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Classic Macaroni Salad + Video

June 16, 2017

This classic macaroni salad is another treasure from my grandmother’s collection. It’s easy and just a little different from the norm.

This classic macaroni salad is another treasure from my grandmother's collection. It's easy and just a little different from the norm.

I’ve written a lot over the last three years about my grandparents and their influence on me-just overall as well as on my cooking. My grandmother had many signature dishes (like this strawberry pie and this breakfast casserole) and I grew up watching her cook dinner nearly every night (we ate at their house more nights than not because my mom didn’t get home from work until dinnertime).

The strange thing is that there are lots of things that other people mention that my grandmother was known for of which I have no recollection, like tomatoes and artichokes, chicken stuffed with shrimp (now that’s a decadent dish!), and this classic macaroni salad. I guess they’re just things that I didn’t really eat as a kid, but it still seems strange to me that I don’t remember them.
This classic macaroni salad is another treasure from my grandmother's collection. It's easy and just a little different from the norm.
My grandmother passed away when I was fourteen and when my grandfather passed away when I was twenty-one I got my grandmother’s recipe books and a recipe card file that belonged to my great-grandmother. I remember going through them and not recognizing too many of the recipes…but over the years people have mentioned recipes to me and asked if I had a copy of them. I had my grandmother’s bright orange recipe book on my shelf but never could seem to find the recipes that people asked about.

The strangest thing happened in May. Philip had to clean out the basement closet (because we had too have a termite treatment-ick!) and pulled out a box of “stuff” that had been there since we moved in 2002. I figured it was a bunch of junk that we didn’t want anymore (and some of it was) but I found some dishes of my grandparents’….and the recipe book. And the card file. Recipes people had been asking about? There they were. Treasure. I nearly cried. But instead…I’m going to share those recipes with you. This classic macaroni salad is up first.
This classic macaroni salad is another treasure from my grandmother's collection. It's easy and just a little different from the norm.
For many years I wouldn’t touch pasta salad with a ten-foot pole. Languishing on salad bars it always looked heavy and a little greasy and made me cringe. When a friend brought a tortellini and balsamic pasta salad to a work potluck I changed my perspective on pasta salads but still had trouble finding a recipe that I loved to make. This is it. I’ve scaled the recipe down from my grandmother’s (sixteen servings!!!) and pickled the onions. The dill pickles and the cheddar cheese add a little flair to the salad, and the sour cream, mayo, and mashed egg yolk dressing is just a little unexpected.

Add this classic macaroni salad to your repertoire. Trust me. My grandmother knew what she was doing.

Shared on The Weekend Potluck on Served Up With Love.

This classic macaroni salad is another treasure from my grandmother's collection. It's easy and just a little different from the norm.

Mary

Yield: 6 servings

Macaroni Salad

20 minPrep Time:

10 minCook Time:

30 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

  • ÂĽ cup white wine vinegar
  • ½ small onion, finely diced
  • 5 ounces small shell or elbow pasta
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs
  • ½ teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/3 cup cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon garlic salt
  • ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1 Kosher pickle or 4 gherkin dills, diced
  • 4 ounces cheddar cheese, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, cleaned and diced
  • ½ bell pepper (any color), diced

Instructions

  1. Place the onion in a bowl and cover with the vinegar. Refrigerate until you are ready to mix the pasta salad-at least 30 minutes.
  2. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside until cool.
  3. Remove the yolks from the hard-boiled eggs (save the whites for another use, or have a snack). Mash the yolks. Combine the mashed yolks, mayonnaise, sour cream, dry mustard, and seasoned salt.
  4. Place the cooled pasta into a large bowl and add the pickles, cheese, celery, and bell pepper. Drain the onion and add to the bowl. Pour the dressing over and mix to combine. Adjust seasonings. Chill until ready to serve.
7.8.1.2
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https://chattavore.com/classic-macaroni-salad/

This classic macaroni salad is another treasure from my grandmother's collection. It's easy and just a little different from the norm.

