Another perfect picnic or grilling addition!
Loved this salad. I only made half a recipe with just a few changes. I reduced the sugar to just a tablespoon for the diabetics in my guest list. I usded white balsamic vinegar to put back some of the sweetness. I also used those tiny grape tomatoes cut in half and didn't bother with cutting out the seeds (much fast prep work). I made this salad the day before without the tomatoes and bacon. On the day of the dinner, I tossed in the grape tomato halves and served the salad out of an oblong glass baking dish using the crisp bacon (that I fried up that day) on top as a garnish. This way the bacon didn't get soft and soggy, and yet every bite had bacon in it because the salad was spread out in the oblong baking dish rather than heaped into a deep dish.
Read MoreThis recipe was good.. nice texture and flavor. I only gave it 3 stars because I made adjustments to the original recipe.To me the 4 or 5 star should be reserved for those recipes that are truly delicious without having to make extensive changes. Anyways... I made this for a Memorial Day barbeque and halfed the entire recipe because there were just 6 of us. This made plenty for our small group. I cut back on the sugar, vinegar and mustard (as others had suggested) and prepared the recipe the night before in order to give the flavors a chance to fully develop. I expected that I might need make a little more of the mayonaise mixture to add the next day to give the salad a more creamy texture and I was right. Even after this addition, I still felt that it was missing something so, just before serving, I added some fresh dill - this seemed to help. The basic recipe is a good concept so I will most likely try this again and experiment different ingredients.
Read MoreLoved this salad. I only made half a recipe with just a few changes. I reduced the sugar to just a tablespoon for the diabetics in my guest list. I usded white balsamic vinegar to put back some of the sweetness. I also used those tiny grape tomatoes cut in half and didn't bother with cutting out the seeds (much fast prep work). I made this salad the day before without the tomatoes and bacon. On the day of the dinner, I tossed in the grape tomato halves and served the salad out of an oblong glass baking dish using the crisp bacon (that I fried up that day) on top as a garnish. This way the bacon didn't get soft and soggy, and yet every bite had bacon in it because the salad was spread out in the oblong baking dish rather than heaped into a deep dish.
I usually prefer potato salad to macaroni salad, but that was before I tasted this. I made it exactly as written and it was perfect. This is a new summer favorite for us.
Really want to give this one 4 1/2 stars. Made this last night and it turned out really good and it was easy! I didn't really change anything like I normally do, except that I don't like green olives so I skipped them. I halved the recipe, and it made more than enough for dinner. The only thing I will change next time is to use a little less vinegar, maybe a half tbsp less when doing a smaller batch, as it was just a little strong (it did mellow out after sitting overnight). Great recipe!
If you put bacon in something, it's sure to be a winner! I'm not usually a fan of macroni salad but I do like this recipe. The apple cider vinegar gives it a very different taste and my whole family enjoyed it.
So I have to admit I was so dubious about this recipe but I had most of the ingredients so I thought I would go for it. I made it almost as is (no olives, 1/2 pack bacon, white wine vinegar, penne rigate instead of elbows, cut back to 1/2 the sugar). It made a huge amount of dressing so I added it a bit at a time to the pasta until I was happy with the consistancy, and had lots left. BUT it is delicious!!! I'll make it again, definitely.
This recipe was good.. nice texture and flavor. I only gave it 3 stars because I made adjustments to the original recipe.To me the 4 or 5 star should be reserved for those recipes that are truly delicious without having to make extensive changes. Anyways... I made this for a Memorial Day barbeque and halfed the entire recipe because there were just 6 of us. This made plenty for our small group. I cut back on the sugar, vinegar and mustard (as others had suggested) and prepared the recipe the night before in order to give the flavors a chance to fully develop. I expected that I might need make a little more of the mayonaise mixture to add the next day to give the salad a more creamy texture and I was right. Even after this addition, I still felt that it was missing something so, just before serving, I added some fresh dill - this seemed to help. The basic recipe is a good concept so I will most likely try this again and experiment different ingredients.
This Bacon and Macaroni Salad recipe we will be using all summer long for picnics & parties. The first time we made this i left the chopped tomato & cucumber on the side so you could add how much your personal preference was. The next time we made this we mixed all the ingredients together ( except the green olives, we didn't have any ) and added paprika to the top. I would like to try this recipe with black olives. We served the salad on lettuce leaves and people were cutting the lettuce and eating that right with the salad. We will be using this recipe alot , so we will get many chances to try different twist. Thanks for the cool recipe!
