Southern Macaroni Salad

Southern macaroni salad is a vibrant combination of colors and textures with a sweet and tangy dressing to hold it all together. This is one of those beautifully tasty pasta recipes that makes people love macaroni salad! Oh, and it takes only 30 minutes to put together!

Southern macaroni salad isn’t one of those dainty pasta salad recipes. It’s a robust combination of elbow macaroni and crisp summer veggies bound together by a distinctively tangy and slightly sweet southern dressing with a refreshingly addictive flavor profile.

Let me show you what I’m talking about!

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Why It’s Great!

Recipe Notes

Recipe Variations

Similar Recipes

What I Love About Southern Macaroni Salad

There are just so many things to love about this southern macaroni salad, I could go on and on. I love the slightly sweet nuances in the cold creamy dressing and the invitingly beautiful presentation of the dish itself. The fact that it only takes 10 minutes to put together is another big plus in my book. Here are even more great reasons to love this dish.

• Totally flexible recipe
• Robust flavor
• Beautiful presentation
• Comes together quickly
• Wholesome and nutritious
• Multiple uses

Easy Macaroni Salad Recipe Notes

Making this easy macaroni salad is so simple if you know the little tricks to pull it together!

One cardinal rule for making great pasta salad involves draining and rinsing your pasta after it cooks. Normally you should avoid rinsing pasta for many recipes but when making pasta salad you want to stop your pasta from cooking completely.

Speaking of which, you should season your pasta salad rather aggressively. Foods that are served cold, such as an easy pasta salad, requires more seasoning to taste because chilling kind of dulls the natural flavors.

Lastly, it is important to let your southern macaroni salad rest in the fridge before serving and/or eating. Resting time can vary with recipes and I know it can be hard to walk away but I find this one tastes best if it rests overnight.

Grandma’s Macaroni Salad Ingredient Notes

This southern macaroni salad is so good it reminds me of what grandma used to make! It is super creamy because the recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk instead of sugar. Sugar works, as we all know, but it can remain gritty sometimes and its hard to get the measurement just right.

With the sweetened condensed milk, you don’t have to worry about that. Plus, it helps bind all the other ingredients together for a thick dreamy dressing that coats all the different playful textures.

I prefer to use the elbow macaroni in this recipe and take a stroll down memory lane, but others will work, too. Mini farfalle, affectionately referred to as bowtie pasta, will work just as well or you can even use the small conchiglie pasta (shells).

Also, don’t skip the paprika as some people do. It combines with the apple cider vinegar to infuse a bit of a smoky tangy undertone that really takes the dressing to the next level.

Cooking Tips

Cooking the noodles takes a little time but not much, usually 7-9 minutes. You want to keep your pasta al dente so it doesn’t get soggy and ruin your southern macaroni salad.

Regardless of what you’ve heard before, you must salt your pasta water for maximum flavor. I find that 2 tablespoons per 4-6 quarts of water is typically ideal. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t have anything to do with raising the boiling point.

Pasta absorbs the water as it cooks. So, if you salt the water appropriately it will absorb the salt too, essentially seasoning the pasta from the inside out. That is really the key to making incredible tasting pasta!

Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad Recipe Storing Tips

Of course, you’ll need to store your southern macaroni salad in an airtight container in the fridge. If that big huge bowl takes up too much space and your fridge is already packed, you can store your macaroni salad in two 1-gallon Ziploc bags. That will save some room and still allow all the yummy flavors to mingle.

If you are preparing for the week and you know you’ll be taking southern macaroni salad for lunch a few times, then go ahead and store it in some single serve portion containers. It just makes things easier for you to grab and go.

Can You Freeze This?

Sorry! Unfortunately, you just can’t freeze this one. Since it only takes 10 minutes to throw together, there really is no need.

If you are prepping and looking to save some time, go ahead and pre-make the dressing and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. I find a mason jar works great for this.

You can also chop the veggies and do the same with them. When you are ready to make your southern macaroni salad, simply boil your elbow pasta and combine everything. Voila!

How Long Can You Keep This?

Well, if you store it properly it will stay fresh for 3-5 days in the fridge. It should be kept at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and you should observe the recommended window (less than 2 hours) for serving at potlucks and get togethers. Here is a bit more about food safety and mayo-based dishes from Food Network and the FDA. (It really is some great information)

Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe Variations

Tweaking this classic macaroni salad to suit your personal taste and dietary restrictions is just a given! Of course, the original recipe is pretty bang up just like it is so you may want to give it a try before you change it.

