Slightly sweet, classic macaroni salad recipe!
Best macaroni salad recipe I've tried yet! Simple but great just the way it is or a wonderful base recipe to expand on. Will be making this again with Old Bay and crab meat soon! Two suggestions: First off, more onions and a course chop or they'll get lost in it all. Secondly, it will dry out in the fridge. When it does, just add water until it gets the creaminess back! Thanks for the recipe!
Read MoreMade as recipe stated and it wasn't bad. By the time it had chilled and the flavors had melded, I found it to be dry and bland. Had to add a lot more mayo. Next time I will do as one review suggested. I will chop onions course instead of fine (my mistake). He suggested adding a little water to cream it up. I don't know about water though.
Read MoreBest macaroni salad recipe I've tried yet! Simple but great just the way it is or a wonderful base recipe to expand on. Will be making this again with Old Bay and crab meat soon! Two suggestions: First off, more onions and a course chop or they'll get lost in it all. Secondly, it will dry out in the fridge. When it does, just add water until it gets the creaminess back! Thanks for the recipe!
Did this tonight for Labor Day! Just excellent. I did add maybe a dozen or so stuffed green olives for a little brine favor... Next time, I might try a little more rice vinegar. But darned good stuff. The leftovers are MINE.
5/22/20 glad I stumbled upon this one again. It’s still yummy. 3 Cs Of elbows are half a box, for those wondering. 5/27/12. Made this yesterday- It's really good. I love that I didn't have to chop a ton of stuff. Did add a significant amount more of Mayo- It was too dry otherwise and I added another 2tsp of rice wine vinegar. Had to sub a tsp of celery salt for the seed and salt. LOVED THIS. WILL MAKE IT AGAIN.
Awesome!!! Increased salt n rice vinegar n reduced mustard by half...just to suit my tastes. So glad I didn't start adding extras!! Thought it would b one dimensional n need some additives but it is literally perfect, simple n tasty!! Thnk u!!
After reading the reviews I tried this recipe and absolutely loved it. My only changes were that I used dried parsley, as I didn't have fresh. I also used finely chopped celery instead of celery seeds. Great recipe, it will be my standard from now on.
This recipe is beyond excellent! The only thing we added was 1 rib of finely chopped celery. Divine...
This is the best macaroni salad I have ever tasted! I doubled the pasta and used about half the amount of onion. I also used only the whites of the hard boiled eggs, and the yolks weren't missed at all. I didn't have elbow macaroni in my pantry, so I used small penne, and it was just fine. I didn't need to increase the amount of mayonnaise even with the increase in pasta...it was still very creamy...could even have used less in order to be a little bit more healthy. This is easy, and oh so delicious. I will make this again soon! I hard boiled extra eggs while making the three for this recipe - to keep in the fridge for egg salad or a snack. Thanks for this great recipe!
Yummo! I was looking for a basic macaroni salad because mine always end up d-u-l-l. The celery seed and rice vinegar definitely do the trick. I used shells instead of macaroni, but only because the store was out, and adjusted the mustard to suit my family's taste preferences. Other than that I followed it exactly (I don't like to leave reviews for recipes that I altered.) This will be my go-to side dish for summer for sure. Thanks for sharing it!
12-06-15 ~ Loved this macaroni salad. It is the closest thing to my mom's recipe that I've ever found. I did add diced celery along with the celery seed as we like celery in our pasta salads. I mixed my dressing ingredients in a large measuring cup and let meld about an hour before adding to the cooled pasta. I wanted to make sure the sugar had completely dissolved and I could adjust the the dressing taste before adding it to the other ingredients. This was wonderful, and it is a keeper in our house.
Didn't have any rice vinegar, so I used white wine vinegar. Other than that made it exactly to the recipe. Was excellent! It made 5 very big servings!! Thanks for sharing.
I added black olives, sweet bread and butter pickles, used adobo seasoning and poupon mustard, chopped the celery fresh, no parsley, used stevia instead of sugar. delicious!!!!
Great recipe! I, like many others, used this as a base and added cubed cheddar, olives and garlic as a personal preference. I also left out the parsley and used flavored rice wine vinegar.
This mac salad really is magnificent! Don't hesitate to make it. I was skeptical because I have a mac salad that I love and the ingredients is this are rather different. It is not better than my other one, but it is just as good. I am happy to have 2 favorite recipes now! After making it as written to taste and rate it, I then added some chopped celery and sweet red pepper only because I like them. I can't keep out of it and am restraining myself to wait until the rest of dinner is ready! Thank you for this great recipe.
