Scott's Recipe

Macaroni Salad - Southern

Category: Salads

1 lb uncooked elbow macaroni pasta
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
½ tsp minced, pressed, or grated fresh garlic
1 sweet onion, diced
2 cups chopped celery
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley


1. Cook macaroni in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions for al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. While the pasta cooks, chop the onion, celery, bell pepper, eggs, and parsley. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, pickle relish, and garlic until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, combine cool pasta, onion, celery, bell pepper, eggs, and parsley. Toss with dressing and refrigerate until ready to serve.

*****Notes*****
Use any short pasta, such as elbow macaroni, mini shells, or rotini.
If you like a sweet burst of flavor, add peas to your macaroni salad.
Omit the hardboiled eggs if you don’t care for them.
Instead of sweet pickle relish, use chopped sweet pickles, chopped dill pickles, or dill pickle relish.
A hint of garlic in the background adds another layer of flavor. You can omit this ingredient altogether if you don’t care for raw garlic in your salad, or substitute with a pinch of garlic powder.