Southern Macaroni Salad Recipe
User Reviews
5
Southern Macaroni Salad Recipe
Description
The Southern Macaroni Salad features cooked elbow macaroni mixed with diced red and green bell peppers, sweet pickles, celery, and diced hard-boiled eggs. The creamy dressing balances acidity and sweetness with mayonnaise, apple cider or red wine vinegar, sweet pickle juice, sugar, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, and celery salt. Cooking pasta just until al dente and rinsing with cold water stops cooking and ensures the salad remains firm and not mushy.
After combining pasta, vegetables, eggs, and dressing thoroughly, the salad is chilled for at least 2 to 4 hours, though overnight is preferable. This resting time allows the flavors to meld and lets the pasta soak up the dressing, thickening its texture and creating a harmonious balance between creamy and crisp vegetable bites.
This salad is best served cold as a side dish alongside barbecues, picnics, or Southern meals. The combination of crunchy veggies and creamy egg-enriched dressing makes it a refreshing complement to hearty main courses.
If you add red onion, soaking it in ice water softens its bite. If omitting eggs, increase vegetables or pasta to compensate the volume. Always stir well before serving to recoat any dressing that may have been absorbed by the pasta.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 pound elbow macaroni uncooked
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup pickle diced; sweet
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 3 large egg diced, hard boiled
Dressing
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice sweet, from the jar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni elbows in salted water just until al dente.
- Drain the pasta and run under cold water to cool completely. Let it sit in the strainer for a few minutes so that all water drains.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients and whisk until it's smooth.
- Add the cooked pasta, bell peppers, pickles, celery and eggs to the dressing.
- Mix it all together until everything is well coated.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours, but overnight is best. This will allow all of the flavors to marinate together and the pasta to soak up some of the dressing.
- Once refrigerated, uncover and give it another good mix so that everything is well coated in the dressing.
- Serve cold and enjoy!
Notes
- Let the salad chill for at least 2-4 hours to allow flavors to meld and for the pasta to absorb the dressing well; overnight is best.
- If adding chopped red onion, soak it in ice water to mellow sharpness, or use a sweet variety like Vidalia onion.
- After refrigeration, stir the salad again to redistribute dressing evenly.
- If omitting eggs due to allergy, increase the amount of pasta, peppers, and/or pickles to balance the salad volume.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 12people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 268 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1g | |
| Calories | 268kcal | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 36g | 12% |
| Protein | 7g | 14% |
| Fat | 10g | 15% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 5g | 29% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Trans Fat | 0.02g | 1% |
| Cholesterol | 53mg | 18% |
| Sodium | 604mg | 25% |
| Potassium | 158mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 6g | 12% |
| Vitamin A | 377IU | 8% |
| Vitamin C | 13mg | 14% |
| Calcium | 25mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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