This traditional Macaroni Salad recipe is always a hit at pot lucks or summer barbecues. The ratio of cooked pasta to mayo is perfect, ensuring your salad isn’t too dry or too sloppy. And it’s best made ahead so you don’t have to worry about last minute prep.
Macaroni Salad is one of those classic summer side dishes. You’ll almost always find one at a picnic or potluck. In fact, there are usually more than one. But yours will be better. Anyone can mix macaroni and mayonnaise and call it Macaroni Salad. But if you add just a little extra colour, flavour and texture, you’ll be taking home an empty bowl.
When cooking pasta you should always salt your water. It will add flavour to the pasta, but also most ends up going down the drain. So adding a teaspoon or so to a pot of water doesn’t mean there’s a teaspoon of salt in your salad. Once the macaroni is al dente, drain it well and rinse with very cold water so it doesn’t continue to cook and cools quickly. You can use other shaped pasta, just make sure it’s similar in size to the macaroni or your measurements will be off.
I make mayonnaise based salads with a combination of real mayo and whipped style (aka Miracle Whip) because one is too sweet and one isn’t sweet enough. But feel free to just use one or the other if that’s all you have. My mom’s secret is to add a bit of sweet pickle juice to the mixture which gives it a little extra zing. If you’re using all Miracle Whip you don’t need it as it’s already sweet enough. When you add the mayo combo to the cooked macaroni you’ll think it’s too much. But it’s not. The pasta will absorb more mayo than you realize. You might even need to add a bit right before serving if it looks a little dry but if you stick the measurements in this recipe it should be fine.
I love tuna in macaroni salad. White canned tuna packed in water. It doesn’t matter if it’s flaked or chunk, just make sure to drain it well and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. If the tuna is chunky, flake it with a fork when you add it to the salad so you get some in every bite. I don’t use light tuna, I’m not a fan. But if you have to stick to a budget, don’t worry about it. If you really really don’t want to have tuna in this salad you can leave it out, but you might want to reduce to mayo just a bit because you’re messing with the ingredient amounts.
Sweet peppers, cucumber, onion, chives and parsley add a fresh, colourful, crunchy element. And healthy. Try not to have big chunks of one vegetable and tiny chunks of another. Except you likely want the onion in smaller pieces. You can personalize the veggie options. Switch out cucumbers for celery. Use different coloured peppers. It’s all good stuff.
Once everything is mixed together, taste and add some salt and pepper. I like lots of fresh cracked black pepper in Macaroni Salad. Leave it in the fridge for several hours or overnight. If your pasta has really absorbed the dressing, add a bit more mayo before serving.
Here’s the recipe:
Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ C dry macaroni
- ⅓ English cucumber
- ½ red or orange sweet pepper
- ¼ C finely minced red onion
- 1 can flaked white tuna in water, rinsed and drained
- ⅓ C real mayonnaise may need more before serving
- ⅓ C Miracle Whip
- 1 Tbsp sweet pickle juice optional
- 1-2 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
- 1-2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley plus more for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot and cook macaroni according to manufacturers directions. Do not over cook. Drain and rinse with cool water. Drain again.
- Cut cucumber into quarters lengthwise, then chop. Chop sweet pepper into small cubes. Finely mince red onion. Snip chives and mince parsley.
- After opening tuna, use lid to press out as much liquid as possible. Rinse with cool water and press again. Add to cooled macaroni along with vegetable mixture. Combine well.
- Add mayonnaise, Miracle Whip and pickle juice. Mix well, taste and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate all day or over night.
- Before serving, add a bit more of either mayonnaise or Miracle Whip if the salad appears to be dry.
- Garnish with parsley.