By far the best macaroni salad I've ever made! My husband raves over it and this is my 2nd summer making it and will be my only recipe for Mac salad! I add sweet peas, tuna and celery and a little more of the rice vinegar, Look no further people - THIS IS IT!
I made this recipe exactly as written, with the exception of using white vinegar rather than rice simply because I didn’t have any on hand and red onion because of personal preference. It turned out to probably be the best macaroni salad I’ve ever eaten. It seemed unusual to add parsley, but I grow culinary herbs anyway so I figured what the heck. It added a nice, fresh flavor. There are just two things I’d mention: First, it took me much longer to prepare than what was indicated in the recipe. I’ve been cooking for over 40 years, and I consider myself to be an amateur chef. So if preparing this, count on it taking some extra time. The other thing is that the recipe says it serves five. This seemed odd, as did the amount of calories per serving. I wound up with a massive amount of macaroni salad. Thank heavens it tastes so good, because my husband and I are going to have to eat it twice a day for the foreseeable future. And then toss out what’s left. When I make it again I’m going to cut the recipe in half or even quarter it unless I’m making it for a crowd, although I’ll probably still use two eggs or maybe even three. Otherwise, the ingredient proportions seemed spot on.
Made this yesterday to go with baked chicken, and it was good! Not sure why a review or two that I read mentioned that this was "dry" and they had to add more mayo?? Mine had almost too much mayo--and I love me some mayo, trust me. Anyway, I used chopped green onions rather than regular onions, and it was tasty. I will make this again for picnics in the summer, I'm sure. Easy and good.
Really good! will make again. the only thing I did differently was used dried parsley
We really enjoyed this recipe. Allergic to onions, so I added shredded carrots and diced celery. I added 1 TBSP sugar because I like it a little sweeter. Great recipe and very versatile. Thanks!
This is the best macaroni salad I’ve ever eaten!!! Gave some to 3 neighbors and all loved it. Thank you for sharing.
It was fabulous!!! Just added it to my handwritten recipe book that I frequently use for supper etc. A recipe to use frequently!!! Thanks for sharing it!! Both hubby and I LOVED it!!
Good base salad recipe. I added chopped celery and chopped radishes for more crunch. Used reduced fat mayo and added some black pepper.
Added an extra teaspoon vinegar and about a 1/4 of a green bell pepper. Left out the parsley and celery seed. Stayed nice and creamy.
This was the best macaroni salad I've ever had and it will be used again and again. I added a couple of T of cream because of the reviews suggesting to add more mayonaise. I blended the dressing ahead of time before adding it to the noodles, onion, and egg. I had kids, young and old adults who all gave rave reviews. Thank you.
This was a great basic macaroni salad. I followed the recipe exactly and made it the night before a party. When I went to serve it I thought it looked a little dry but after mixing it again it was perfect. Not too dry but not over the top creamy either.
Made as recipe stated and it wasn't bad. By the time it had chilled and the flavors had melded, I found it to be dry and bland. Had to add a lot more mayo. Next time I will do as one review suggested. I will chop onions course instead of fine (my mistake). He suggested adding a little water to cream it up. I don't know about water though.
This is the perfect classic macaroni salad we grew up with. I used cavitapi noodles instead of elbows and reduced the sugar a touch. perfect! You can definitely play around with your veggies to your liking.
Made for Memorial Day - liked the rice vinegar. Didn’t use sugar. USED WACKY (colors) macaroni bow ties. Added shredded carrots (sweet). Also celery instead of seed. Seconds and thirds were requested.
This has the basis of becoming my new mac salad recipe, but for some reason it turned out way too salty. I won't salt the pasta water as much next time during cooking. To offset the saltiness I added more sugar and some water to thin. I also added to celery stalks, thinly sliced and some sweet pickles. It will be even better next time.
Delicious! Simple crowd-pleaser. I chose to use a creamy salad dressing (1/2 cup) and 1 cup mayo - skipped the sugar. Seemed to work well.
YUMMY! So easy to make too. Only thing I had to chop was onion and parsley!
Great basic recipe from which to go. I added 1/4 c of sour cream, 1/2 c water (I don't like dry salad), diced celery & sweet bell pepper, cubed cheddar cheese, ground black pepper, & some dried dill. To make it like I remember from childhood. I have no doubt that the recipe is great just as it is too. My daughter and friend stopped by and snagged a to go order of this yumminess. She stopped back today for the recipe. I also only use Helman's Mayo - it's the best.
Wonderful! I used regular white vinegar and added sweet pickle relish about a 1/4 cup with juice too.
