This Classic Macaroni Salad is just a great recipe for old-fashioned pasta salad with macaroni, hard-boiled eggs, celery and carrots tossed in a creamy dressing. It's the perfect side dish for spring and summer picnics, cookouts, and potlucks!
Old Fashioned Mennonite-Style Macaroni Salad (with Cooked Dressing)
I don't know about you, but I love a good macaroni salad. Is it good for you? No, not really. But macaroni salad that's properly made, is delicious in the summer time! Or any time, honestly:)
(I'm picky when it comes to macaroni salad, so that's why i say "properly made." I won't bore you with my long list of "do's and don'ts" when it comes to macaroni salad, just know that this one is great, in my opinion! I'm even going so far as to title it the best old fashioned macaroni salad, which is saying something:)
So anyway. Several times a year, when I get hungry for it, I make a batch of macaroni salad. And I keep coming back to this one! It's our favorite.
Making the cooked dressing adds a little bit of extra time, but it's worth it! The dressing is creamy, tangy, and a little bit sweet, and there's plenty of it to toss with macaroni, celery, carrots and eggs. Perfect for serving with burgers, sloppy joes and more!
Ingredients
Macaroni - often I use elbow macaroni, but really any firm pasta (like rotini, penne, or shells) will work!
Hard-boiled eggs, carrots and celery - the three essential ingredients for macaroni salad.
The dressing:
- Vinegar - white vinegar, preferably. Other vinegars will change the flavor quite a bit.
- Sugar - I used cane sugar, but regular white sugar is fine, too.
- Eggs - yes, eggs! They add an extra layer of creaminess to the cooked dressing.
- Butter - fat, to help round out the tangy vinegar and salt.
- Mustard - for flavor
- Mayonnaise - real mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip) for creaminess
- Salt - Diamond Crystal kosher salt or Redmond real salt are some good options.
Supplies You'll Need (and what we used)
- Two saucepans - one to cook the dressing and one to cook the macaroni
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- A spatula or two
- Strainer - or colander to rinse and drain the pasta once it's done cooking
- Cutting board and kitchen knife
- Large mixing bowl - to stir everything together
- Egg cooker - this is so nice to have for hard-boiling eggs easily!
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How to make Classic Macaroni Salad
Cook the macaroni in a pot of salt water for 10-12 minutes (or according to package instructions). You want to err on the side of undercooked, rather than overcooked!
Hard boil the eggs. I used my little egg cooker, like always. It makes it so easy! (Or click here to see how to hard boil eggs in a saucepan.)
While the eggs and macaroni are underway, whisk together the eggs, sugar, butter, vinegar and mustard in a saucepan.
Place the saucepan on the stovetop and heat until boiling; cook for a few minutes until the mixture is smooth and a little bit thick. Remove from the heat and let cool. (Sometimes I stick it in the fridge to cool faster.)
After the macaroni is cooked, rinse it under cold water in a colander (to stop the cooking, remove excess starch and keep it from sticking together in a clump). Once the eggs are finished cooking, dunk them in ice water to cool quickly, then peel and dice them.
Wash and dice the celery and shred the carrots.
Put the cooked macaroni, diced hard-boiled eggs, chopped celery and carrots in a large mixing bowl.
Once the dressing mixture has cooled, add the mayonnaise and salt, stir and taste! (Add more salt, if necessary.) Then pour the dressing into the mixing bowl and stir everything together!
Chill for a couple of hours (or overnight) until ready to serve. Enjoy!
How to store Classic Macaroni Salad
Store the macaroni salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Tips, Tricks and Notes on making Classic Macaroni Salad
If the macaroni salad seems a little runny, no worries! Any extra juice will be absorbed the longer it sits in the fridge. (This is a great salad to prep a day ahead!)
Salt your pasta cooking water like the ocean! Add about 1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt per quart of water. I would not recommend using iodized salt (ever) but if that's what you have, you may want to add a little less.
Make sure you use real mayonnaise in the dressing. (It will not taste good made with miracle whip!)
If you want to hurry up and chill the dressing mixture, you can sit the whole saucepan in a large bowl of ice water to help it cool down quickly.
Macaroni Salad Variations
If you want to customize your macaroni salad, you totally can! Here are some things you can add:
- Diced onions or sliced green onions
- Peppers
- Black olives
- Pickles (or pickle juice instead of vinegar in the dressing)
- A protein, such as ham blocks, cooked, cubed chicken, or cooked shrimp
And you can use any kind of pasta, as long as it's more firm like rotini or penne.
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Classic Macaroni Salad
This Classic Macaroni Salad is just a really good recipe for old-fashioned pasta salad with macaroni, hard-boiled eggs, celery and carrots tossed in a creamy dressing. It's the perfect side dish for spring and summer picnics, cookouts, and potlucks!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry macaroni
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup shredded carrots
Macaroni Salad Dressing
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. mustard
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- Salt, to taste*
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni in a pot of salt water for 10-15 minutes (or according to package instructions).
- Hard boil the eggs. I used my little egg cooker, like always. It makes it so easy! (Or click here to see how to hard boil eggs in a saucepan.)
- While the eggs and macaroni are underway, whisk together the eggs, sugar, butter, vinegar and mustard in a saucepan. Place the saucepan on the stovetop and heat until boiling; cook for a few minutes until the mixture is smooth and a little bit thick. Remove from the heat and let cool. (Sometimes I stick it in the fridge to cool faster.)
- After the macaroni is cooked, rinse it under cool water in a colander (to stop the cooking, remove excess starch and keep it from sticking together in a clump). Once the eggs are finished cooking, dunk them in ice water to cool quickly, then peel and dice them.
- Wash and dice the celery and shred the carrots.
- Put the cooked macaroni, diced hard-boiled eggs, chopped celery and carrots in a large mixing bowl.
- Once the dressing mixture has cooled, add the mayonnaise and salt, stir and taste! (Add more salt, if necessary.) Then pour the dressing into the mixing bowl and stir everything together!
- Chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
*I use about 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using iodized salt, it might not take as much! Taste the dressing mixture and add a little at a time, until it's perfect!:)
Storage: Store the macaroni salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
If the macaroni salad seems a little runny, no worries! Extra juice will be absorbed the longer it sits in the fridge. (This is a great salad to prep a day ahead!)
Make sure you use real mayonnaise in the dressing. It won't taste as good made with miracle whip!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 148Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 130mgSodium: 88mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 7g
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
As always...
Thanks so much for being here. You're welcome to stay awhile and explore! And did you make this macaroni salad? Let us know in the comments:)
'til next time, we love you and we'll be praying for you,
-Julie
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