Creamy Macaroni Salad- Creamy yet tart, and colorful
This Creamy Macaroni Salad has become a staple on our Easter dinner table. We also make it at least once a summer to enjoy with burgers and hot dogs on the grill. It’s creamy, has a wonderful texture with the diced carrots (and diced onions if you choose to add) and bacon. You can also easily make this dish vegan, see below to find that out.
The Ingredients
- Macaroni Noodles– I mean, it is Macaroni Salad. Use the brand of your liking.
- Eggs- These were something I randomly threw in early on in making this dish, with the egg and the Salad Supreme, it gives the dish a deviled egg feel as well.
- Carrots- Besides adding color, the carrots give this dish a nice texture so it’s not just soft.
- Cheddar Cheese- Another addition of flavor and a hint of color, this dish isn’t complete without this bit of cheese.
- Relish- another addition of both color and texture, the tartness of the relish works so well with the creaminess of the rest of the dish.
- Salt and Pepper- Use to your liking, omit the salt all together, Garlic Salt or Garlic Powder may also be a nice addition.
- McCormick Salad Supreme- this is a combination of spices and a beautiful touch of red for the color appeal of the salad. I fell in love with it in college and I include it in my Macaroni and Pasta Salad for that needed extra taste.
- Onion Powder- Another optional spice, you can also use diced onions if you want, I’m just not a fan of the texture.
- Mustard and Mayonnaise- The binding that keeps this dish together and helps to blend all the vegetables and spices.
- Bacon- I mean, it’s bacon. It’s delicious. But it also adds some nice color and texture as well. Wait until the end to add for presentation appeal.
Preparation
You can hard boil the eggs a day or so ahead of time to save your self some time. Cook the noodles according to package directions. While the noodles are cooking, dice your eggs and peel/dice the carrots.
Once your noodles are cooked and cooled a bit, add the carrots, cheese, relish, seasonings, and your onion option to a mixing bowl. Then add mayo and mustards, stir to combine everything. After everything is combined, add your diced eggs. I add these separately and just lightly stir to keep the egg yolks and whites together as much as possible. That’s just my preference.
Add to the serving dish/bowl, or keep in the mixing bowl. I use bowls with lids so I can pop the finished dish in the fridge until ready to serve. Top with bacon bits and a bit more of the Salad Supreme before serving.
- Cook Noodles according to package directions and hard boil Eggs.
- While Noodles are cooking, peel and dice Carrots, dice Eggs once cooled.
- Add Carrots, Cheese, Relish, Seasonings, and Onion or Onion Powder to Noodles in a mixing Bowl.
- Add Mayo, Mustards, and stir to combine.
- Add Eggs and stir lightly to incorporate.
- Top with bacon bits and a dusting of more Salad Supreme before serving.
Creamy Macaroni salad Recipe
You can personalize this recipe to your liking and add or omit anything you wish. This is the result of years of experimenting with ingredients to find what worked best for me.
Creamy Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb Macaroni Noodles uncooked
- 6 eggs hard boiled
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 4 oz cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tbsp relish
- salt, pepper, McCormick Salad Surpreme to taste
- 1 tsp onion powder can use real onion, diced, 1/4 cup or to taste
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 tsp spicy mustard
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 3 bacon slices cooked and diced
Instructions
- Cook Noodles according to package directions and hard boil Eggs.
- While Noodles are cooking, peel and dice Carrots, dice Eggs once cooled.
- Add Carrots, Cheese, Relish, Seasonings, and Onion or Onion Powder to Noodles in a mixing Bowl.
- Add Mayo, Mustards, and stir to combine.
- Add Eggs and stir lightly to incorporate.
- Top with bacon bits and a dusting of more Salad Supreme before serving.
Notes
Today I realized I had no relish. I ended up chopping up a few dill pickles to add to it for that bit of tart flavor the relish gives it.
For another bit of added color, slice up some green onions to top your macaroni salad!
If you can’t find Salad Supreme, a light sprinkling of Paprika will also give that look for the deviled egg appeal.
Make It Vegan
This dish is super easy to adjust for different culinary needs/preferences. You could easily use Vegan Mayo, Cheese, and Bacon with the brand of your liking, and just omit the eggs.
Should we try to make it vegan and repost? Let us know!
How do you like to make Macaroni salad? Let me me know below, and I may just give your recipe a try!