So delicious! I made this for our family 4th of July get-together. I used 1 cup of light miracle whip and 1/2 cup of mayo instead of all mayo. It was a big hit! Leftovers were divided to take home. Thanks for a great recipe!
I was very disappointed with this salad--all I could taste was the mustard. I tried to remedy it but it didn't make a difference.
Our family really enjoyed this macaroni salad. Kids even took extra servings of this at dinner! I did add fresh diced celery and a little paprika. Very nice taste! This is a keeper!
I resequenced the steps as follows: Hard-cook the eggs ahead of time (the day before, or earlier in the day). Refrigerate them until needed. When ready to begin, start slowly heating the pot of water for the elbows. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, stir the salt & sugar into the vinegar until they mostly dissolve. Then whisk in the mayo, mustard & celery seed. Refrigerate until needed. Prep the onion (about 2/3 cup white, sweet, red or scallions) & parsley (Italian flat-leaf). (Optional: add a rib of celery, first sliced lengthwise into 3, then finely diced. Add some chopped celery leaves, too!) Peel & dice the eggs. Stir the onion, parsley, celery & eggs into the dressing. Refrigerate the dressing again until needed. Boil the elbows until slightly (just slightly) overcooked (so they won't absorb all of the dressing, making the salad dry). Rinse them in cold water until cool; drain. Then combine the elbows & dressing. Refrigerate until cold. Stir before serving. Garnish with sprinkles of paprika (or cayenne!).
Excellent. I used penne pasta since that's what I had on hand. I picked parsley from my mother's garden and it was so tender and flavorful. I used brown mustard since I didn't have regular. I wish I had added a little granulated garlic. Just a little. I think this is going to go over very well at the Superbowl party.
I really liked this authentic macaroni salad. I added chopped celery and I think next time I will double the vinegar and sugar. But it was great made as the recipe states. I had to fight to get some for myself!
Excellent macaroni salad! I omitted the sugar and put in a couple of tablespoons sweet pickle relish. I also put a sprinkle of dill weed. It was even better the next day!
Delicious exactly as written! This is now a regular item in my fridge. The wonderful thing about this salad is you can add other things but you certainly don’t need to. Once I added a carrot that I had on hand. Just finely diced it. I’ve used Apple cider vinegar when I didn’t have rice vinegar, and it worked great. Sometimes I use green onions instead of regular onion. One time I forgot to add the hard boiled eggs and everyone still raved about it. Great recipe!
Not usually a fan of macaroni salad but this one was a great base recipe. I did tweak it a little by adding a couple stalks of celery and red bell pepper. I also used sour cream for 1/2 the mayo which makes it a lot creamier. Oh, and left out the eggs - not a fan, but if you like eggs I'm sure theyd be great in it.
Very good! I really liked that there wasn't a ton of sugar and it was not overly sweet. I would definitely make this again! Thanks for sharing. :)
OMG, this is PERFECT! I followed your recipe as written, but I did substitute whole wheat pasta instead of the regular pasta.
I did add an extra egg, red peppers, celery and frozen peas in the same amount as the green peppers.
This macaroni salad is now my main go-to for church potlucks, neighborhood BBQ's and such. Thanks again for a wonderful recipe!!!
I made this salad today, exactly as it was written. I would say it is a solid recipe for a macaroni salad. It would go well with most any dish which could be enhanced with a cold side dish. We were not disappointed.
I must admit that the rating is anticipatory because I haven't made it yet, BUT I did read all the reviews and just wanted to add to them, my plan for this recipe. I have no doubt we will love it! The reviews have so many ideas for additions and a few ways to make it a meal on it's own. My plan is to make it and, if we can resist eating it all the first day, dividing it out and adding tuna, peas, scallions and celery for lunch one day, kidney beans, garlic, jalapenos and corn another day, and seafood shreds, a variety of bell peppers and celery another... I might try subbing plain yogurt for part of the mayo, as I think it will help it to not dry out and will reduce the fat. THANK FOR OFFERING A GREAT RECIPE AND THANKS TO YOUR REVIEWERS FOR SO MANY GREAT IDEAS! I'll post any new ones I come up with! Can't wait to try this!
This is yummy. I skipped the vinegar and added a 1/4 cup of my sweet zucchini relish to sweeten the mix.
Absolutely delish as is. You can always experiment with capers, bell pepper, olives, etc. Much better the following day.
I love this recipe! Plenty of room to add flavors. I added bacon and roasted red peppers then finished it off with a dash of sirriacha to kick it up. It was awesome.
I used cilantro in place of parsley and skipped the sugar. It came out very well and has great range of flavors.
