The Best Macaroni Salad for BBQ
A creamy, tangy macaroni salad made with elbow pasta, crisp vegetables, and a rich homemade dressing.
Servings 8
Calories 467kcal
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow macaroni
- 1 red bell pepper finely diced
- 4 ribs celery finely diced
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- ½ cup pickle relish
Macaroni salad dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp pickle juice
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tbsp Kosher salt
- ½ tbsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cook your elbow macaroni according to the package instructions, subtracting one minute of cook time for al dente. The pasta should be tender but still slightly firm.
- Rinse immediately with cold water and transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the bell pepper, celery, onion, and pickle relish to the bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the top of the macaroni salad and mix until pasta is well-coated.
- Store in the fridge for one hour before serving.
Salad dressing
- In a medium sized bowl, combine all the ingredients blend or whisk until well combined.
Notes
Cooking the pasta - Cooking the pasta until it is slightly underdone (al dente) ensures that it doesn't get clumpy and mushy while it sits in the fridge after the dressing has been added.
If your pasta is sitting for longer than about 20 minutes, you can drizzle a bit of olive oil on top to keep it from sticking together and let it sit at room temperature to cool.
Storage - It can be stored for up to five days in the fridge.
Nutrition
Calories: 467kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 855mg | Potassium: 282mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 711IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
