The Best Macaroni Salad

The Best Macaroni Salad doesn't make you choose between ham or bacon. Use both in this easy pasta salad recipe, along with a creamy, classic Midwest salad dressing. This big-batch macaroni salad is perfect for potluck and party menus.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings servings (about 3/4-cup each)

Calories 314kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

For the dressing:

For the pasta salad:

1 pound elbow macaroni or other small pasta (see note 1)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (see note 2)
8 ounces ham diced (see note 3)
4 hard-boiled eggs sliced
6 slices cooked bacon chopped
5 ribs celery sliced
1 cup broccoli chopped (see note 4)
1 red bell pepper stemmed, seeded and diced
4 scallions sliced

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the dressing, in a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper).
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well, rinse with cold water, and drain again.
In a large bowl, add pasta, cheese, ham, bacon, eggs, celery, broccoli, pepper, and scallions. Drizzle with dressing to taste and stir to combine.

Video

Notes

Elbow macaroni: Or substitute rotini, farfalle, penne, or any other small cut pasta.
Cheese: Since we're not melting it, feel free to pick up a package of pre-shredded cheese. If you prefer, you can also dice up cubes of cheddar to mix into this pasta salad.
Ham: Leftover ham works great; just dice it up into bite-sized pieces. Or buy an 8-ounce package of diced ham at the store.
Bacon: To quickly and cleanly crisp up 6 strips, I swear by oven-frying it.
Broccoli: If you'd like to blanch the broccoli (optional), bring 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Add broccoli and cook until just tender and bright green, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking.
Yield: The Best Macaroni Salad recipe makes a party-sized batch; about 20 servings, depending on what else you're serving this alongside.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container or a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Make ahead: The dressing can be made up the day before and stored covered in the refrigerator. (I like to shake it up in a mason jar, then simply twist on the lid and it's ready to chill out.) The pasta can be cooked, drained, rinsed, and cooled up to 1 day in advance. The ham, bacon, and vegetables can be prepped the day before and stored separately in the refrigerator.

Nutrition