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Home » Recipes » Salad Recipes

Southern Macaroni Salad

Published: Jul 13, 2022 by Jan Nunes

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Portrait image macaroni salad in a glass bowl with text overlay.
Portrait image macaroni salad in a glass bowl with wooden spoons and text overlay.
Portrait image macaroni salad in a glass bowl with wooden spoons and text overlay.
Collage of images of macaroni salad with text overlay.
Portrait image macaroni salad in a glass bowl with wooden spoons and text overlay.

Creamy Southern Macaroni Salad is a classic side dish that is perfect for picnics, cookouts, and casual suppers.

Shell pasta macaroni salad in a glass bowl.

This macaroni salad has a creamy southern-style salad dressing and is loaded with tasty flavors of sweet, salty, and savory stir-ins. If you don't have time to wait for potatoes to cook this salad is quicker to make since macaroni takes just a few minutes to boil.

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Substitutions & Variations
  • Make-Ahead & Storage
  • My Top Tips
  • More Delicious Salads
  • 📖 Recipe

It is amazing what you learn from people at potlucks. Many years ago I had the best macaroni salad I ever had at a work potluck made by a co-worker. It was like any macaroni salad with a sweet yet savory mayo dressing and it contained hard-cooked eggs and chopped celery, but then it had so much more. First, she used small shell pasta to make her salad. Then she loaded it up with salty black olives, sweet red onion, and tiny chunks of sweet gherkin pickles. This salad was amazing!

I talked with her about her recipe and she said she loved using the small shells to make macaroni salad. It made her dish special and adding the black olives, red onion, and gherkin pickles loaded her salad with lots of flavor and interest.

This recipe might look familiar because it resembles Classic Potato Salad. Both recipes have sweetened and seasoned mayonnaise and both recipes contain sweet pickles, celery, and hard-cooked eggs. But this Southern Macaroni Salad is loaded with even more goodies like chopped red onion and sliced black olives.

Ingredients

Ingredients labeled clockwise top right: celery, olives, sweet gherkins, mustard, sweet pickle juice, salt, black pepper, miracle whip, red onion, shell pasta, and large eggs.
  • Macaroni - Any small macaroni is a great choice. Short and soup pasta like small shells, small elbows, salad macaroni (also called ditalini), and rotini are all great choices.
  • Celery - Fresh dark green salad gives a nice crunch to the salad.
  • Sweet Gherkins - Chopped sweet gherkins give more texture than sweet relish.
  • Black Olives - Salty and loaded with umami flavors, black olives give a big punch of flavor.
  • Hard-Boiled Eggs - Hard-boiled eggs add a bit of protein to the salad. But, these can be optional.
  • Red Onion - Raw red onions are sweet and flavorful. You only need a little to make an impact.
  • Mayonnaise - Use your favorite brand. I prefer the tangy flavor of Miracle Whip Salad Dressing.
  • Yellow Mustard - It is not a southern-style macaroni salad without yellow mustard in the dressing.
  • Sweet Pickle Juice - Sweet pickle juice is sweet and sour and takes the place of having to add vinegar and sugar to the dressing.
  • Salt - Just plain table salt works just fine.
  • Black Pepper - Freshly ground black pepper has a distinctive flowery aroma which is best.

Please see the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Uncooked shell pasta in a white bowl.

Cook the macaroni or pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse thoroughly in cold water.

The salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Place the well-drained cooled macaroni in a large mixing bowl and add the chopped celery, sweet gherkins, hard-boiled eggs, onion, and sliced olives.

The salad dressing ingredients (not mixed) in a small bowl with a whisk.
The salad dressing ingredients mixed together in a small bowl with a whisk.

In a small-sized bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, sweet pickle juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

The salad ingredients and the dressing mixed together in a large bowl.

Pour the dressing over the macaroni salad ingredients and mix well.

The macaroni salad is in a clear glass container.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with a sprinkling of sweet paprika and chopped parsley, if desired.

Square image of macaroni salad in a glass bowl.

