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    Home » Recipes » Pasta & Noodles

    Macaroni Salad Recipe (Cold Pasta Salad)

    Nov 27, 2022. by Bhavana Patil. No Comments | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe

    Deli Style Macaroni Salad or Cold Pasta Salad is a colorful, delicious salad recipe prepared with grated carrot, onion, and bell pepper tossed in a creamy mayonnaise-mustard dressing.

    I love this classic American macaroni salad with mayo. This homemade pasta salad is better than the Deli salad available at the store. It is perfect for a meal or a side dish for BBQ, summer potlucks, and picnics.

    Try choosing the pasta shape, that will hold onto the dressing. Elbow macaroni, small shells, or even spiral-shaped pasta work great. You can also add more healthy and colorful veggies like red radish, celery, and red cabbage.

    Check out more Macaroni recipes from my blog Mac and Cheese (Instant Pot), Macaroni puliyogare, Vegan Macaroni and Cheese.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients for Macaroni Salad
    • How to Make Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe
    • Tips & Variations
    • More Salad Recipes
    • More Pasta Recipes
    • Classic Macaroni Salad (Cold Pasta Salad)

    Ingredients for Macaroni Salad

    Macaroni Salad Ingredients

    How to Make Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe

    Cooking Macaroni Pasta

    Stovetop Pot Method

    • In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the salt.
    • Add the macaroni to the water, and stir a few times to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
    • Cook the pasta according to the package instructions (about 10-12 minutes), occasionally stirring, until al dente or softer according to the desired texture. 
    • Once the pasta is cooked, drain the excess water and keep it aside.

    Instant Pot Method

    • Add dry macaroni, water, salt to the Instant Pot. Most of the pasta should be covered in water. If it is not, add some more water.
    • Furthermore, close the lid on the pot. Pressure Cook (high pressure) for 4 minutes. Note: I am using elbow macaroni pasta in this recipe which has 10 minutes for cooking on the stovetop. So to cook on Instant Pot – Divide the cooking time by half and minus one for al dente pasta. So it's 4 minutes. For softer pasta, do 5 minutes.
    • When the instant pot beeps, wait for 5 minutes and Quick Release the remaining pressure manually. Then open the lid, and drain if there is any extra water.

    Mix together the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, white vinegar, red chili powder, sugar, salt, and ground pepper in a large bowl.

    step to prepare macaroni salad dressing collage

    Stir in the carrot, onion, celery, colored bell pepper, and cooked macaroni. Mix well.

    step to add veggies and mix well collage

    Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight. Deli Style Homemade Creamy Macaroni Salad is ready to serve.

    Tips & Variations

    1. You can add vegetables of your choice, like jalapeños, celery, lettuce, zucchini, and cucumber.
    2. Add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of mayonnaise to the salad before serving if you want deli-style macaroni salad to be more creamy.
    3. You can also add some shredded cheese.

    More Salad Recipes

    • Chickpea Salad with Yogurt dressing
    • Boiled Peanut Salad
    • Chickpea Cucumber Salad
    • Avocado Cucumber Tomato Salad
    • Creamy Cucumber Salad
    • Thai Salad with peanut dressing

    More Pasta Recipes

    • Creamy Tomato Pasta
    • Butternut Squash Pasta
    • Avocado Pasta
    • Creamy Spinach Pasta
    • Mac and Cheese
    Tried this recipe?Don’t forget to give a ★ rating below
    macaroni salad served in a large bowl garnished with spring onions

    Classic Macaroni Salad (Cold Pasta Salad)

    Bhavana Patil
    This colorful macaroni salad is prepared with grated carrot, onion, bell pepper all tossed in a creamy mayonnaise-mustard dressing.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Servings: 2
    Calories : 358
    Course: Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Italian
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Method: Stovetop
    Prep Time : 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time : 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time : 20 minutes minutes

    Equipment

    • Mixing Bowl Set
    • Cutting Board

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 oz elbow macaroni (about 2 cups), uncooked
    • ¼ cup onion finely chopped
    • ½ cup celery chopped
    • ¼ cup red bell pepper finely chopped
    • ¼ cup yellow bell pepper finely chopped
    • ¼ cup green bell pepper
    • ¼ cup carrot grated

    Macaroni Salad Dressing

    • ½ cup mayonnaise
    • 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
    • ⅛ teaspoon red chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

    Optional Garnishes

    • 2 tablespoons spring onion

    Instructions
     

    Cooking Macaroni Pasta

    • Stovetop Pot Method
      In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the salt.
      Add the macaroni to the water, and stir a few times to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
      Cook the pasta according to the package instructions (about 10-12 minutes) occasionally stirring, until al dente or softer according to the desired texture. Once the pasta is cooked, drain excess water and keep it aside.
    • Instant Pot Method
      Add dry macaroni, water, salt to the Instant Pot. Most of the pasta should be covered in water. If it is not, add some more water.
      Furthermore, close the lid on the pot. Pressure Cook (high pressure) for 4 minutes. Note: I am using elbow macaroni pasta in this recipe which has 10 minutes for cooking on the stovetop. So to cook on Instant Pot – Divide the cooking time by half and minus one for al dente pasta. So it's 4 minutes. For softer pasta do 5 minutes.
      When the instant pot beeps, wait for 5 minutes and Quick Release the remaining pressure manually. Then open the lid, and drain if there is any extra water.
    • Mix together the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, white vinegar, red chili powder, sugar, salt, and ground pepper in a large bowl.
      step to prepare macaroni salad dressing collage
    • Stir in the carrot, onion, celery, colored bell pepper, and cooked macaroni. Mix well.
      step to add veggies and mix well collage
    • Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight. Deli Style Homemade Creamy Macaroni Salad is ready to serve.
      macaroni salad served in a large bowl garnished with spring onions

    Notes

    1. You can add vegetables of your choice like jalapeños, celery, lettuce, zucchini, cucumber
    2. Add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of mayonnaise to the salad before serving if you want the salad more creamy.
    3. You can also add some shredded cheese.
     
    Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 358kcalCarbohydrates: 40.65gProtein: 6.6gFat: 18.8gFiber: 2.5gSugar: 4.07gVitamin A: 315IUVitamin C: 1.2mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1.73mg
    Keyword cold pasta salad, pasta salad
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