If you’re reading this post, chances are it’s that time of year again! The weather’s breaking and cold sides (such as macaroni salad) to compliment the entrees you’re serving your familiy and guests are all the rage. After all, ultimately, I know we’re all trying to spend a little time as we have to standing over a hot stove when its 90 and 100 degrees outside. Well with this post, you are in luck because I have tested and developed a recipe for Macaroni Salad that will have folks raving about how you throw down in the kitchen. You also be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to make this recipe, and I’m happy to share it with you!
Key Ingredients for Macaroni Salad
This recipe for southern Potato Salad is made using some of your standard ingredients: Macaroni noodles, Mayo, Vinegar, Salt and Pepper. That said, what makes this recipe stand out from the rest is the use of Sweet Relish, Tarragon and Sour Cream.
- Sweet Relish: This is not the most common recipe in Macaroni Salad, but it really helps to balance out some of the other flavors in this recipe. You will find a lot of recipes that use just regular dill relish (which is not sweet), and there are many reicpes that will omit relish altogether. That being said, the reason I prefer using sweet relish in my recipe is because the sugar in it helps to neutralize the acidity of both the sour cream and vinegar. There are folks who will just add straight up white granulated sugar to their Macaroni Salad, but I find incorporates way too much sweetness as sweet relish does not have as much sugar in it.
- Tarragon: This is a somewhat unusual ingredient, but it is one that I find really elevates this macaroni salad recipe in a number of different ways. Also known as a leafy and tender perennial plant, Tarragon is a type of herb that is most commonly used in dishes and sauces of the French cuisine (such as Bearnaise sauce). That said, what I love about it is that it really helps to cut down on the sharpness of the Vinegar and Mustard in the salad. It gives the Macaroni Salad a somewhat sweet but licorice-like undertone that makes the dish feel and taste lighter than it would if it were excluded. You could even say it is my secret ingredient!
- Sour Cream: You will find that most Macaron Salad recipes call for using all Mayonnaise, and this recipe uses Mayonnaise (in part) as well. That said, the biggest issue with Mayonnaise is that while it is a very tasty and critical ingredients for any macaroni salad recipe, too much of it can become overbearing because of how rich mayo tends to be. To address this, I tested this recipe with the addition of Sour Cream to compliment the Mayonnaise. Doing this, I discovered the Sour Cream not only makes for a more creamy salad, but it really mellows out the richness in the mayo. For the best balance, I split the difference by using 50/50 mayo and sour cream.
And that’s all there is to it! While Macaroni Salad is typically served as a side dish, it is just as good by itself as a snack or even an entree for lunch/dinner. By the time you finish reading this post, you will also be a pro at making this dish yourself and you’ll have your family & friends begging to make these all the time!
Tips for Making this Recipe
Do not overcook the noodles. This is perhaps the most important tip of them all. The macaroni for macaroni salad should be fork tender yet still firm enough to hold its shape as you’re combining it with the other ingredients. If you end up cooking it for too long, it’s very easy for the macaroni to become soft, gummy and mushy. While cooking the noodles slightly longer than al dente can aid in flavor absorption, overcooking can lead to a very unappetizing texture. If you’re unsure about whether the macaroni is done, simply pierce a noodle with a fork. If you can easily stick the fork through noodle without it falling apart, the macaroni has reached the ideal doneness.
Rinse noodles with cold water. This is very much an optional step, but it is one I tend to do when I make this Macaroni Salad recipe and I recommend you do the same. Macaroni salad is different from Mac and Cheese in that the starch is not required for the dressing to properly adhere to the noodles, as a cohesive sauce is not necessary. In fact, if anything, the starch can cause the noodles to stick. That being said, rinsing the noodles immediately after they have been cooked and drained will stop the cooking process so that tehy don’t end up becoming too soft as well as wash off all of the excess starch that coats the noodles.
Do not undercook the noodles. Similar to the tip above about overcooking your macaroni, you should also avoid undercooking it. If anything, if you had to pick one poison between the two, it’s better to overcook the macaroni than undercook it. Undercooked macaroni will simply make the dish all-around unpleasant to enjoy. For one, the texture of the macaroni itself won’t be very appetizing as it will tend to be crunchy (the macarnio should be tender). But also, the dressing will have a much harder time adhering to the macaroni (thus the macaroni salad will end up oily) if undercooked as having them ever so slightly cooked longer than al dente is what will help with binding of the dressing.
