Best Macaroni Salad

From the creamy sauce to the crunchy peppers and luscious cheese, this Best Macaroni Salad lives up to its name! It's the perfect side dish!

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Best Macaroni Salad Recipe, Best Macartoni Salad, How Do I Make Best Macaroni Salad Recipe, How To Make Best Macaroni Salad Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 879kcal

Author Kathleen

Cook elbows (16 ounces) according to package instructions, in well-salted water, just until al dente. Rinse with cool water and drain well. Cool elbow to room temperature.
Meanwhile, in a small baking bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, add cool pasta, all salad ingredients except the hard-boiled eggs (2-4 large), and the dressing. Fold together until everything is evenly coated with dressing. Gently fold in hard-boiled eggs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours (overnight is best.)
When serving, stir, adjust the seasoning, and add a tablespoon of milk or water, one at a time, stirring in between as needed to make the dressing creamy. Spread out on a large serving platter and arrange toppings over the salad. Serve :)

Pasta: Believe it or not, there is actually an ideal pasta shape for macaroni salad — well, an ideal pasta category. If you can’t find elbow macaroni, opt for another short noodle type. Fusilli, rotini, or penne are excellent substitutes! Their small size allows for more even dressing dispersion, and they blend well with the small chopped sizes of the other ingredients.
Too much dairy: While I, personally, can never get enough of dairy products, I know they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. If you want to swap out the sour cream to make this dish a bit lighter, Greek yogurt is an excellent substitute.
Can’t cook eggs: Boiling eggs may seem like the easiest type of cooking out there, but for many, it’s intimidating. The shells crack. How do you know if they’re hard-boiled or soft-boiled or blanched or why are there so many terms?!!
- If you find yourself overwhelmed (or should I say “over-easy-whelmed.), most grocery stores now sell hard-boiled eggs. I’ve found them in the produce section, but it may vary from store to store.