Southern Style Macaroni Salad Recipe

This crowd-pleasing Southern-style macaroni salad recipe is a true family favorite! Macaroni pasta is tossed in a creamy mayonnaise sauce with crunchy veggies, crispy bacon, and boiled eggs for one delicious side dish.

The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.

When it comes to side dishes, you can't go wrong with a macaroni salad, and this Southern-style recipe is one of my all-time favorites!

It's not one I grew up with, but one I've had so many times since moving to the Carolinas. It seemed like every potluck I attended had some pasta salad. After trying so many over the years, I've landed on this version as my go-to macaroni pasta salad.

For this recipe, you need a creamy, delicious mayo-based sauce. You'll also usually find hard-boiled eggs in this type of salad, similar to the Southern potato salad, but you can omit them if you prefer. I added bacon for a salty flavor and a diced sweet apple to balance the dish. Apples in the macaroni salad? Trust me, it's an excellent addition.

How to make Southern-style macaroni salad

Step 1: Prepare the elbow macaroni as indicated on the box, drain it, and set it aside to cool.

Step 2: In a large bowl, add mayonnaise, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, honey, and dill relish. Stir until thoroughly combined.

Step 3: Add onion, red bell pepper, celery, cheddar cheese, apple, bacon, elbow macaroni, and egg (if using) to the large bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined, ensuring all the macaroni noodles are evenly coated with the mayonnaise dressing.

Step 4: Salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy.

How long does it keep?

This is a great make-ahead dish; once you have tossed everything together in the dressing, cover it and refrigerate it. It will keep well for 3 to 4 days. Because it contains mayo, it shouldn't be kept at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Can you use other types of pasta?

Elbow macaroni is perfect for this dish, but other shorter pasta can be used in a pinch. Penne, bow tie, or fusilli all make great substitutions or use your favorite GF pasta for a gluten-free recipe. Just make sure you stick with 8 oz pf pasta. Too much pasta will make your dish dry.

What do you serve it with?

This Southern-style macaroni salad is great to serve alongside, meat, seafood, and chicken dishes. Try it with:

• Juicy Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
• Air Fryer Steak
• Garlic Parmesan Spatchcock Chicken
• Air Fryer Salmon Patties

More Salad Recipes

• Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Southern Potato Salad Recipe
• Quinoa Avocado Salad
• Fresh Corn Salad Recipe

Tanya

Southern Style Macaroni Salad Recipe

4.72 from 7 votes

This crowd pleasing Southern style macaroni recipe is a true family favorite! Macaroni pasta is tossed in a creamy mayonnaise sauce with crunchy veggies, crispy bacon and boiled eggs for one delicious side dish.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Calories: 439

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 8 oz uncooked elbow macaroni noodles
• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon of honey
• 2 Tablespoons dill relish
• ¾ cup of chopped sweet onion
• ½ cup of chopped red bell pepper
• ⅓ cup of chopped celery
• ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup of diced green golden delicious apple
• 6 strips of bacon cooked and chopped
• 2 hard boiled eggs chopped (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

1. Prepare elbow macaroni as indicated on the box, drain, and set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, add mayonnaise, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, honey, and dill relish. Stir until fully combined.
3. Add onion, red bell pepper, celery, cheddar cheese, apple, bacon, elbow macaroni, and egg (if using) to the large bowl. Stir until fully combined and all the macaroni noodles are coated with the mayonnaise dressing.
4. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy.

Nutrition

Calories: 439kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 10gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 440mgPotassium: 191mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 484IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 1mg

Notes

• Cook the pasta al dente. If you overcook it, it can become too soft and mushy.
• Let the pasta cool before tossing it in the dressing. If the mayonnaise is added to hot pasta it can separate.
• If you are on a hurry, you can run the cooked pasta under a cold tap to cool it quickly.
• Store covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!