Soak vegetables in water. This is another tip that is also not strictly required. However, there are some individuals who find raw vegetables to be too sharp and pungent once you chop/dice them and add them straight to the Macaroni Salad. In a lot of dishes, this problem is resolved by sauteeing the vegetables, but you want to avoid doing that for this kind of dish because ideally you want the vegetable to remain crunchy for best overall texture. With that being said, soaking the vegetables in water for about 5 to 10 minutes will help to temper the intense flavor of the raw vegetables without them using their crunchiness once you do add then to the salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I substitute the Mayonnaise for Miracle Whip?
The answer to this question gets tricky.
You *COULD* replace the mayo with Miracle Whip, but with a couple of important caveats. While there are many similarities to both of them and they are often used interchangeably in many dishes, their composition is not entirely equal. For starters, Miracle Whip tends to contain both sugar and water, both of which can change the overall flavor profile of the macaroni salad. In addition, Miracle Whip tend to have a lower fat content than Mayonnaise as it contains less oil.
All of that said, the short and sweet answer I can give you is I don’t recommend it. For a more detailed answer, see above.
Can I add Hard Boiled Eggs to this recipe?
Absolutely! I officially left this ingredient out of the recipe, but it would be a perfect addition to the Macaroni Salad if desired. If you choose to do so, I recommend adding between 2 and 3 hard boiled eggs for the best overall flavor and texture.
Can I substitute the Dijon Mustard for Yellow Mustard?
This Macaroni Salad recipe has not been tested with the use of yellow mustard. That being said, the issue with yellow mustard is that it is made with distilled white vinegar which is more acidic than the white wine vinegar used in dijon mustard. Thus, you could end up with macaroni salad that’s a lot more tangy. So for that reason, I don’t recommend using yellow mustard in place of the dijon mustard.
Can you freeze this Macaroni Salad? And if so, for how long?
There are some types of Macaroni Salad that freeze well, but this is not one of them. It’s generally not recommended to freeze a mayonnaise-based macaroni salad, for a number of different reasons. For one, with the mayo consisting of both eggs and oil, it will tend to lose its emulsifying properties once below freezing and will separate when thawed out, becoming an oily mess. In addition, the macaroni noodles will have a tendency to become rubbery.
How long can you store this Macaroni Salad in the refrigerator?
As long as the Macaroni Salad is stored in an airtight container or bowl, it should be safe to eat for at least 3 days. After 3 days, it may begin to lose its flavor & texture. Once 5 days have passed, I would advise that you dispose of the macaroni salad as it may no longer be edible.
Try These Other Sides
-
Best Southern Potato Salad Recipe
-
Easy Honey Cornbread Recipe
-
Best Baked Mac and Cheese
-
Homemade Baked Beans (NO Canned Beans)
Easy Macaroni Salad Recipe
Equipment
- 1 5qt Pot
- 1 Cooking Spoon
- 1 Colander
- 1 8qt Mixing Bowl
- 1 Knife
- Butcher Block *OR* Cutting Mat
- Measuring Cups/Spoons
- 2 Small Mixing Bowls
- Aluminum Foil or Plastic Wrap
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Small Elbow Macaroni
- 8 Cups` Water (for boiling)
- 1/2 TBSP Iodized Salt (for boiling)
- 1 Celery Stick (Small Diced)
- 1/2 Medium Red Onion (*OR* 1/4 Jumbo Red Onion; Small Diced)
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper (Small Diced)
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 3 TBSP Sweet Relish
- 1 1/2 TBSP Dijon Mustard
- 1 1/2 TBSP Distilled White Vinegar
- 2 TSP Iodized Salt
- 2 TSP Garlic Powder
- 1 TSP Dried Tarragon
- 1 TSP Dried Chives
- 1 TSP Dried Parsley
- 1/2 TSP Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Warm 8 cups of water in a 5qt on high heat until boiling briskly.
- Add 1/2 TBSP of iodized salt to boiling water then stir until well-dispersed and fully dissolved.
- Add macaroni to water and continue boiling on medium to medium-high heat for 7-9 minutes, or until Al Dente.
- Remove macaroni from heat and drain water using colander, then transfer to 8qt mixing bowl.
- Place macaroni in refrigerator and allow to chill while preparing dressing & chopping vegetables
- Chop celery, onion and bell pepper until small dices.
- For dressing, add ingredients (mayo, sour cream, white distilled vinegar, sweet relish, dijon mustard) in separate small mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
- Remove macaroni from refrigerator, add chopped vegetables to bowl, then mix until well combined.
- Add dressing to bowl and fold together with macaroni + vegetables until well combined.
- Add spices/herbs (excluding paprika) to bowl and fold together with macaroni, vegetables and dressing until well combined.
- Transfer macaroni salad to serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap or foil, and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours (ideally overnight).