Macaroni Salad

This bright and flavorful macaroni salad has crisp vegetables and tangy sauce to round out any cookout.

If you want pans that heat evenly and clean easily, this is the newer Ninja set I recommend.

All nutrition facts are AI generated and approximate.

Ingredients

• 2 cups macaroni
• 2 carrots (finely sliced)
• 2 stalks celery (finely sliced)
• 4 mini sweet peppers (finely sliced)
• ½ white onion (finely chopped)
• 2 boiled eggs
• 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
• ¾ cup mayo
• 2 Tbs dill relish
• 2 tsp prepared mustard
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper

Directions

1. Add macaroni to a Dutch oven of boiling salted water. Cook until al dente (about 7 minutes).
2. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and pour into a large bowl.
3. Mix in carrots, celery, peppers, and onion.
4. Chop boiled eggs, salt and pepper them, and add to the macaroni.
5. In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, mayo, dill relish, mustard, salt, and pepper.
6. Stir into the ingredients in the large bowl. Refrigerate for at least two hours, but best if overnight.

Notes

• Rinse cold: Rinsing the drained macaroni under cold water stops the cooking and cools it before it meets the dressing.
• Season the eggs: A little salt and pepper on the chopped boiled eggs keeps them from tasting bland in the mix.
• Chill for flavor: Refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight, so everything melds.
• Loosen leftovers: The pasta drinks up dressing as it sits—stir in a little extra mayo or a splash of vinegar before serving.
• Storage: Keeps 3–4 days covered in the fridge.

Why This Works

• Cold rinse firms the pasta: Halting the cooking keeps the macaroni tender-firm so it doesn’t go soft in the dressing.
• Vinegar and mustard cut richness: The apple cider vinegar and mustard balance the mayo so the salad tastes bright, not heavy.
• Chilling marries flavors: Resting lets the pasta absorb the tangy dressing and the vegetables season through.
• Fresh veg for contrast: Carrots, celery, and peppers add crunch against the creamy sauce and soft pasta.