This macaroni salad is the best ever! I have never made macaroni salad before and have made this twice in two weeks! It's pretty easy to whip up and has a great taste between the sugar, rice vinegar and celery seed. I also added a little fresh celery to give it some extra crunch. In the first batch I made it with half light mayo and half regular mayo. The second batch was creamier because I used only regular. It was great and I highly recommend!!!
I made this exactly as directed and it was quick, easy and very good!
I was asked to bring Macaroni Salad to a gathering, my family doesn't usually eat mayonnaise based salads. I did half Mayonnaise and half Miracle Whips plus a 1/4 cup of ranch dressing. Also add bacon. It was a hit and I was asked for my recipe.
It is the same recipe i have used for 35 years an I got fron my om. thought it was going to be something new it is good but still disappointed
I followed the recipe, and was very satisfied with the results. It kept very well in the fridge for three days, as that is as long as it lasted. Really enjoyed by all.
Excellent recipe! Salad was very creamy. Next time i will reduce the amount of mustard, only due to my preferred taste. I also added chopped black olives and dices celery. Other than that, this recipe is a winner and I will make it again.
This is truly a magnificent macaroni salad! It is a perfect blend of flavours and it’s super easy to make. My husband is not a big fan of pasta but he gave this dish two thumbs up. It’s simply delicious!
Helluva good recipe !!!! … I added a quarter cup of finely chopped celery to kick it up a notch and a quarter teaspoon of paprika just for S&G !!!
Great starter recipe. I'm allergic to onion, so I omitted them, instead crumbling dried Serrano peppers for the kick. Thanks!
Went by recipe overall, but added chopped green pepper, chopped celery, and chopped black olives. Wanted a bit more crunch. Tasted great and will be a keeper.
Added shrimp cooked in Old Bay. Forgot to add sugar and didn’t miss it. Used celery instead of seed for the crunch. Would add extra onion next time and perhaps basil. Will make again.
Very easy simple ingredients, made as directed ... very good refreshing macaroni salad... family enjoyed it no complaints
I've made this delicious pasta salad twice. I use 1/8 of tsp of sugar because we're not a fan of sweet mac salads. This is the first macaroni salad recipe I've followed where I add more mayo than called for. Especially the day after, I add another spoonful or two so it moistens but otherwise we love the blend of ingredients and I'll definitely keep making it. Thanks!
Great recipe, I like the rice vinegar, and sugar in the mix, gives it a different flavor than a standard macaroni salad! I added 5 cups of cooked elbows (needed! Was too much dressing otherwise), used celery salt, instead of celery seed, salt separately. Used 1/2 red onion, finely chopped. Added a little chopped celery, too. Got rave reviews at a picnic!
Went half on the mayo and it still would have been fine with a little less. Didn’t have celery seed, and used red onion. Fantastic recipe. Good warm too (before refrigeration)!
Hands down one of the best ive had. Making for all family gathers from now on!
Made this for a catering event along with a stewed okra and tomato recipe found on all recipes. I got so many compliments on this mac salad. It really Does offer something special. - Chef Keith
This is the first time making macaroni salad. It is a great base recipe! I added minced sweet peppers and minced pickles. I made it with gluten free macaroni. My husband enjoyed it!
I did not make any changes but next time I will add fresh celery. Delicious and easy.
Thanks! Delicious. I did add diced ham and shredded sharp cheddar to make it a meal. Will make it like this from now on!
Awesome macaroni salad. Used Apple cider vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar. Also used half the amount otherwise followed directions. Will definitely make this again taste just like something from a restaurant.
Many macaroni and potatoe salad recipes dry out after sitting. The potatoes and pasta soak up the dressing and it's necessary to add a bit more dressing.
Try making it with more dressing at the beginning and it may end up being to your liking at the end
It was delicious, I added celery and red bell pepper of which it added a crunch to the salad. I am going to use green onion next time and a little relish.
Excellent. The fresh parsley and rice vinegar make this an outstanding basic. I used 1 tsp celery salt in place of the celery seed & salt, and I left out the sugar.
Perfect Mac Salad recipe!! The dressing is so good I use it with potato salad on occasion too!
I have never been able to make a good macaroni salad even though I love it. I think it may be the celery seed that makes the difference. This came out so good. I did put celery and green olives in because I like them. It does say you can add what you want. Otherwise I made the dressing as written and it is super good.
I will definitely make again. Only thing added was husband's request for baby shrimp
I have not made macaroni salad before but this is excellent! I added finely chopped red pepper for color, and did not have fresh parsley so used dried, it would be just as fantastic as is! Love that it does not require lots of chopping. I will make again.