I think with a bit of tweaking this will be great! I didn't have celery or cucumber on hand, so no cucumber, but I added a little celery seed. Took it to a potluck and everyone enjoyed it. I personally think a little more salt or tangy, not quite sure...but overall easy and really good.
I've just made this for the 3rd time in a couple weeks! Everyone just LOVES this salad...I do use a lil less noodles or a lil more dressing because the noodles tend to soak it up pretty good. I sometimes leave out some of the veggies (cucumber, olives & celery) and its wonderful either way...thanks for this great recipe.
The wife wouldn't allow green olives (I can see how they would work though), but this was a nice pasta salad. The dressing was nice.
I don't like Macaroni Salad. I never have and I was sure I never would. I was asked to make a Macaroni Salad for an event so I went searching for a recipe I thought might have a chance. I had my doubts with every one including this one. Since I love bacon I thought it just might have a chance though. OMG! It is incredible! I couldn't stop eating it! I will be making it again and again!
Thank you for a great recipe. I liked the dressing as it was a bit more tangy than your normal macaroni salad dressing. I did not have celery but like another reviewer added celery seed instead. I layered egg slices on top instead of mixing in and omitted olives didn't have any. You could add or omit veggies according to your taste. the only thing was the bacon was a tad bit soggy the next day. Thank you for a great recipe.
This is the best pasta salad I have ever made. I have tried it the way it was written (omitting the olives as I don't like them) and it was very good but its even better when you add diced red onion. The egg I have found is optional. Use whatever pasta you have in the house - it all works, I think shells are my favorite. Note: this needs to sit in order for the flavors to blend, at first I thought the cider vinegar had ruined it but after it sat for a couple hours it was delicious! Thanks for the great recipe, I've never received so many compliments on a pasta salad!
This is great. I made a few minor modifications; used fat free plain yogurt in place of the mayo (I don't like the plain yogurt by itself and I really like mayo but mixed in with other things it is hard to tell a difference), no olives, added cilantro, used turkey bacon, and just because my husband likes spicy food I diced up a fresh hot red chili pepper. I started out added the dressing slowly as other suggested but ended up using it all. Also as others suggested I didn't add the bacon and egg until ready to serve. Very good, will defiantly make again.
I made this exactly as the recipe states for a RPG gaming session with six hearty college kids and there was none left. They weren't very interested in the salad until they tried it and then it just disappeared. I did use a seedless English cucumber and black olives instead of green, but it's the dressing that really makes this. My *daughter* asked for the dressing recipe and she never likes dressing! We have made this three times in the last week - it's that good!
All of the family loved this --even my daughter who doesn't like much. Did not add the add the celery -- but did add shredded carrots and chopped broccoli. Not too vinegary for my husband. Loved it.
Very tasty. Only cooking for 2 now, so I recalculated for 4 servings (still over 1 cup per serving). I am following Weight Watchers right now so I only used 4 slices of bacon, substituted whole grain pasta, used light mayo, light sour cream and spenda. I also forgot about the egg so I didn't use that and skipped the celery. It was very good, I love the sweet taste with the vinegar.
Made no changes other than to use whole grain pasta in seashell shape....great salad, may add some shredded cheddar next time, loved the dressing and it was chock full of veggies.....thanks!
Made this for a family BBQ. Adult and kids all loved it. I made a couple changes: used grape tomatoes (no seeding required), omitted olives (1/2 family doesn't like them, would have made a nice addition), added green pepper. At first I didn't add all the dressing, after refrigerated overnight, it was a bit dry. I added remaining dressing, perfect. The more veggies the better.
Mmmmm mmmmm mmmmmm!!! This is very very good!! It did seem to me to require quite a bit of work, with cooking bacon and pasta, boiling eggs, and chopping vegetables. It was definitely worth all the effort though (that's coming from a man: we don't have a reputation for wanting to put a lot of effort into our meals). I may try it with tuna istead of bacon next time to make it easier, faster, and healthier. I know that will make it a completely different dish, but I think it will still be good. If you like maceroni salad definitely try this one.
