Macaroni Salad
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!
Macaroni Salad is one of my mother’s favorite summertime dishes but I have to be honest here, until a few weeks ago, I had never tried it. ~waits for the collective gasp~ I know, I know, I’m a horrible person who has lived a wasted life. Thanks to my sister in law, Tina, I can now say that I am a card carrying member of the macaroni salad fan club. We made this at her house in Georgia for the Fourth of July and I think I ate enough to get a few gold stars on that card, as well!
Macaroni Salad is a staple at summer gatherings and family reunions. I know y’all may be thinking that I say that about a lot of dishes but you might not realize just how much food we have at our gatherings and reunions! This is served much like potato salad – cold and a perfect accompaniment to picnics and barbecues.
Reckon why Southerners take such a shining to this dish? Just look at the main ingredient: cheap and filling pasta. This is a traditional meal stretcher if there ever was one.
Cook pasta according to directions.
Drain and run cold water over it to cool it down. This also stops the cooking process.
Shake it around a little so it all gets rinsed in the cold water.
Drain well.
In a large mixing bowl, place mayo, mustard, and…
pimentos…
Stir that up really well.
Remember you left out the pickle relish and put that in next.
Add in your pickle relish.
Add your macaroni
Stir
Salt and pepper to taste, stir again. Chill well.
(sneak and eat a bowl of it now. I won’t tell)
Macaroni Salad
- 10 ounces Dry macaroni
- 1/2 – 3/4 C Mayo (If you like more dressing, add the full amount)
- 1 T spicy brown mustard (can use regular if you have it on hand!)
- 2-4 ounce jar of pimentos
- 1/3 C sweet pickle relish
- salt and pepper to taste (I start with 1/2 tsp of each)
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain in a collander and run cold water over it to cool. Mix all other ingredients together in medium mixing bowl. Add macaroni and mix well. Add more mayo if needed. Chill. Stir before serving.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A very happy birthday to my mother, Janice Davis!
I’d like to also wish a belated Happy Birthday to my dear friend, Michael Romine. Who is a dork. ~sticks out her tongue~
When life gives you lemons, put them in your sweet tea and thank God your a Southern Belle!
Submitted by Southern Plate Reader, Jamie. To submit your quote (I always need more!), click here.
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You had never tried macaroni salad? Really? Wow. When I went to visit my brother in Hawaii, it seemed all the local resturants served macaroni salad with everything! I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was served with breakfast. Crazy..
Anyways..looks yummy as ever and…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!
Thank you, Lindsay!!!
I know, my weirdness just keeps on being revealed! lol
Gratefully,
Christy
We actually live out in Hawaii and yes, macaroni salad is a big thing out here. I haven’t seen it served with breakfast though, we’ve got rice for that! =)
I haven’t tried it either, but I am not a fan of pimento or relish. I will have to skip out. Happy Birthday Momma!
You could actually make it without either but you know what, if it ain’t yer thang, it ain’t yer thang! There is always plenty more good stuff so I wouldn’t sweat it!
Gratefully,
Christy
quick question, Who won the Mixer??
Hey! Lesley in Alabama! She actually commented a few down on this post. I announced it in email and have been so busy I haven’t had time to go back and add it to the post! I’m so sorry about that. Been crazy busy lately!
Gratefully,
Christy
Yum!! I love macaroni salad, I’ve never made it. This is a recipe I will try.
TY so much, Kim! Hope you like it half as much as I did!
Gratefully,
Christy
I may have to give this one a try for a cook out!
Yes who won the mixer you never anounced it. LOL
Hey! Cookout? can I come?
I announced it in an email to my subscribers but I haven’t had time to post it! been so crazy busy, I’m sorry about that. I’m supposed to be working on a book proposal today and am about to forbid myself to view southernplate until I’m done! lol
Lesley in Alabama, her comment is a few down below this one!
Another giveaway is coming up very soon!
Gratefully,
Christy
OMG that video is too funny!!
ohh yummy! one of my favorite summer dishes. I usually toss in a can of albacore tuna and turn it into a complete lunch.
Oh one more thing! LOL Add a little tuna to that and you have a yummy lunch or dinner!
