the sauce.
• Give your leftovers a new look. Make a little extra dressing and mix it into the leftovers before serving again.

Food recommendations

This classic macaroni salad is the perfect light, meatless lunch, or top it with your favorite protein for a full meal!

It's also a great side dish for many of your favorite summer dishes main course. Here are some ideas:

How to store

Leftover pasta salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days!

To jazz up leftovers, add a splash of mayonnaise or a handful of leftovers.

More dinner parties worth trying

• 12 ounce Gluten Free Elbow Macaroni
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 spoon Honey Elective
• 1 spoon Dijon Mustard
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt More flavors
• Matte black paper
• 2 Celery Pork Ribs minced
• 1 red bell pepper Remove seeds and chop
• 1 cup radish grated (about 2 medium carrots)
• 1/4 shallots minced

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse well with cold water and drain.

• Meanwhile whisk mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.

• Add cooked pasta, celery, red pepper, carrots, and red onion to the bowl and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning.

• Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use. Pasta salad can be kept for up to 4 days.

1. No need to go gluten-free? Use any pasta you want!
2. We tested this with several different types of gluten-free pasta. Brown rice pasta will be slightly firmer when cold, while other brands containing white rice flour, corn flour, or soy flour will remain soft when cold. If you want to use brown rice pasta, we recommend not making it ahead of time to maintain the correct consistency.

Serve: 1/6 recipesCalories: Chapter 339kilocaloriescarbohydrate: 51Gprotein: 7.7Gfat: 11GSaturated fat: 1.9Gsodium: Chapter 517milligramsfiber: 6Gsugar: 6G