This is a wondeful salad you can change it around any way you like to suit your tastes used a package of ranch dressing whisked with the mayonaise,cut the sugar to 2 Tbl and it was wonderful Loved the olives & cukes Thank you
I used the dressing and omitted the eggs, olives and cucumbers. these would have been good in the salad but I made other sides that had eggs and cucumbers so did not want same ingredients. Served at a graduation party and everyone loved it. Should have doubled the recipe!
I thought this was such a great tasting recipe. I followed the directions exactly and it turned out great. I have gotten rave reviews from everyone that has had it. I love the bacon.
I Love this recipe. I omit the olives and use chicken or turkey bacon to suit my friends and family taste. Everyone I know loves this and its extremly easy to make.
I made this recipe for Father's Day. And I thought it was good. One review said they used an oblong glass baking dish and sprinkled the bacon and tomato on top. I mixed the tomato in, but I did use a glass baking dish to serve and added the bacon on top and it just looked so good! Once I placed it on the table, everyone said it looked amazing and they couldn't wait to try. Everyone liked or loved it. But my husband was adding mayonnaise to his sandwich and then used the spoon on his salad and said the mayonnaise tasted amazing w/the salad. However, as people were taking up leftovers (it makes a lot), I told them what my husband said and they said they wouldn't change a thing. I will make this again, it is crowd pleasing. My personal opinion was that it is simply good. Nothing more or less. But others loved it. And that's good enough for me!
I made a few blunders in preparing this salad that I will reapproach next time around - but I think the recipe has a lot of potential. I would reduce the amount of sugar, perhaps 2 tbsp at the most, we all agreed this was too sweet for our taste. Also, I initially balked at the thought of using a pound of bacon, but now would definitely use the whole pound as the 1/2 pound didn't come through enough. I would take out the cukes as well - we thought the water released from them gave this salad a strange taste that I did not enjoy. Look forward to trying it again and the green olives at the end... yum.
I make a mean Tuna Macaroni Salad. Every gathering ,I am asked to bring it. I AM SO SICK OF MAKING IT. I looked at this recipe, and thought it sounded interesting. I made it this morning. OMG !!! This is really really good. Yes it takes a little work,but way worth it. I doubled the recipe, but tripled the dressing. I used Turkey Bacon. Fantastic!!!! After six hours the dressing was perfectly absorbed. You have to try this!!!!
A great salad base. Changed out a few things - green pepper and black olives for the cuke as I have people who dont eat cukes. The dressing is delish, tastes like the old time mayo my grandmother used to make. It tastes sweet when you make it but once it is on the salad, the sweetness dissapates. Hubs even eats this and he is not a big salad fan. Thanks for a great recipe!
I really DON'T LIKE macaroni salad! However, my husband loves it ! So I found this recipe that called for cucumber, tomatoes AND Bacon!!! I did alter this recipe simply because I don't like sweet salads of any kind. I only added ABOUT a tablesoon of sugar. I don't measure exact but i added a little extra sour cream and substituted 1/2 c cidar vinegar for arount 1/8 c white vin. As I didn't have any. Wasn't quite sure what the substitution would be like. finally, I added the crumbled bacon upon serving as to preserve the crispness of the bacon. Love, Love this Maccaroni Salad!!! THOUGHT ID NEVER SAY THAT!!!!
Even though the bacon did get soggy the next day, this is still an exceptional salad recipe. I used an English cucumber and black olives. Next time I might try the green olives. I made this for a baby shower and everyone loved it. I am eating the leftovers and enjoying every bite.
Very tasty macaroni salad. I omitted the green olives because none of us likes them and I used dijon mustard instead of yellow. I also added about four or five diced green onions. This makes a ton, if you don't feed an army(or my husband), you might want to scale it back. I would omit the sugar next time.
Yummy! I only had the cucumber and used celery seed as suggested by another reviewer and it is still amazing! It is so fast and easy..definitely my new potluck dish.
I made this salad as a main course for dinner with a few chicken strips served over lettuce. It was PERFECT. My family said it's the best pasta salad they've ever had, and it was easy to make to boot. Since it was my main course, I used big noodles (ziti) instead of the elbows. Also just a few changes due to personal preference: 86'd the olives and tomatoes, added one medium chopped onion. No sour cream, since I didn't have any in the house, so I used some extra mayo and some ranch to make up for it. Also added some dill, because I love dill. It makes a TON, but it's so good we will surely have it finished off by the end of the week!
