Macaroni Salad

Name: Macaroni Salad
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 16 ounces short pasta (1 lb bag short pasta - Anthony's brand); 6 hard-boiled eggs (chopped); 3 cups celery (diced); 2 cups green onions ( sliced); 2 cups dill pickles (chopped); 2 cups picked juice from dill pickles; 1 cup black sliced olives (2 small cans of sliced black olives); 1 cup mayonnaise; 1/4 cup yellow mustard; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon pepper

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Last Updated October 13th, 2020 at 09:59 pm by Lisa

The BEST Macaroni Pasta Salad recipe with chopped eggs, pickles, and PICKLE JUICE! A favorite old-fashioned recipe loved by all. Serve mac salad for cookouts, potlucks, BBQs, or serve as picnic food.

Friends and family have laughed as they fill up their plates chuckling at themselves, and can't stop eating this recipe, and go back for seconds. I have seen thirds happen, the struggle is real...

A white plate filled with a serving of macaroni salad made with eggs and pickles and a silver fork on the plate ready to take a bite!

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How To Make Macaroni Salad

Place water in a medium pot, the water doesn't have to cover the eggs...who knew? Boil eggs for 14 minutes. Peel eggs (see notes below for more tips!)
Using the same water, boil the pasta. (Adding salt is optional.) Gradually add pasta, stirring to separate it, and return to a boil. Boil uncovered, stirring occasionally until desired tenderness. Drain.
While the pasta is boiling, chop finely: celery, green onions, dill pickles, and peeled eggs.
In a large bowl, mix all chopped ingredients into the warm pasta: celery, green onions, chopped pickles, pickle juice, chopped eggs, black olives, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, sea salt, pepper, and chill for several hours or overnight. The warm pasta will absorb the pickle juice as it sits in the fridge, that is what makes it so good!
Optional: Slice a couple of eggs and places them on top with sprinkles of paprika to make it pretty!
Serve in a large bowl or inexpensive paper Chinese takeout containers (order online), great for picnics and parties. Keep this macaroni salad chilled at all times, or serve immediately.

Mason Jar Egg Peeling Hack:

Simply place a cool egg in a mason jar, place the lid on or cover with your hand and shake for a few seconds. It only works one egg at a time, trust me I tried! It is so much faster than peeling them the old-fashioned way, but it takes time too.

How Long Can You Keep Macaroni Salad?

Keep macaroni salad up to five days stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container. Again, this mac salad should always be kept cold as it has eggs and mayonnaise.

A hack to peel eggs, with one down in a Mason jar taking the shell off to make macaroni salad.

A white plate with a large serving of macaroni salad with a silver fork digging in for a bite!

Serving Macaroni Salad:

Keep this salad cold and or chilled as it has mayonnaise in the ingredients.

PICNIC TIPS:

You can place it on a bowl of ice, or ice packs during a party, or take from the fridge right before serving.

Pack macaroni salad in inexpensive (order online) Chinese take out boxes for picnics. They make it so easy to give one to each person and saves time people love having their own little box!

Macaroni pasta salad served from a chinese take out container at a picnic party with red and white checkered tablecloth.

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Serve up the VERY BEST Potato Salad with Red (crispy bacon), White (potato), & Blue (cheese) with crisp celery and green onions. And, this potato salad is perfect for patriotic holidays like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or Labor Day!

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Two bowls of Loaded Potato Salad in white bowls with forks ready to eat.

Make a big bowl of macaroni pasta salad, and watch it disappear at your next party!

All The Best Dishes,

Lisa XO

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Print Pin Recipe

The BEST Macaroni Salad with chopped eggs, pickles, and pickle juice in this old fashioned recipe loved by all. Make a huge batch, it's always a hit!

Course Side Dishes & Vegetables

Cuisine American

Keyword mac salad, macaroni salad, macaroni salad recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings

Calories 334kcal

Author Lisa Hatfield

Equipment

Epicurean Non-Slip Cutting Board

Chef Knife

Picnic Chinese Take Out Containers

Ingredients

16 ounces short pasta 1 lb bag short pasta - Anthony's brand
6 hard-boiled eggs chopped
3 cups celery diced
2 cups green onions sliced
2 cups dill pickles chopped
2 cups picked juice from dill pickles
1 cup black sliced olives 2 small cans of sliced black olives
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup yellow mustard
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place water in a medium pot, the water doesn't have to cover the eggs...who knew? Boil eggs for 14 minutes. Peel eggs (see notes below for more tips!)
Using the same water, boil the pasta. (Adding salt is optional.) Gradually add pasta, stirring to separate it and return to a boil. Boil uncovered, stirring occasionally until desired tenderness. Drain.
While the pasta is boiling, chop finely: celery, green onions, dill pickles, and peeled eggs.
In a large bowl, mix all chopped ingredients into the warm pasta: celery, green onions, chopped pickles, pickle juice, chopped eggs, black olives, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, sea salt, pepper, and chill for several hours or overnight. The warm pasta will absorb the pickle juice as it sits in the fridge, that is what makes it so good!
Optional: Slice a couple eggs and places them on top with sprinkles of paprika to make it pretty!
Serve in large bowl or inexpensive paper Chinese takeout containers (order online), great for picnics and parties. Keep this macaroni salad chilled at all times, or serve immediately.

Notes

Pasta: I use a small macaroni pasta made by Anthony's Pasta, I love the way it looks, but any small pasta will work fine.

Tips for Boiling and Peeling Eggs: Place water in a medium pot, the water doesn't have to cover the eggs...who knew? Boil eggs for 14 minutes. Remove eggs and place in a large bowl of ice water. Then crack the shells, and peel underwater. The shells come right off, what a time saver! You are welcome, I knew you would love this one. Another peeling egg trick is to simply place a cool egg in a mason jar. Place the lid on the jar or cover with your hand and shake for a few seconds. It only works one egg at a time, trust me I tried! It is so much faster than peeling them the old-fashioned way!

Servings Tips: Keep this macaroni salad chilled at all times, or serve immediately.

Nutrition

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The chopped pickles and pickle juice make it super tangy and tasty...

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