Mindy's Macaroni Salad

Wonderful flavor without being too overwhelming. Rather than a sweet gherkin, I used chopped dill pickles. It is also good with tuna & peas as well as chopped ham. My family and guests love this salad. I have

Looks like I'm rating my own recipe ... but I just want everyone to know that this dressing also works perfectly with potatoes for potato salad! I just made it yesterday and it tastes great. I took 4 russet potatoes, peeled & diced, boiled them in salted water just until they gave when pierced with a fork, then drained them and let them cool before following with the rest of the recipe. Even though it was good slightly warm, I think it tastes best when you let the flavors marry overnight before serving.

This is the best salad I've ever had. We enjoyed this at a Memorial Day cook-out and it was the hit of the meal! Everyone loved it.

This was a good recipe, but I thought a little on the sweet side. Maybe I used too much sweet pickle. Will definitely try it again

I followed the recipe exact, using Hellman's mayonnaise instead of salad dressing (which I assume means Miracle Whip, which none of us like) and I added fresh ground pepper to taste. I was the only one who did not like this salad. For me, it was just too sweet. My husband and two boys absolutely loved it. The only thing my family did say is that it needed more pickles (my oldest boy) and a little more seasoning (husband). I'll make this again, for them.

Very good. I didn't use pimentos and I also used dill instead of sweet pickles in this salad. I think sweet would have been just as good though, but I just used what I had on hand. I also added some sweet peas which added a lot I think. All in all a pretty good mac salad recipe.

I liked this recipe. The dressing was just a little too sweet for my kids but I thought it was very good. I left out the pimentos and used a dill pickle chopped up for the sweet gherkin. Will make again!

OMG!! Best macaroni salad I've ever tasted! I used medium shell pasta for the macaroni, Hellman's mayonnaise for the dressing, and I skipped the pimiento (didn't have any). I also reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup and added 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. This salad is amazing!! It came out very soupy at first, but after it chilled a while, it thickened up perfectly. I rinsed the noodles in warm water instead of cold, which helps them absorb the dressing better. Thanks for the great recipe, Timsgal. It's a new favorite!

I needed to use less vinegar and sugar.

This is a great mac salad. Family loved it. I did reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup. 2 days later, I took the author's advice and used the dressing for a potato salad. That was delicious too, again reducing the sugar. This is a keeper. Thank you Timsgal!!

I don't usually like macaroni salad, but made this as part of an offering for a party. This is REALLY good!! I practically ate 1/2 the bowl myself!

Great the following day!!!!! The only changes I made were no eggs (we were out) and red bell pepper instead of pimientos. DH is still asking for more! Thank you!!!!!

Got rave reviews for this at DH's 40th bday Luau and tons of requests for recipe. It was a large, eclectic crowd but this salad was beloved. Followed recipe except used 1 hard-boiled egg instead of three and added 1/4 cup frozen peas (rinsed in cold water) and 1/4 cup diced medium cheddar cheese. YUM! Thanks

Love this macaroni salad. Didn't change a thing. Love the "sweet" from the pickles and the "tang" from the vinegar. This has been my go to macaroni salad recipe this summer. Great recipe!

This recipe is great! I didn't add as much sugar and vinegar, and I used spicy mustard. It turned out awesome!

Tasty, I was worried about this because of the amount of mustard as it turned yellowish in color but it went over well (don't get me wrong, I love mustard, but I was worried about the fam). I loved this recipe because I had everything on hand.....except for the pimentos, which I used red bell pepper (from the garden of course) in it's place....came out yummy, and hubby even said it was good. Thanks Timsgal!!

This reminded me of salads at a church potluck. Exactly what I was looking for. Only change was leaving out the celery. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. :o)

Loved it. I was afraid it was going to be too sweet based on some of the reviews (and sweet things that should be salty make me nauseous), but I took a chance, and kept the sugar at a full 1/3 cup, and it was perfect. I substituted yellow onions for sweet ones, dill pickles for sweet gherkins, and omitted the pimentos altogether (since I didn't have any!). I will definitely be making this one again.

the family loved it and it was easy to make instead of pickle and pimento i used sweet relish to taste...

I really enjoyed this mac salad which has a nice balance of ingredients and ingredient amounts! Because of personal flavor preferences (don't care for too sweet) I substituted the sweet Gherkin with a dill pickle and used mayonaisse instead of the creamy dressing/miracle whip.

This is a great starter salad!! I used Miracle Whip as the dressing. In retrospect, I'd cut the sugar in half because the MW is so sweet to begin with. I added some stuff to it, like Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese. I think I added something else but for the life of me, I can't remember what. Oh well, like I said, it's a great starter because you can empty your pantry into it and it tastes great!! Way to go Timsgal, you rocked out a great mac salad!!

Very good salad! I had a hankering for mac salad on Memorial Day(something about patriotic holidays, I guess!) and this satisfied it quite nicely. I gave it 4 stars because I had to change 2 small things: reduced the amount of sugar and substituted some chopped green olives for the pimento since I didn't have any on hand. There seemed to be a lot of dressing but the pasta really soaked it up. It also met approval with my husband and 8 yr. old. Will make again!

I loved this one I thought to brighten it up a bit an put the mini shrimp and olives in it amazing

This macaroni salad turned out super good! I added black olive slices, and some cheddar cheese cubes, and about 1/4 teaspoon celery seed. This turned out absolutely delicious! You can't go wrong with this one! Yum!

I tried this because I liked idea of adding sweet pickle to macaroni salad. But the dressing was a little too sweet and vinegary for my taste, and it kind of drowned out the flavor of the pickle. I may try it again with less vinegar and sugar.

