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macaroni salad in bowl with large spoon

Classic Macaroni Salad

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A classic macaroni salad filled with veggies, cheese, eggs and noodles in a delicious creamy sauce. It's the perfect side dish for potlucks and BBQs!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 28 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 198
Author Annalise Sandberg

Ingredients

  • 8 oz elbow macaroni noodles , or other short pasta
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup diced dill pickles (about 4 small)
  • ½ cup diced red onion (about ½ small red onion)
  • ½ cup diced red bell pepper (about ½ a bell pepper)
  • ½ cup diced celery (about 2 stalks)
  • ¾ cup diced cheddar cheese
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Creamy dressing:

  • ½ cup mayonaise
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoon pickle juice
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon coarse salt , or to taste
  • ¼-½ teaspoon ground black pepper , to taste

Instructions

  • Cook pasta in generously salted boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and spread out on a sheet pan to cool. Do not rinse! You can add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pasta to keep it from sticking together as it cools.
  • Add eggs to a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and cover. Set timer for 12 minutes. When time is up, drain away hot water and replace with ice cold water. Let cool completely.
  • Chop red onion, red pepper, pickles, celery, cheddar cheese and hard boiled eggs. You want them to be fairly small pieces, similar to the size of the noodles. Finely chop dill and basil.
  • Whisk together mayo, sour cream, red vinegar, pickle juice, mustard, sugar, and salt and pepper.
  • Combine the cooled pasta with all of the mix-ins and half of the dressing.
  • Cover macaroni salad and chill for several hours or until ready to serve. I like to serve this macaroni salad within 48 hours of mixing, but it will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
  • As the macaroni chills, it will absorb a lot of the dressing. Before serving, stir in more dressing as desired (you may not use all of the dressing, depending on how creamy you want the macaroni salad).

Nutrition

Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 320mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 412IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg