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Macaroni Salad For A Crowd is an easy to make recipe that’s ideal for potlucks, covered dish suppers or entertaining. This simple recipe with pasta, onions, celery and a creamy dressing is always the first to disappear on the buffet table!
If you’re entertaining this summer, then this Macaroni Salad is a must make! You’ll be surprised how quickly it vanishes, it is always a favorite! I think the reason people like it so much is because it’s a simple dish with very few ingredients that work perfectly together. This big bowl of old fashioned goodness is hard to resist.
Over the years, I’ve built up a collection of recipes that are perfect to make when you’re feeding lots of people. Whether I was hosting a birthday party for the boys, having the neighbors over for a cookout or feeding the drum line before a football game, I’ve served up scrumptious dishes that are easy to make and big on flavor. Folks prefer recipes that have good quality ingredients, are seasoned well and prepared with care.
Those qualities are what makes this macaroni salad such a hit. It has just couple of fresh ingredients, pasta that’s been cooked perfectly and a creamy dressing that pulls it all together beautifully. So, when it’s time to take a dish to a special gathering or opening your home to friends, you can be sure when you serve this macaroni salad that everyone will be tickled that they know you!
Ingredients Needed To Make Macaroni Salad For A Crowd
- Elbow macaroni
- Red onion
- Celery
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Vinegar
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
People Often Ask…
Yes, that is the beauty of this recipe! Not only is Macaroni salad easy to make and simple to double or triple, but you can also make it at your own convenience.
More Recipes For Feeding A Crowd…
- Fruit Salad For A Crowd
- Salad For A Crowd
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
- Ultimate Pulled Pork Nachos
- Lemony Asparagus & Pea Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked elbow macaroni (1 box)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 cup red onion – chopped
- 3 ribs celery – cleaned and chopped
- 1 ½ cups mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons parsley – chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Per instructions on pasta box, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to water and add pasta. Cook 8-9 minutes for al dente tenderness. Drain pasta and rinse with cool water.
- To a large bowl, add pasta, red onion and celery. Set aside.
- In a small bowl or lidded jar, add mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, vinegar, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix together until creamy. Pour dressing over pasta and veggies. Mix gently making sure all pasta is coated with dressing. Sprinkle on parsley and taste, then adjust seasoning.
- Serve immediately. Can be stored, cover in refrigerator for up to two days.
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I loved the macaroni salad with canned tuna that I had at a local restaurant that is now closed. Is this the basic recipe and then add canned tuna? Or is there another recipe with a different dressing?
Hey there!
That’s a really good question! Now, I am not quite sure what dressing your local restaurant used for their macaroni salad, but the dressing in this recipe uses ingredients that are popular for tuna salad so I imagine it would go well with Tuna. If I were you, I would add your canned tuna to the bowl with your cooked pasta during step 2, and then mix in your dressing as per the directions. You might want more or less dressing depending on your preference, so you can just experiment to find a happy medium. Please let me know how this goes and how you like the recipe, I am very curious. Thank you so much for you interest in this recipe, I appreciate your support!
~Donya
Looks delicious! What brand of mayonnaise do you use?
Hey Megan!
I use Hellman’s. It the BEST.
Enjoy the recipe.
~Donya
This sounds like a salad that would be very good and feed quite a few. I would like to know how many this recipe will feed?
This recipe should feed about 12 to 14 people.
Enjoy!
~Donya