I changed a couple of things, but used the major components of this recipe. I left out the pimento and substituted sweet relish for the gherkin. Since I was making this for a large group of people I increased the size a bit and therefore adjusted the amount of everything, but with that said, this is by far the BEST macaroni salad I have ever made. The dressing is delicious and I was very pleased. Next time, I will make more of the dressing so that it is a bit creamier, but again, remember that I made extra noodles! The flavor is wonderful!!

I've made this recipe many times over the years and have had it specifically requested at family get-togethers. I make it slightly differently than the recipe lists, but not by much: I under cook the noodles slightly, do not use eggs, pimentos or gherkins, but instead use 2tbsp of sweet relish as mentioned in another review and only use 2.5 instead of 3tbsp of apple cidar vinegar. I also make the recipe a couple days before (If I need on Friday, I usually make on Wednesday night) and stir daily until served. The extra time sitting allows the slightly undercooked noodles to absorb some of the mayo/sugar mixture allowing the flavour to work it's way into the noodles.

This was really good. A little sweet so we added a few extra noodles but really good. If you like sweet it's great!

Awesome! I used reg pickles but and Miracle Whip and a little sour cream. Just lovely!

It was good but I don't like onion in it.and It would be better if I used more celery.

Fantastic flavor. Sooo. I read all the other reviews and some states they didn’t like the sweetness or the vinegar taste. I absolutely loved it. If you use all the vinegar called for, use all the sugar to balance it out. I was worried about the sweetness/vinegar taste, so I cut back on both at first. It was bland without it! Changes I made - I added some diced bell pepper. I didn’t use the eggs at all. I used mayo instead of miracle whip. I followed aomeone’s suggestion to make a couple days ahead to allow the flavors to meld. I liked the idea. The actually was that I felt it became a little drier. I made a little more of the dressing the morning of the BBQ and added it and let it sit in the fridge for 5-6 hrs before serving. It truly turned out awesome, nice color and consistency. Thanks so much for a great recipe!

I tripled this recipe for a small family get together, all of it got eaten up :) I used the same amount of ingredients for the most part besides using whole box of ditalini noodles, 3 baby gherkin pickles, 4 ounce jar of pimento, added salt & pepper & paprika, half mayo and half miracle whip so it wouldn't be overwhelmingly sweet. Everyone loved it!

This is excellent! It tastes great even before it went into the fridge. As per other reviews, it is a little sweet for me so next time I'll use only 2 Tblsp of sugar and I used red bell pepper instead of pimento because I didn't have any and dill pickle. Great recipe, thank you! Made it again with only 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. permanently subbing red bell pepper for pimento. Delish! This time I added a couple of pieces of chopped , cooked bacon I had left over from breakfast.

Very good recipe. Using the salad dressing versus mayonnaise adds a lot of flavor. Thanks for sharing.

Amazing mac salad! Tastes like deviled egg pasta! Soooooo good!

Love this recipe. I usually add more egg (love it) and some of the gherkin juice to taste.

Wonderful recipe,thank you.

I made this a wile back and had printed out the recipe, I couldn’t find it, so I was happy to find it again on here. I have to make it without the mustard since I am allergic to mustard, but it is awesome without it.

good, too much sugar

Just a little sweet, but great taste.will use a little less sugar next time, yum.

Delicious and perfect consistency! Classic macaroni salad. I used small elbow macaroni and Duke’s mayo instead of Miracle Whip. I used 4 small sweet gherkins and closer to a full cup of finely chopped celery. Added 1/2 tsp each of black pepper and dill.

Very good! I used pimento spread because I couldn’t find sliced pimentos and it taste great! Yum!

This is really good macaroni salad. I didn't use the pimentos and added at least 1/4 cup of sweet pickle. I used spicy brown mustard and added a little garlic. I also had a 1/2 a cup or so of diced sharp cheddar cheese. Once I added peas to it, but will not do that again. They didn't add anything. This is my go to Macaroni Salad.

This is my go to recipe for macaroni salad. Om Nly chane I made is I did't add all the dressing at once, which was fortunite as it would have been too much if I did.

I did not like this recipe. I seem to be the only person who did not like it. It was the dressing. It was too sweet...even though I decreased the sugar from 1/3 cup to 1/4 cup. The vinegar was too strong. I usually use white vinegar. I think the apple cider vinegar was too strong. I also think there was too much mustard...which added even more vinegar flavor. I just wanted to try something different. I usually just use mayonnaise and add a little sugar/white vinegar/yellow mustard until I get the a taste that I like. I'll just stick with that the next time.

No changes and will make again

Oh my Heck! This is THE Best macaroni salad. My husband LOVES it!

Very, very delicious! No leftovers at all! I omitted the celery and added some finely chopped carrots.

Omitted the pimentos (family preference) and cut back on the sugar, this is a great recipe. Will make this over and over again for sure.

I can't actually rate this yet because I'm just now reading it. I did, however, want to offer my advice on making potato salad from this recipe ( or any other for that matter). Try using red potatoes, but not the little ones. Boil them and let them cool at room temperature until you can handle them. Peel them by hand. It's a bit of extra labor but worth it. Just my opinion, thanks. Apparently it wouldn't let me submit this without giving it stars. I'll give it five and hope for the best!

If i could give this six stars, I would!! I have made this for two cookouts and it has been a HIT!! I made it mostly as written, except, per previous reviews, I cut the sugar in half and I used dill pickle relish- because I am lazy. Other than that- as written and will keep this in the arsenal for our family gatherings!!

I loved this macaroni salad. The only change I made was I used 2 T of sweet relish instead of a chopped pickle. I will be making this again, soon!

Surprisingly good. Next time I would cut down on sugar a little. Also a little too liquidly, maybe increase amount of pasta.

One of the best macaroni salads I have ever had. Loved it!