Awesome! My only changes were using shells (only pasta on hand) and added a bit more bacon (thick cut). Overall, a winner! I also added a tad more sour cream the next day to keep the same creamy texture as the night before! YUM!
i have made this twice now and as a diabetic i used honey not sugar. this is a great recipe next time i will skip the olives
This was OK, quite a traditional pasta salad, and as such, not overly exciting, but still tasty. I used halved cherry tomatoes because I like the taste better, and only half the bacon recommended and it was plenty. For the dressing, I used some creamy blue cheese dressing that I had, and added the sour cream, mustard and a bit of mayo to that. Worked fine. I might make this again.
I made this recipe today. it is a really good base for a pasta salad but for my tastes required a little adjustment. I made the recipe as is but I made a double batch, doubling all ingredients EXCEPT FOR the vinegar. The vinegar taste really does mellow out after it rests so don't be alarmed if its a bit tangy at first. I added chives, thyme, dill, and garlic powder to mine and was liberal with the sugar. I prefer a sweeter salad. I gave this recipe 4 stars only because I had to doctor it up a bit. I'm sure for many people it is a 5 star dish as is but I'm a bit picky. Its definitely a recipe worth giving a go!
This is the best macaroni salad I have ever had! My husband absolutely loves it and he is my biggest critic for sure! The only suggestion I would make is that you use the real bacon bits you buy in the store, not only because it is easier, but they have a softer texture that goes with the other textures better. Love it, Love it, Love it!
Made this the day before our cookout so it had time to sit in the fridge. I checked it at night before going to bed and it was a bit dry. Stirred more mayo, mustard and cider vinegar into it and it turned out ok. Didn't throw in all the cucumber and added a bit of onion. Good stuff.
Hands down the best macaroni salad I've ever tasted. I used light mayo and light sour cream and substituted xylitol for sugar. Absolutely delicious!
This is a nice variation on a mac salad. The bacon, tomato and olives are a nice combination. I didn't like the cucumber in the this - it added water and a flavor that seemed a little out of place with the rest of the ingredients. The dressing recipe is a standard for me. I start with the mayo and sour cream and then add the rest a bit at a time until I get the taste and consistency that I like. I generally add dill to this dressing and will do that next time for this salad. I know that a lot of people want to add cheese to a mac salad. While it's all up to personal taste, of course, this is one that I think works better without it.
I went by the instructions exactly, only omitting the cucumbers and olives because I did not have any. I think this is absolutely delicious and I bet it is even better the next day! A keeper!
This macaroni salad is amazing. I was looking for a recipe that had bacon. I came across this one and crossed my fingers that it would be good and like I said it was AMAZING! I have made it several times for different people and it's always a huge hit! Thank you for sharing!
Very good! I used a little less than 1 pound of elbows and the salad was wet with dressing, just how I like it. I used grape tomatoes cut in half and I left out the olives and celery. The dressing is tasty and the bacon and eggs are yummy. This is probably the best pasta salad recipe I have found. Thank you!
I didn't care for the mix of flavors. I gave it 4 stars because I think it would be good if that's what you liked. Ha! Does that make sense? Definitely try it :)
A huge hit in my family!!! I use bacon bits (the real bacon kind) instead of cooking up bacon; a big time saver. I haven't tried it warm but my son likes his pasta salads warm and he says it is delicious warm too.
This is amazing! The only variation I made was substituting the sugar with Splenda. This is the type of recipe that you can add or subtract whatever you like or don't like. Throw whatever you have in your garden...squash, zuchinni, green peas, onion, asparagus. Next time I'm going to put more sour cream than mayonaise to get a BLT taste.
The best macaroni salad I've ever had! I had to omit the olives (my sister can't stand them) this made me sad because I LOVE olives. So I came up with a perfect comprimise and used capers. It worked perfectly and everyone loved the macaroni salad!
I have never been much of a "mac salad" person. But anything with bacon has got to be good, so I tried this one with a small modification. I used whole grape tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes. I love the sweet taste, and for my guest, if they didn't like tomatoes (which I knew of a few who didn't) they could easily remove them. Now every time we have a family get together, I bring the macaroni salad.
Just made this fourth of July cookout. Awesome and it hasn't even chilled off yet.
This was great. My husband and I just made this for dinner and it was very good. I loved the dressing.
This salad was great! Added a little bit of extra sugar. Delicious, will make again.
This was better the second day. I left off the olives too, personal choice. I will make this again!
