This classic macaroni salad is the mayo-based picnic bowl: elbows, celery, onion, hard-boiled egg, a little mustard. It is not creamy coleslaw and it is not an Italian pasta salad. Deviled-egg pasta already lives here as a cousin. Use this URL for classic macaroni salad.
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Classic Macaroni Salad
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
Description
Classic macaroni salad with mayonnaise, celery, and egg. From Olivia at Flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454g) elbow macaroni
- 1 cup (240g) mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pot
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1/4 cup minced red onion
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 1/4 cup diced pickles or pickle relish (optional)
- Paprika, for the top
Instructions
- Boil the elbows in salted water until just tender. Drain. Rinse briefly under cold water so they stop cooking. Drain well.
- Whisk mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and sugar.
- Toss pasta with celery, onion, eggs, pickles, and dressing. It will look loose; the pasta drinks it in the fridge.
- Chill at least 2 hours. Stir, taste salt, dust paprika.
Notes
If it looks tight after chilling, stir in 2 tablespoons mayo. Make it the morning of, not a week ahead.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: American
Macaroni salad, not coleslaw
Coleslaw is cabbage. Italian pasta salad is vinaigrette. This is mayo elbows.
Substitutions
Skip eggs if you need to. Greek yogurt can replace half the mayo.
Mistakes to avoid
Do not overcook the pasta into mush. Do not dress ice-cold dry pasta with a stiff mayo — loosen the dressing first.
Storage
Refrigerate 3 days. Do not leave it out more than 2 hours at a picnic.
Nutrition (estimated)
About 280 calories per serving. Estimate only, not a lab test.
FAQ
Should I rinse the pasta?
A quick rinse for cold salad, then drain hard. Hot pasta melts mayo.
Can I add ham?
Diced ham is fine. It is still this salad, not a new URL.
Why is it dry the next day?
Pasta absorbs dressing. Stir in a spoon of mayo before serving.
Italian dressing instead?
That is a different pasta salad. Keep this page on mayo.