Description

This classic Macaroni Salad with Pickles is a flavorful and creamy side dish perfect for picnics, barbecues, or potlucks. Featuring tender macaroni, hard-boiled eggs, crunchy vegetables, and a tangy dressing with sweet pickle juice and celery seed, it delivers a delightful balance of textures and flavors. Easy to prepare and chilled before serving, this salad is a crowd-pleaser and pairs well with a variety of main dishes.

Ingredients

Scale

Pasta and Eggs

1 (16 ounce) package macaroni
4 eggs

Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground mustard
2 tablespoons sweet pickle juice
2 tablespoons celery seed

Vegetables and Pickles

1 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped red onion
½ cup pimento-stuffed green olives
¼ cup chopped sweet pickle
2 carrots, grated
1 green bell pepper, chopped

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Instructions

Cook the Pasta: Boil the macaroni in salted water until al dente according to package instructions. Drain well and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the pasta. Set aside.
Prepare the Eggs: Boil the eggs until they are hard-cooked (about 10-12 minutes). Cool them immediately in cold water, peel off the shells, and chop them into small pieces.
Make the Dressing: In a mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, ground mustard, sweet pickle juice, and celery seed. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth and well incorporated.
Combine Ingredients: In a large serving bowl, mix together the cooked and cooled macaroni, chopped celery, red onion, pimento-stuffed olives, chopped sweet pickle, grated carrots, green bell pepper, and chopped hard-boiled eggs. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir gently but thoroughly to coat all ingredients evenly.
Chill and Serve: Cover the salad with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Chilling allows the flavors to meld and the salad to become refreshingly cool.

Notes

Use sweet pickle juice to add tanginess to the dressing and enhance the pickle flavor.
Make sure to rinse macaroni with cold water after cooking to prevent it from sticking and to cool it for the salad.
The salad can be made a day in advance for better flavor fusion.
Adjust salt and pepper according to your taste preference.
For a lighter version, substitute mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.