This salad is DELICOUS! I followed the recipe only adding colby jack cheese cubes - VERY YUMMY! There are very few macaroni salads that I like - this one... I LOOOOOVE! I will definitely bring this one to picnics and potlucks - thank you soooo much for sharing! Oh - and SUPER easy to make! I had all of the ingredients on hand! :)
I love this recipe, wouldn't change a thing. Add some shrimp, makes it even better. Thanks for sharing.
I made this exactly as written, didn't change anything. It was the best macaroni salad that I have ever made. We had enough left over for a couple more days and was almost as good as the first day. Will definitely be made often in this house and is now my "Go To" salad for taking to others.
This is pretty good. It's not my favorite macaroni salad that I have made, but still good. I love bacon and I guess I had higher expectaions for this. It was kind of bland. I would make this again with some personal tweaks to the dressing. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely delicious! Of course, I made a couple of changes as follows: I used honey instead of sugar; I only had rice vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar; and I omitted the olives.
I made this today and I have to say I have really enjoyed it. I cut up the bacon first with scissors which made it easier to cook and less work. I used cucumber, celery, green onion and marble cheddar cheese. I cubed the cheese and the veggies I cut up to bite sized pieces. I took the advice of some other reviewers and cut back on the amount of dressing and halved the sugar I put in. I enjoyed the recipe and its a good summer lunch item. I also think it would taste good with chicken in it as well. Thanks for the recipe
I made this during the quarantine so I didn’t have all the ingredients; no sour cream or cucumber. But it was still delicious. I will definitely make it again.
Great recipe, next time I will leave the bacon out and just add it as a topping as I eat it.
I have made this many times over the past few years and it's always a hit. I do need to double the sauce as it will become dry. Superb recipe!
I was asked to bring a macaroni salad to a potluck Easter celebration. I had never made one before. I made the night before & it was a huge hit. It was only dish that was completely gone. I saw family members going back for seconds & it made me so happy to be able to say I made this dish. Thanks!!!
I used the recipe as is for 12 servings, no olives and used 1 1/2oz. Apple cider vinegar instead of 2oz. Yum
This salad is delicious and got lots of raves!! I made just a few changes - added a green pepper, used just a bit less of the cider vinegar. In addition, I did not add tomatoes or bacon, but followed another rater which suggested having those on the side to add. That way bacon was crisp, and tomatoes did not have to be seeded. Will make again. Really yummy!!
This is a definite keeper! Only changes I made were black olives instead of green, halved grape tomatoes (whole package) and omitted the eggs for hubby's preference. Excellent salad! Made a ton, lots of leftovers. Would make again!
Wanted something different from my old standby. This fit the bill. Everyone loved the dressing with the slight vinegar tang. Added frozen peas and corn for color. I’d put more olives in next time. Delicious.
Very good. I cut the sugar and vinegar in half because it seemed like an awful lot of sugar to me. It was still slightly sweet and tangy which I like. You probably won't need to use all of the dressing. I used about 2/3 of it and it was plenty. Tasted better on the day it's made. Leftovers weren't as good. I'll make this again though.
Made this for company and everyone raved about it. I was the only one that wasn't crazy about it. All the gals asked for the recipe. Followed the recipe pretty close, which is not normal for me.
I left off the olives because I don't care for them and halved the salt. This was a big hit at my tailgate party. Could use a bit more flavor, maybe next time I'll use all the salt.
I deleted tomatoes (don't like them)added extra cukes, and subbed penne for the macaroni. It is absolutely delicious. Great for a get-together - no one will bring the same dish!
great recipe - better than Mom's. I am more of a guess-measurer, but all the ingredients together worked! In fact, I added a few shredded carrots, a tiny bit of chopped celery....whatever you have sitting in your produce drawer. All good! Great dressing on this!
Everyone loved it but i think next time i will make it without the sugar.
I really liked this recipe, it was simple to make and the whole family really liked it. The only thing I did different was cut the sugar in half and used minced onion instead of olives to fit my family's taste. The apple cider vinegar was a great addition, I think I'll start using it in the other pasta salads I like to make. I definitely recommend making this a day ahead of serving to let it get really cold and to allow the flavors to meld. I made sure my bacon was very crisp so I didn't have a problem with the bacon getting soggy, not even 36 hours later.
Very flavorful. I used pre-cooked bacon to save time and mess. Party goers wanted this recipe!