You can add some nice flavor and dress up your southern macaroni salad before serving it by using some fresh herbs. You only want to do this right before you serve it, though. Fresh herbs are delicate, and they do their best work immediately after they are chopped. I love adding cilantro, dill or basil depending on my mood and the occasion.

Adding protein is one way to dress up your southern macaroni salad. Cubed ham is really good for this and the slightly salty flavor is great with the sweet smoky nuances in the dressing! Half a can of black beans is great too and they add some beautiful color to your salad.

Cheese is another great option because everything is better with cheese! I find that cubed cheese works best with this recipe. Cheddar, Colby and Monterey jack are all great options.

For a really feisty twist, you can even add some olives or capers to your southern macaroni salad. I would be conservative though.

Can I Make This Recipe With Bacon?

Of course, you can! Bacon is great on almost anything and that salty savory flavor is incredible with the slightly sweet smoky dressing. Its enough to make you salivate!

Now, if you are an active member of the bacon lovers’ society and you like a pasta salad built around bacon, try making bacon ranch pasta salad. That wholesome creamy ranch dressing really coats the salad and prepares it to welcome the awesome bacon, that incredible protein we all know and love!

You can also make a BLT pasta salad for a little bit lighter dish that is a beautiful tasty prelude to any meal. It also makes a great side when you need a little decadent variety.

Can I Add Chicken To This Recipe?

Sure, you can! Adding chicken is yet another option to up the protein factor in your southern macaroni salad and include some texture variety. I like using the white meat but it all works. You can use white meat, dark meat or a combination of both!

Chicken macaroni salad and chicken pasta salad are both hearty favorites at friendly get togethers where you need to feed large crowds.

Can I Add Tuna?

Tuna macaroni salad and tuna pasta salad are great take alongs for poolside snacks, picnics and even brown bag lunches during the week. If you really want to make things easy, you can just toss a can of tuna fish in your southern macaroni salad. It is divinely delicious!

What Other Proteins Can I Use In This Recipe?

Hey, pumping up the protein in your southern macaroni salad is a fantastic way to stretch it and add some delightful new flavor combinations.

Some people make macaroni salad with egg or even throw a handful of tiny cooked shrimp into the mix. Friends and family tend to get really excited over shrimp pasta salad and somehow, I just can’t blame them!

Can I Change The Sauce In This?

If it suits you, change the sauce. Now the cold creamy slightly sweet dressing with the smoky undertones is pretty darn inviting but sometimes you just want something a little different. I totally understand and I know that cream-based dressings don’t suit everyone’s dietary guidelines.

Pesto pasta salad is a fantastic alternative to the yummy cream-based dressing in this southern macaroni salad. The introduction of all those fresh herbs and olive oil give this recipe a whole new personality!

You could also make pasta salad with Italian dressing if you need to save time and still make a fantastically delicious dish. Trust me – they are gonna want seconds!

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Southern Macaroni Salad

Southern macaroni salad is a vibrant combination of elbow macaroni and crisp veggies bound together by a distinctive slightly sweet southern dressing

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Servings: 6 Servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• 1 pound uncooked elbow macaroni
• salt
• black pepper
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 -14 ounce sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 large red onion chopped
• 1 green bell pepper chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 cup celery chopped

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add macaroni and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes.  Rinse under cold water to stop cooking then drain well.
• In a medium bowl make a dressing by whisking together mayo, condensed milk, vinegar, paprika, mustard, salt and black pepper until smooth
• In a large bowl add the cooked pasta, onion, green and red bell peppers, celery and whisked dressing.  Fold gently until well combined.  Refrigerate overnight and serve.

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More Pasta Salad Recipes

There are so many incredibly scrumptious pasta salad dishes you can add to your menu rotation. You can even separate them out and put them in you ‘potluck and picnic’ recipe choices. This southern macaroni salad is hard to beat but there are some other really delicious pasta salads you may love. Here are some of my favorites!

• Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
• Antipasto Salad
• Best Macaroni Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Italian Pasta Salad

Conclusion

This southern macaroni salad is one of my favorite cold pasta salad recipes of all time. The flavor of the thick creamy dressing is almost unparalleled in the cold pasta world because its just so darn good! Once you know how to coax out those incredible flavors, it’s a game changer and this southern macaroni salad tends to disappear quickly. There usually aren’t many leftovers (if any at all).

This is my go-to cold pasta recipe when I need something really flavorful and easy to throw together. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments below!

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