Macaroni noodles served in a creamy, tangy sauce and joined by the crunch of celery, peppers, onions, and radishes? It can only mean one thing: Pasta Salad with Mayo! Mix it up and let the flavors meld ahead of your next cookout.
“Reduce, reuse, recycle!” That’s my motto. It works when I’m sorting my plastics, glasses, and papers, and it works in the kitchen.
That’s how I “discovered” this recipe. I had made pasta for dinner but overestimated the amount of noodles I would need. Those little bites of macaroni stared up at me, as if to say, “Don’t throw us out! We still serve a purpose!” As their maker (of sorts), I didn’t feel it was right for me to forsake them so quickly, so I went about brainstorming further uses.
It didn’t take me long to come up with a pasta salad. Heck, with the noodles already cooked and cooled, I was already halfway there! I inspected my crisper in the fridge and procured a mix of veggies, some of which featured in the pasta dish I had just made. Then, with a jar of mayonnaise I had on hand, I went about making my concoction.
With a few minor adjustments since that fateful evening, this recipe was born. It combines fresh and pickled vegetables and a simple but delicious dressing to create a pasta salad that is more than the sum of its parts. It’s tangy, crunchy, creamy and satisfying.
And it leaves no pasta noodle behind!
Which noodle should I use?
The simple answer is that it’s completely up to you. Macaroni is what most people use, but any short pasta works well. A rigati pasta, which is one with grooves on the surface of the noodle, tends to work best because those grooves retain the sauce really well. For example, penne rigate will give you a better result than penne lisce. The macaroni pictured with this recipe is macaroni rigati. Some fun shapes you could try are cavatappi (if, for no other reason than it’s sometimes called Scooby-Doo pasta) or orecchiette (“little ears” in Italian), depending on how fancy you want to get.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. dry elbow macaroni or small pasta shape
- 1/4 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 medium bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
- 3 radishes, trimmed and finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 to 2 medium dill pickles, finely chopped (optional)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard (Dijon or whole grain mustard can be substituted)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
- 1 to 2 tbsp honey (optional, for a sweet version)
How to Make Pasta Salad with Mayo
Step 1: Cook pasta as directed on the package. Once done, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and remove excess starch.
Step 2: Place the chopped onions in a small bowl, cover with cold water, and let them sit for 5 minutes to mellow their sharp taste, then drain.
Step 3: In a large salad bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, cider vinegar, salt, and pepper to create the dressing. Add honey if you prefer a touch of sweetness.
Step 4: To the bowl with the dressing, add the cooked macaroni, drained onions, bell pepper, celery, radish, and pickles if using. Stir until everything is well coated with the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
FAQs & Tips
This pasta salad benefits from being made a few hours in advance (the previous day would be ideal). That will allow the flavors to develop and meld. The mayo can penetrate the veggies so you get a taste of it in every bite. Be sure to pull it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you serve it so it isn’t too cold though. The refrigerated air tends to mute flavor. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for three days in an airtight container, so make sure you finish it before the time elapses, as this is one dish that shouldn’t be frozen.
Given a majority of this dish is pasta, it’s important you get it right. So be sure to cook the pasta until it’s just done al dente then rinse it in plenty of cold water to stop the cooking process and to wash off any surface starches. It will soften later when the mayo is added so it should be more than firm when you’re done cooking it. While cooking it, don’t be afraid to add some salt to the water. This is your chance to influence its taste, and the addition of salt is a sure-fire way to do so. If it tastes bland, you probably didn’t salt the water sufficiently. If, for some reason, you want to reduce the amount of mayo the pasta absorbs, toss it with oil, and be sure to rinse off the starch after you’ve boiled it.
Yes, you may have noticed there isn’t any meat in this salad. But that doesn’t mean there can’t be. Grilled or roasted chicken breast or thigh meat, diced or shredded, can be added, as can turkey breast. Diced or cubed ham works well, as does another pork product: crispy bacon. Crumbled or chopped, it will add a nice smokey flavor. And don’t think seafood wouldn’t make a nice addition. Crab meat or salad shrimp would complement the pasta and the mayo. As would tuna, which is why I’ve used it in this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
If you added one of the meats I suggested in the FAQs, you can have this pasta salad on its own for lunch. Without the protein boost, it can feature as a side for dinner. I love it with any grilled or barbecued meats, especially chicken. Or a fish dish, like this Blackened Salmon. With its Cajun flavor, you’ll think you were in the Bayou. And once you learn How to Cook a Ribeye Steak, this side dish will be right there to applaud you (and join the meat on your plate).
Perfect Creamy Macaroni Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz. dry elbow macaroni or small pasta shape
- 1/4 medium red onion finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 medium bell pepper seeds removed and chopped
- 2 celery stalks finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
- 3 radishes trimmed and finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 to 2 medium dill pickles finely chopped (optional)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard Dijon or whole grain mustard can be substituted
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 to 2 tbsp honey optional, for a sweet version
Instructions
- Cook pasta as directed on the package. Once done, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and remove excess starch.
- Place the chopped onions in a small bowl, cover with cold water, and let them sit for 5 minutes to mellow their sharp taste, then drain.
- In a large salad bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, cider vinegar, salt, and pepper to create the dressing. Add honey if you prefer a touch of sweetness.
- To the bowl with the dressing, add the cooked macaroni, drained onions, bell pepper, celery, radish, and pickles if using. Stir until everything is well coated with the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
