The Best Macaroni Salad
If you're looking for the most perfect classic cold macaroni salad like you're grandma used to make, you've come to the right place! This side dish is creamy, tangy and a little sweet and full of crunchy celery, sweet pickles and red peppers. This is the Best Macaroni Salad you can make. Plus, it's good with or without hardboiled eggs.
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 12 oz dry macaroni noodles ditalini or elbow macaroni
- 3/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
- 2/3 cup sweet gherkins, finely diced
- 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
- 1/3 cup celery, finely diced
- 3 hard boiled eggs, diced
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2.5 tablespoons sweet gherkin juice
- 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar red wine vinegar as a substitute, start with 1 tbsp add more if needed
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Start by boiling the noodles in a large pot of salted water. Cook the noodles to al dente. Strain and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking and cool them down for the pasta salad.
- While the pasta is cooking, whisk together all the homemade dressing ingredients until smooth and combined: mayo, sour cream, pickle juice, vinegar, sugar, mustard, and spices. Taste and adjust if needed.
- In a large mixing bowl, add in the noodles, diced red onions, diced pickles, red peppers and celery. Pour over *most* the dressing and toss well to combine. If you're adding in eggs, dice up the hardboiled eggs and fold them into the macaroni salad.
- Reserve a little leftover dressing for tossing before serving as pasta absorbs it as it sits in the fridge. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Be sure to toss the salad before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 367kcal