Happy Birthday to your mom! I love pasta, pimentos, and pickle relish so I am going to make this for our beach trip next weekend. I make homemade pimento cheese all the time. Craved it like crazy while I was pregnant. Big Southern staple. I emailed my home address to you did you receive it?
Thanks,
Lesley
HEY! I thought I had emailed you back. I must have done it in my head, as I am prone to do! Hamilton Beach said you should receive it by week’s end or early next week!! So sorry, been crazy with work on this book proposal. They want it ready to shop around yesterday!
Oh My! This recipe is so different from the West Virginia Macaroni Salad I’m used to! I may have to give it a try!
What’s in a West Virginia macaroni salad? I’m curious!
Happy Birthday, Mom Janice. Hope you have a good one. And belated Happy Birthday to Michael too…..I always do what I’m told, lol
Oh Mac salad is so good and refreshing. And there are so many things that you can put into it. Just dump lots of your favorite veggies, or meats or seafood, and away you go.
Happy birthday Christy’s mama!
Your mama has a FABULOUS birthday!!! It is my birthday today, too!!!
Happy Birthday Janice!!!!
Even though it is cloudy and rainy here in North Alabama on our birthday, at least the trees and flowers are getting a drink!!
Hope you have a great day!!
Happy Birthday Lisa!!
Thank you so much, JoAnn!!
MOST importantly.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!
Now, I do like macaroni salad. its very strange but the last two times I bought it at the store, it tasted very strange. Almost acidic. I refuse to buy it again.
Store bought Mac Salad is certainly not like
homemade and you can never tell how old it is.
It is very easy to make.
chopped boiled eggs are a yummy addition as well
This is a bit different from the mac salad I grew up with–even here in North AL. We always put mayo, tomatoes, onions and bell peppers with a little salt and pepper to taste. I haven’t had it in years! I’ll have to make some before the summer is over!
~Lisa
Lisa, thanks for posting your ingredients, that sounds yum! I am not a fan of pimentos, I just never liked the taste and relish I only use on hot dogs and in deviled eggs. So you can see this recipe doesn’t work for me.
So, if I use the recipe and switch out pimentos and relish and add yours instead that should work! 
Best Wishes to Mama on her birthday. I have made macaroni salad all my adult life but I have never put in pimentos. I use diced celery, diced onion and pickle relish but the biggest thing missing from yours is hard cooked eggs. My dressing would include mayo, salad mustard, vinegar, sugar, S&P. If I am being fancy I might include olives-black or green but in th einterst of cheap I don’t usually.
I love Mac Salad. I always put chopped sweet onion
in mine and chopped celery. I chop up bread and
butter pickles instead of relish. I do use the pimento
for the color and I like the taste.
I use the Mayo dressing but sometimes to change it a
little , I use Asian Sesame dressing. When I do that
I leave out the pickles or relish. You can get the
Asian Sesame dressing at the WalMart.
I sure have been enjoying the Farmers Market this
summer…All those fresh veggies.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MOM.
I make mine basically the same way, never have put in the pimentos, will try that, but I like dill relish better, and usually use the yellow mustard, the spicy brown will kick it up a notch or two. Thanks for the recipe!
Happy Birthday Christy’s Mom…I hope your day is filled with fun surprises and lots of love.
I make mac salad different every time. I usually chop up some nice fresh tomatoes, but i will try the pimentos. thank you for yet another easy yummy recipe.
LYB/
Happy Birthday “Mama”. I hope it’s a wonderful one filled with great memories.
Happy birthday to you Janice!! My mama, Carole, was born today too!
Hope this is your best year ever!!……Tammy
P.S. I make my macaroni salad the same except I add a little finely shredded onion. Yum! Yum!
Happy Birthday, Mrs. Davis.
May the year starting today be healthy, prosperous, and just plain mostly happy.
Christy—
Macaroni salad is SO good, and there are endless variations. The one you posted is a nice starting point.
I usually add small cubes of mozzarella (spray your knife blade with Pam or similar, and have a better mozzarella experience!) and sprinkle Parmesan, leave out the pickle relish,mustard, and mayonnaise, and add green or red pepper in small squares, some onion– like Vidalia, and use Italian style dressing.
omgosh HAPPY BIRTHDAY Christy’s Momma
hope its great. The video with the eggs CRACKED me up lo, get it..CRACKED me up haha.. Ok Ill just shut up now ROTFL . I LOVE mac salad, Carm
Happy Birthday Janice(Mama)! Many blessings to you! I am also a July baby! That JIBJAB was hysterical!! I don’t think I’ll ever look at eggs the same way again! I’m feeling a little bad about the breakfast I had today!HeeHee
I love macaroni salad but have never made it with pimento or relish. It sounds delicious!
