Classic Macaroni Salad

Nothing beats a Classic Macaroni Salad! Cooked macaroni pasta, celery, bell pepper, onion and hardboiled eggs are tossed with creamy homemade dressing. This salad is perfect for any get together, backyard barbecue or picnic! This recipe yields 8 cups and will serves 12 to 16.

Long weekends are meant to be enjoyed.

Warm weather 🤞🏼, picnics or barbecues with adult beverages. It’s a time to relax and enjoy good food. With that said we plan to spend this coming weekend doing some yard work, go fishing, and of course, do some grilling. Squeezing out as much of the extra long weekend before work on Tuesday.

On the menu this weekend is ribs, baked beans and my classic macaroni salad. It’s best if you make it the morning-of or the evening before you plan to serve it. This is because macaroni salad is the kind of thing that only gets better as it sits in the fridge. This macaroni salad is a no frills, no fuss pasta salad and 100% from scratch.

To Make This Classic Macaroni Salad You Will Need:

for the dressing:

• egg and egg yolk – Helps bind the dressing.
• white vinegar – Adds slight tang.
• dijon mustard – Helps emulsify the dressing.
• sugar – Used for flavoring.
• kosher salt black pepper – For seasoning. Don’t skip!
• extra light olive oil – Adds body and richness.

for the salad:

• dried macaroni pasta – Similar size pasta can be substituted.
• hardboiled eggs – Adds protein and richness.
• bell pepper – Gives a pop of color and adds crunch.
• celery – Lends a distinct flavor and crunch. Substitute the white part of romaine if you dislike celery.
• yellow onion – Consider soaking in ice water to remove a lot of the bite.

Cook The Pasta:

Fill a medium pot with water. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Once boiling, add a palmful of fine sea salt and and add 1 pound of macaroni pasta, cooking until al dente. Follow your packages directions for perfect pasta.

Meanwhile make the pasta salad dressing.

Make the dressing:

In your mini food processor (or blender), add 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 heaping tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, 3/4 teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black.

Pulse a few times to combine.

With the processor running, slowly pour in 3/4 cup of grapeseed oil in a thin steady stream.

Process until smooth.

Pour the dressing into a jar or bowl. Secure a lid and pop it into the fridge to chill until you’re ready to use. This recipe makes about 1-1/4 cup.

Next prep all the veggies. You will need 1/3 cup diced bell pepper, 1/3 cup sliced celery, 1/2 a yellow onion (I soak it in cold water so the onion loses some of it’s bite, then drain) and roughly chop 4 hardboiled eggs.

Once the pasta is cooked perfectly; drain and rinse with cold water and then toss it around to get any extra water out of the noodles.

Build the Salad:

Add the cooled noodles  and prepped veggies to a large mixing bowl.

Add in 3/4 of the dressing. Save the remaining dressing in the fridge for later on.

Toss and give it a taste. Adjust seasoning to your preference, like adding more salt or pepper.

Cover and chill for at least 2 to 4 hours or overnight.

This is when the magic happens and the flavors really meld.

Right before serving, toss with remaining dressing and serve.

That’s it! You will love this delicious classic macaroni salad.

I hope you all have nice, relaxing, labor-free Labor Day!

Enjoy! And if you give this Classic Macaroni Salad recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Yield: 12 servings

Classic Macaroni Salad

Nothing beats a Classic Macaroni Salad! Cooked macaroni pasta, celery, bell pepper, onion and hardboiled eggs are tossed with creamy homemade dressing. This salad is perfect for any get together, backyard barbecue or picnic! This recipe yields 8 cups and will serves 12 to 16.

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Chill Time: 2 hours hrs

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

FOR THE HOMEMADE DRESSING:

• 1 large egg, plus 1 yolk
• 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 3/4 cup extra light olive oil

FOR THE PASTA SALAD:

• 1 pound dry elbow macaroni noodles
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced (soak in cold water to lessen the bite, drained)
• 1/3 cup diced sweet bell pepper, I like a mixture or red and orange
• 1/3 cup sliced celery
• 4 hardboiled eggs, chopped

Instructions 

• In a blender or mini food processor, add the egg, egg yolk, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. Secure the lid, turn it on and slowly drizzle in the oil in a thin and steady stream. Scrape down the sides and pulse until combined. Pour dressing in a small bowl or jar, cover and refrigerate until ready to dress the pasta salad.
• Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling, add a palmful of fine sea salt, stir and add pasta. Cook pasta following the package directions on your brands pasta box. Usually it's 9-10 minutes.
• Once cooked, drain the elbow macaroni into a colander and rinse with cold water. Make sure to stir the pasta in the colander to get out any excess water.
• In a large bowl add the pasta, peppers, celery, onions (use a slotted spoon to remove from water) and hardboiled eggs.
• Add in 3/4 of the dressing, toss, taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Chill for at least 2 to 4 hours or overnight.
• If needed, right before serving pour the remaining dressing over the macaroni salad and toss.

Notes

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Serving: 1g, Calories: 175kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 93mg, Sodium: 149mg, Sugar: 1g

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Salads

Cuisine: American