Substitutions & Variations

Budget-Friendly Version. You can make this salad with fewer ingredients to make a more budget-friendly salad. Just omit the olives, eggs, and red onion and purchase the least expensive macaroni regardless of the shape.

Make-Ahead & Storage

This salad is best when made ahead of at least 1 hour for the flavors to marry. Refrigerate any leftovers promptly in a sealed container. This salad will stay tasty up to 4 days after making it.

My Top Tips

Do not overcook the macaroni! Start checking if the macaroni is cooked at the minimum stated cooking time for the package of macaroni you are cooking. Then test frequently until the macaroni is just barely tender to the bite. This makes the best-defined and toothsome salad.

Make it creamy, again. Macaroni is very absorbent and may soak up much of the dressing over time. If this happens and the salad is tight, stir in a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise or heavy cream to loosen it and make it creamy again.

Shell pasta macaroni salad in a glass bowl with wooden spoons.

More Delicious Salads

  • Green Goddess Pasta Salad
  • Zucchini Salad
  • Italian Marinated Shrimp

📖 Recipe

Macaroni salad with red onion and black olives in a glass bowl.

Southern Macaroni Salad

4.50 from 2 votes
Encharted Cook | Jan Nunes
Creamy Southern Macaroni Salad is a classic side dish that is perfect for picnics, cookouts, and casual suppers.
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Prep Time 20 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 8 Servings
Calories 187 kcal

Ingredients
 

Salad Ingredients

  • ½ Pound Macaroni, Small Shells, Small Elbow, Ditalini, or Rotini
  • ½ Cup Celery , Diced ¼", About 2 Stalks
  • ½ Cup Sweet Gherkins, Diced ¼"
  • 3 Hard Boiled Eggs, Chopped
  • ½ Red Onion, Diced ¼"
  • ½ Cup Sliced Black Olives

Dressing Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Miracle Whip Salad Dressing, or Mayonnaise
  • 1 Teaspoons Yellow Mustard
  • 2 Teaspoons Sweet Pickle Juice
  • ½ Teaspoon Salt
  • ½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Optional Garnishes

  • Sweet Paprika
  • Chopped Fresh Parsley

Instructions
 

  • Cook the macaroni or pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse thoroughly in cold water.
    ½ Pound Macaroni
  • Place the well-drained cooled macaroni in a large mixing bowl and add the chopped celery, sweet gherkins, hard-boiled eggs, red onion, and sliced black olives.
    ½ Cup Celery, ½ Cup Sweet Gherkins, ½ Cup Sliced Black Olives, 3 Hard Boiled Eggs, ½ Red Onion
  • In a small-sized bowl whisk together the Miracle Whip, yellow mustard, sweet pickle juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
    1 Cup Miracle Whip Salad Dressing, 1 Teaspoons Yellow Mustard, 2 Teaspoons Sweet Pickle Juice, ½ Teaspoon Salt, ½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • Pour the dressing over the macaroni salad ingredients and mix well.
  • Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with a sprinkling of sweet paprika and chopped parsley, if desired.
    Sweet Paprika, Chopped Fresh Parsley

Notes

Substitutions & Variations
Budget-Friendly Version. You can make this salad with fewer ingredients to make a more budget-friendly salad. Just omit the olives, eggs, and red onion and purchase the least expensive macaroni regardless of the shape.
Make-Ahead & Storage
This salad is best when made ahead of at least 1 hour for the flavors to marry. Refrigerate any leftovers promptly in a sealed container. This salad will stay tasty up to 4 days after making it.
My Top Tips
Do not overcook the macaroni! Start checking if the macaroni is cooked at the minimum stated cooking time for the package of macaroni you are cooking. Then test frequently until the macaroni is just barely tender to the bite. This makes the best-defined and toothsome salad.
Make it creamy, again. Macaroni is very absorbent and may soak up much of the dressing. If this happens and the salad is tight, stir in a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise or heavy cream to loosen it and make it creamy again.

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 628mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg

All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.

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I'm Jan and I love to cook for friends and family. Over the years I have learned that many recipes are related and if you learn to make one delicious dish and you can make many more. So come join me as I chart recipes and ingredients and share my favorite dishes.

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