Everyone needs this Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad recipe on hand to make for barbecues and potlucks. This is a great, classic macaroni salad recipe. It’s the best! Watch the video showing you how to make this recipe, then scroll to the bottom of this post to print out the complete recipe and make it at home.
For as long as I can remember, my mother has been making a similar version of this simple, classic macaroni salad recipe. It has always been my favorite. I don’t want anything fancy in my macaroni salad, so the simplest version works best for me. You must begin with the small noodles with the hole in the middle (otherwise known as ditalini). I suppose you could use small elbows too, but I personally love the little guys.
I toss my macaroni salad with a mixture of mayo, mustard and onion powder. I mix in a small amount of chopped celery and green onions. Chopped hard-boiled eggs are folded in at the end.
Ingredients
1 pound tri-colored spiral pasta
6 tablespoons salad seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian-style salad dressing
2 cups cherry tomatoes, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 (2.25 ounce) can black olives, chopped
Directions
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, rinse under cold water and drain.
Whisk together the salad spice mix and Italian dressing.
In a salad bowl, combine the pasta, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and olives. Pour dressing over salad; toss and refrigerate overnight.