Bountiful blessings!
I’ll admit I haven’t tried macaroni salad either, I always thought it had celery in it and I am not a celery fan at all. I will have to give this one a try though!
Happy Birthday Christy’s Momma!!
Happy birthday mama Davis. I hope you always have happy,healthy birthdays. I enjoyed the cartoon, and really enjoy mac. salad.
How can this be Mac. salad without onion? just a little bit of chopped onion.?? maybe one green onion?
Jo in Sapulpa
Happiest of Birthdays to you, Mrs. Davis!! I would sing to you, buuuut I think you have already heard my singing ….and once a year is probably one too many. I send you best wishes for God’s blessings for your continued good health, prosperity & peacefulness.
You MUST be such a wonderful mama and I know all the many loving things you have done are truly appreciated by your loving daughter, Christy. She thinks you hung the moon. I think so too. Can’t wait to hug your neck when I meet’ya. Lovingly, Terri
P.S. I saw a comment about small bits of chopped onion….maybe in the coming year you can “teach” Christy to chop it just like you like it….tiny in her Macaroni salad. ha ha
Do you have a special brand of mayo you use with this? My mom’s coleslaw never tasted the same until I got it ‘right’ with her brand of mayo… Thanks for the recipe! I can’t wait to try another!
The macaroni salad sounds good but I’ve always made it like Elaine above. To me it’s not macaroni salad until it has chopped hard- boiled eggs. I have had it with pickle relish which is very good, both the sweet relish and one with the dill pickle relish. YUM!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!!! Hope it’s a great one with many more to come
MmMmMmMm….I love Macaroni Salad…definitely a summer staple in my neck of the woods.
Hehehe…I see my quote at the end of this post!!!!
Immediately after I read this quote I thought of you.
Hope ya’ll are having a wonderful summer.
-Jamie
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m the same as you Christy, I had not eaten pasta salad until recently. I always used to see it at parties and never ate it, for some reason the thought of cold pasta turned me off.
But I tried it, and it’s so good! What have I been missing out on?!?!!
Same with coleslaw, I never ate it until about a year ago. I always used to change my side of coleslaw when I had KFC, but now I love coleslaw!
Another good one, I’m sure! Anxious to give it a try.
Happy Birthday to your mom!!
Love and appreciate your daily quotes, Christy, but would you please change ‘your’ to ‘you’re’ a Southern Belle?
Never been a big fan of the macsalad, but perhaps if I make my own I’ll like it. As for the jib jab: Too funny! LOL Loved it! Hope you and your mama had a fun time on her birthday.
I love macaroni salad but don’t make it often (not sure why?) Anyway, I was looking in my recipe box on the foodnetwork and found that early last year I saved a recipe for a famous name macaroni salad(cannot remember the persons name!!) It has ALOT of ingredients in it almost like a pasta salad.
It was YUMMY!! It had elbow mac, 2 cheeses diced plus grated parm, onions, salami, pimento, chopped dill pickles, black olives..it had a mayo dressing. It was really good!!
Hope your mom had a great Birthday!!
Happy Belated Birthday to your mother. I love mac salad. I make mine like I do my potato salad. noodles – onions – bell peppers – mayo – brown mustard – salt and pepper – dill weed. So So good.
Thanks for the post and Happy Cooking !!!
I grew up in WV, but have been living in NC for years now. I love macaroni salad, but it seems I always make mine a lil different than most, especially around here.
I use fresh chopped tomato, onion, cucumber, mayo, boiled eggs, salt and pepper, and occasionally, because I like them I add in black olives! The cucumbers for me really give it a fresh taste!
Thanks for sharing all of your recipes, I’ve really enjoyed looking over your site!
From NC here and I make it like yours Angie only I dont add boiled eggs.. I also sprinkle a lil celery seeds in mine …
Christy. just wanted to let you know you have a wonderful site..just stumbled upon it a couple of days ago..Thanks so much for being so caring and thoughtful!!