Homestyle Macaroni Salad

This quick and easy homestyle macaroni salad is the perfect side dish for your Spring picnics and Summer barbecues!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Macaroni Salad

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Total Time 18

Servings servings

Calories 250kcal

Author Jenn Laughlin - Peas and Crayons

Ingredients

2 cups elbow macaroni (or approx 1/2 of a 16 oz box)
1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
1 cup finely diced celery (4 stalks/ribs)
½ cup finely diced white or yellow onion
2-3 TBSP chopped green onion to garnish
⅛ tsp paprika

FOR THE DRESSING:

½ cup plain nonfat or lowfat greek yogurt
½ cup homemade or store-bought mayo
2 TBSP white vinegar
1 TBSP dijon mustard
1 TBSP yellow mustard
1/4-1/2 tsp of dried parsley
1/4-1/2 tsp of salt
¼ tsp of garlic powder (plus extra to taste)
any additional salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the noodles per package directions and drain in a colander.
To make the dressing, whisk together above ingredients. Pour half the dressing over the salad and chill to allow flavors to meld. When you're ready to serve, pour the remainder of the dressing over the salad and dig in!
Stir in your chopped veggies and pour over approx half the dressing, mixing well.
Steal a taste and feel free to adjust seasoning as needed.
Extra garlic is common in this house as is lots of extra bell pepper and green onion - add whatever extra veggies/spices you'd like!
Pop the entire bowl in the fridge, covered (along with a separate container of the remaining dressing) and allow to cool.
Add the remainder of the sauce just before serving for maximum creaminess (otherwise those hungry noodles will absorb it all!)
Dig in that very same day or up to four days later. This is a great potluck/party side dish that can be made in advance or whipped up and served fresh as a last minute addition! With pasta salads, anything goes!

Notes

macaroni measurements: a typical 16oz box of dry elbow macaroni will deliver around eight 1/2 cup servings once cooked. If you use half the box (8oz =1 + 3/4 cups of macaroni]) you'll wind up with 4 servings. This will help if you're trying to calculate how much you need for an intimate group. If you're feeding a crowd, by all means make the whole box and skip measuring entirely. Just make sure you whisk together some extra dressing and add extra veggies.

For the peppers, you can use all one color or grab bag of multi-colored sweet mini peppers and get your rainbow on! I did this for the batch pictured in the photos.

Nutrition Facts below are estimated using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed and enjoy!

Nutrition