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Creamy comfort meets party-ready appeal with this macaroni salad, packed with pasta, peas, and ham – a potluck winner in minutes!
Quick + Easy Pasta Salad
In search of a grea pasta salad to bring to your next family dinner, picnic, BBQ, shower or brunch?
We have lots of pasta salad recipes on the site, but we have a few that have become our go-to’s for such events, and it includes today’s recipe for classic Macaroni Salad (and our classic Pasta Salad).
This particular recipe has been made my whole life and is one our mom has made for holidays, summer get togethers and more. We especially love that this one is so simple, quick and tasty. When we are looking to make it a little more hearty, our Chicken Macaroni Salad is great too!
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Quick & easy crowd-pleaser. This champion of simplicity comes together in minutes, making it a perfect BBQ side dish for potlucks or a quick weeknight dinner idea.
- Endless customization. Tailor this easy side dish to dietary needs, add your favorite protein like shredded chicken or tuna, or experiment with different spices, herbs, and veggies for a personalized flavor profile.
- Budget-friendly. Macaroni salad is kind on your wallet. You can easily stretch it further by incorporating leftover cooked chicken or other protein.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 10 minutes
- 24 ounces (or 6 cups) elbow macaroni – Anything that is bite-sized and has grooves works well, such as shells, wagon wheels, bow ties, penne, or rotini.
- 1 ½ cups cubed ham – or tuna or diced chicken
- 1 (12-ounce) bag frozen peas thawed – you can also use diced celery, tomatoes, red bell peppers, black olives, or sliced radishes. Don’t add too many extras otherwise, there won’t be enough sauce to cover it all.
- 1½ cups mayonnaise
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- salt and black pepper to taste – you can also season with garlic powder, fresh parsley, and paprika
- paprika to taste
How to Make Macaroni Salad
- COMBINE. Cook 24 ounces of macaroni in salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked macaroni, 1½ cups ham, and 12-ounce bag frozen peas.
- DRESSING. In a separate bowl, mix the 1½ cups mayonnaise, 1 cup milk, and ½ cup ranch dressing.
- Add dressing to the pasta and mix until coated.
- SEASON. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. Stir in any additional desired mix-ins and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Extra Flavor
Salting the water beautifully seasons the pasta. Once the water is boiling, right before adding the macaroni, you’ll want to add 1 tablespoon of salt per pound of pasta to the pot.
Complete the Meal
- Main dish: Chicken Salad, Pulled Pork Recipe, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Kalua Pork Recipe
- Desserts: Homemade Brownies, Fruit Pizza Cookies, Fruit Salad Recipe, How to Cut a Watermelon
- More pasta salad: Pasta Salad Recipe, Chicken Macaroni Salad, Layered Pasta Salad, Greek Pasta Salad
More collections: Pasta Salad Recipes, BBQ Side Dishes, Summer Side Dishes, Easy Side Dishes
Macaroni Salad
Equipment
- wooden spoons
Ingredients
- 24 ounces (or 6 cups) elbow macaroni
- 1½ cups cubed ham
- 1 (12-ounce) bag frozen peas, thawed
- 1½ cups mayonnaise
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- salt and black pepper to taste
- paprika to taste
Instructions
- Cook macaroni in salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked macaroni, ham, and peas.
- In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, milk, and ranch dressing.
- Add dressing to the pasta and mix until coated.
- Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir in any additional desired mix-ins and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Keep Macaroni Salad Cool Outdoors?
- It’s not recommended for any food to be left out for longer than 2 hours at room temperature and less in the heat. This is especially true for mayo-based dishes.
- Only set out a little at a time and leave the rest in a cooler with ice.
- Set the bowl of macaroni salad inside a large bowl with ice in it.
Add Flavor and Texture?
- Add some of your favorites to change up the salad a little. However, don’t add too many extras otherwise, there won’t be enough sauce to cover it all.
- Use sweet pickles or even sweet pickle relish.
- Add chopped red onion or scallions.
- Add in a diced boiled egg or two.
- Add cheese chunks: cheddar cheese or Colby jack is yummy.
- Add a dab of Dijon mustard or a splash of apple cider vinegar.
- Add a bit of crunch with chow mein noodles.
Make Ahead of Time?
- Macaroni salad can be made 24 hours ahead of time. Mix most of the dressing in before storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reserve a little dressing to add right before serving, to freshen up the salad in case it is a little dry.
How to Store Leftover Macaroni Salad?
- Leftover classic macaroni salad can be stored covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days. If it gets dry, mix up a little more macaroni salad dressing and re-toss.
Love your blog it’s always fun with amazing recipes and great ideas 😊
Thank you so much!! So happy to have you here!
I just had this at a get together and loved it, but when she sent me your recipe to make it I was shocked at the amount of salt in it. Is there truly 1/4 cup of salt in this? When I spoke with the one who made it she said she did not put that in because she thought it was a typo.. Thank you for a great recipe !
I’m so glad you enjoyed the macaroni salad! The salt is added to the pasta water… you can definitely adjust the amount used. Just as long as the water is salted a bit before cooking the pasta. 🙂 No other salt is added into the salad though.
The salt goes into the water when you boil the noodles.
Looks yummy a typical Pilipino favorites
Do you use smoked paprika or regular? Also, can I cut the recipe in half?
I just use regular, but you can use smoked if you prefer that flavor. And yes, you can certainly half the recipe!
Very tasty but the milk made it too “loose”. I think minus the milk it would be perfect. I also added some hard boiled eggs and onions. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
You’re welcome! The addition of the eggs and onions sound tasty! Thanks for giving the recipe a try.
I depend on LI’L LUNA RECIPES. ALWAYS EASY N AWESOME
Oh thank you so much for your sweet words. That means so much!
Help!! This salad sounds amazing, but I only have about 1/4 a cup of ranch & I don’t have time to run & get more! Any suggestions for a substitute for the rest of the called for 1/2 cup??
You could improvise a bit and add to the ranch dressing you already have by combining together about 2 Tbsp mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp sour cream and a little bit of milk until smooth. You could also add dill, parsley, chives, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper if you have any on hand. Hope this helps!
It is such a simple and very easy-to-make macaroni salad recipe. Very delicious and highly recommended!
Wonderfully easy! So full of great flavor! I whipped this up in no time and let it sit in my fridge overnight. The flavor of this was fantastic and I loved how easy it was to get prepped ahead of time! I only needed a tiny bit of extra dressing to freshen it up. Perfect.
I served it with grilled chicken and we could not get enough, the bowl was cleaned out!! Awesome side.
Yay! That makes me so happy! Thanks for sharing!