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Filed Under: By Course, By Main Ingredients, Easy Recipes, Pasta, Recipe Videos, Recipes, Salad, Salads and Cold Dishes, Sides, Videos Tagged With: pasta, side dishes, Southern, vegetarian By Mary // Chattavore 12 Comments

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Comments

  1. Jessie Weaver says

    August 2, 2014 at 9:20 pm

    So sweet. When my paternal grandmother died, I got a recipe file of hers. I don't remember her making any of it, though - we lived far away and she wasn't much of a cook. Really the only thing I ever remember her making was the oyster dressing at Thanksgiving ... which kind of makes me gag. But my dad and his siblings love it. I love having the cards in her handwriting, though, and I was thinking of attempting some of those 60s recipes!
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      August 2, 2014 at 9:32 pm

      What makes me sad is that the one recipe I would kill for-her beef stew-isn't in any of the books/files that I have. Neither of my aunts have it either. It was the best beef stew I've ever had. I can't wait to make some more of my grandmother's recipes!
      Reply
      • Bridge says

        September 14, 2016 at 8:43 am

        How much mayonnaise and how much sour cream?
        Reply
        • Mary // Chattavore says

          September 14, 2016 at 7:56 pm

          I'm not sure what happened to those measurements - they used to be there! I've fixed it now, though. 1/3 cup mayonnaise and 1/2 cup sour cream. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!
          Reply
  2. Rae says

    June 16, 2017 at 3:21 pm

    How lucky you are to have some of your grandmother's recipes! I have very few of my grandmother's, and the recipes of hers that I really loved of course were never written down. I'll be saving this recipe for sure. My family loves macaroni salad and I love the addition of cheddar cheese.
    Reply
    • Mary // Chattavore says

      June 16, 2017 at 5:32 pm

      I am so glad that my grandmother wrote her recipes down so diligently. There are, unfortunately, still a few I'd like to have that she didn't write down...probably because she made them so often she didn't need a recipe. I hope you try this out!
      Reply
  3. Katie Crenshaw says

    June 16, 2017 at 5:17 pm

    I loved Macaroni Salad as a kid! This recipe brings me to my childhood. I love that you add pickles. I can't wait to try this.
    Reply
    • Mary // Chattavore says

      June 16, 2017 at 5:32 pm

      In my opinion, the pickles and the cheddar cheese make this salad! I hope you like it.?
      Reply
  4. Patty @ Spoonabilities says

    June 16, 2017 at 6:01 pm

    There isn't anything more special than having recipes from our moms or grandmothers. I have a few of my mom's handwritten recipes and I cherish them! I am definitely going to try your grandmother's pasta salad - it looks so great! Thank you for sharing!
    Reply
  5. Tara | Deliciously Declassified says

    June 16, 2017 at 7:25 pm

    I'm always willing to try a new pasta salad recipe - it's my guilty pleasure! I don't know if I've ever had one with hardboiled eggs in it but I imagine that it just adds richness to the dressing - yum! Thanks for sharing, I love old family recipes, they're always the best ones.
    Reply
  6. Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine says

    June 16, 2017 at 9:38 pm

    I love the sound of your dressing-- not just straight mayo. Lots of flavor!
    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Tortellini Pasta Salad - Chattavore says:
    June 24, 2020 at 5:50 pm
    […] adaptability. The pasta salads of my youth were mostly “macaroni salads” (including my grandmother’s macaroni salad, which I honestly do not remember her making but it is delicious). However, pasta salads are […]
    Reply

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About Chattavore

Hi, I'm Mary! Welcome to Chattavore, a destination for people who want to feed themselves and their families well every day! Life can be crazy, which means that getting dinner on the table can be a challenge (more often than not!) and my mission is to take all your favorite recipes and figure out how to serve them on a Tuesday.

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