Nothing tastes better with a grilled hamburger or a barbecue chicken sandwich than a cool and creamy Classic Southern Macaroni Salad! File this perfect side dish recipe away for your next cookout or potluck -- it always wins rave reviews!
Nothing tastes better with a grilled hamburger or a barbecue chicken sandwich than a cool and creamy Classic Southern Macaroni Salad! File this perfect side dish recipe away for your next cookout or potluck — it always wins rave reviews!
Well, we’re halfway through June and we’ve already hosted and attended quite a few cookouts with friends this season. When everyone has kids under the age of 10, it’s just the easiest thing to do! No restaurants, no sit-down dinners, and no agenda. Just let the kids run around outside, throw some food on the grill, and open a beer!
If there’s one common theme to any Southern picnic, I can assure you that it’s a creamy pasta salad. Specifically, a Macaroni Salad! No cookout would be complete without at least one of these classic side dishes.
You’ve probably seen the little containers of macaroni salad in the deli section at your grocery store, right? I’m the first to admit that I have occasionally purchased those in the past, hoping and praying that they would be an adequate substitute for the homemade macaroni salad that we all grew up with. And while the store-bought version is certainly fine in a pinch, there’s just no comparing it to the “real deal!”
I’ve perfected my macaroni salad recipe over the years, and I’m finally confident in the version that I’m sharing with you today. The dressing-to-pasta ratio is ideal. The sauce has a slightly sweet taste in the background (without being overpowering), and there’s just a hint of yellow mustard in the mayonnaise-based dish. A garnish of fresh parsley is the final Southern touch that my mom and my grandmother would never omit!
I hope that you enjoy this Classic Southern Macaroni Salad as much as my family does. It’s the one cold pasta salad that all 4 of my boys give two thumbs up!
Classic Southern Macaroni Salad
Nothing tastes better with a grilled hamburger or a barbecue chicken sandwich than a cool and creamy Classic Southern Macaroni Salad! File this perfect side dish recipe away for your next cookout or potluck -- it always wins rave reviews!
Ingredients
- 6 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni pasta about 1 ½ cups uncooked, or 3 cups cooked
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 3 hard boiled eggs sliced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.While the pasta cooks, chop the onions, celery, bell pepper, eggs, and parsley.
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, and garlic until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine cool pasta, onion, celery, bell pepper, eggs, and parsley. Toss with dressing and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe Video
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
June 19, 2017 at 7:25 amAren’t cookouts the best?! It just screams summer, and you can’t beat the food. This macaroni salad looks amazing, Blair! I love the flavors and pretty color. Definitely a summer staple in my book!
Blair says
June 19, 2017 at 4:41 pmThe best! Thanks, Gayle! It’s totally a summer staple! 🙂
Roxanne says
June 19, 2017 at 2:36 pmWhere is the ingredients list? I got everything but that, instructions, etc., but no ingredients.
Blair says
June 19, 2017 at 4:42 pmHi, Roxanne! The ingredients weren’t published right away (annoying glitch), but I fixed them almost immediately so they should be there now. Maybe refresh your browser if you still can’t see them? Sorry about that hassle! 🙂
Bill Claussen says
June 19, 2017 at 8:54 pmOkay!!! Where is the list of ingredients with their amounts??? Am I overlooking something here or do I have to watch the video to get the amounts??? Thank you so much!!! Love your site!!!
Bill Claussen says
June 19, 2017 at 8:56 pmOkay!!! After posting my former comment the ingredients came up!!! Thanks!!!
Blair says
June 20, 2017 at 6:09 amAwesome! Thanks, Bill!
Cynthia Winfrey says
June 19, 2017 at 8:59 pmI make my version of this from spring to fall using different pasta shapes and with various meats from tunafish to shrimp but i use only fine chopped celery and red onion sauteed to soften before adding to the rest of ingredients sometimes adding dry ranch dressing mix to the mayo.
Blair says
June 20, 2017 at 6:09 amYour versions sound great, Cynthia! 🙂
arkgranny says
June 19, 2017 at 11:30 pmWhere is the actual recipe? I see instructions to put it together but no list of ingredients and the amount.
Bill Claussen says
June 20, 2017 at 1:57 amRefresh your page and it will jump out at you!!! I don’t know why it just does!!! Lol
Blair says
June 20, 2017 at 6:08 amHi! The ingredients have been added to the recipe, so try refreshing your page and they should appear. 🙂
Tami says
September 5, 2017 at 1:04 amI’m sorry but I didn’t care for this. The garlic just ringed it for me and my family, and we are Italian, put extra garlic on everything, but it just didn’t work in this salad. All your recipes I’ve made have always been on point, I’m sure it’s just a personal preference.
Tami says
September 5, 2017 at 1:06 amRuined, not ringed
Blair says
September 5, 2017 at 5:10 amHi, Tami! That’s okay! Thanks for the feedback! Other readers who don’t care much for garlic in their pasta salad might choose to omit it in the future. 🙂
Kelli says
August 3, 2018 at 7:23 amI would never use garlic either. I’m very southern and have never heard of garlic in macaroni salad
Ada says
February 16, 2018 at 4:00 pmHi making your salad for about 25 guest. Can’t figure how to adjust amount of pasts and ingredient. HELP.. THANK YOU FOT IMMEDIATE RESPONSE.
Blair says
February 16, 2018 at 4:07 pmHi, Ada! I think it’s safe to assume about 1/2-cup to 1-cup of pasta salad per person. This recipe yields about 8 cups total, so one recipe should serve at least 8 (or more) people. I would suggest multiplying all of the ingredients by 3 and that should be more than enough for your group (assuming it’s a side dish and not the main entree). So for instance, you would use 18 ounces of uncooked pasta, 3 cups of mayonnaise, 6 T vinegar, 6 T sugar, etc. Let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂
Angie says
March 22, 2018 at 12:06 pmI have a question. I’m thinking of making this for church on Sunday. It says slice the eggs and then have them added with everything else to stir in. Wouldn’t it be better to dice or cut them up? Why sliceC
Blair says
March 22, 2018 at 2:51 pmHi, Angie! You can totally just dice the eggs if you prefer! I said “slice” because I use one of those hardboiled egg slicers because it’s quick. 🙂 They break up in the salad, so any way that you cut them will be fine!
Sherry Bratcher says
July 7, 2018 at 8:28 pmYour recipe is exactly the way my mom made it since I can remember excellent but my mom did add relish
Blair says
July 8, 2018 at 12:51 pmWonderful! I’m so glad that it’s just as you remember it, Sherry! Relish sounds like a great addition, too! Thanks so much. 🙂
Judy says
June 2, 2019 at 12:09 pmHi Blair,
I enjoy your blog very much & look forward to it every Sunday.
You know what would be fabulous? If you could do a TV show every week Instead of this blog! I’m sure everyone would tune in!
If Rachel Ray could do it, so can you! Plus, it would be better, because with your adorable family Involved, we can relate on the same level. It’s so refreshing to see your activities every week & how you fit & schedule everything in. This is what family is all about. Your the perfect mother & wife that we admire and with your your guidence we can be too!
Blair says
June 2, 2019 at 6:58 pmYou are so kind, Judy! 🙂 I love the idea of a show, but I haven’t been offered one yet. Do you know a producer?! Hah! 🙂