Classic macaroni salad, as made by my mama! This is so stinkin’ good! We eat it all summer long, any time we have a cook out!
Alright, friends. Summer is basically here. I mean, no, it’s not a consistent 96 degrees in my neighborhood yet, but it’s inching up there. It’s close enough, is what I’m saying.
Summer means macaroni salad! My mama’s macaroni salad recipe, to be precise. I love this stuff.
It’s a pretty classic recipe, I believe. Loaded with cold macaroni noodles, mayo, minced onion, boiled eggs, and plenty of green olives. The green olives in this macaroni salad are just phenomenal! They add the perfect briny burst of flavor against the mayo.
Now, I know that green olives aren’t everyone’s favorite thing. But man, they’re really good in here.
Combined with the pasta and mayo they get toned down enough that a lot of people who normally don’t like them will devour them in this salad!
My mom has plenty of summer side dishes that she makes for cook outs, but this one is definitely a favorite of mine! It goes great with my low carb meatloaf, turkey meatloaf, or some grilled chicken with white BBQ sauce.
You’re going to love how quick and easy it is to prepare this. I do like to let the salad chill out in the fridge for a bit after it’s been mixed. This lets the mayo really soak into the noodles and make everything delicious. Just give it a stir before you serve and add an extra spoonful of mayo if it’s gotten too dry.
If you try this easy macaroni salad, let me know what you think! I bet it’ll be a hit!
Try my Italian pasta salad too!
Classic Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound macaroni cooked and cooled
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 1 sweet onion
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 10 ounces sliced green olives
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place macaroni in large bowl.
- Chop eggs into small pieces and mince the onion. Add to the macaroni.
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar. Stir well and add to the macaroni with the green olives.
- Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.
- Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Stir before serving. Add an extra spoonful of mayonnaise before serving if macaroni seems too dry.
Emily @ Layers of Happiness says
Love this!! Perfect for all our summer cookouts and parties… always a hit!
Karly says
Hope you give it a try!
Munchkin Time says
Ooooo Yum! My husband loves macaroni salads and this one looks amazing, pinning it to my salad board! Thank you so much for sharing!
Karly says
Hope you enjoy!
Linda says
No olives
Nancy says
When it says Mayonnaise” can we use Miracle Wip or does it have to be Mayo?
Karly says
Miracle Whip will work assuming you like the sweetness of it paired with olives. Personally, it doesn’t sound great to me, but to each their own. 🙂
Jeanette says
Love this. I use pickle juice instead of vinegar.
CJ says
What is the red pieces in the salad?
Linda H. says
Looks like the pimento from the olives…
Karly says
It’s the pimentos from the olives.
Sandra says
How about celery for a little crunch?
Karly says
Sure! You could add in just about anything you like here. 🙂
Yvette says
This looks yummy! Can you use any type of mustard?
Karly says
Sure! I use regular yellow mustard, but any would be fine.
Elizabeth Kadavi says
Gonna make this for my Fourth Of July get together this Sunday-looks yummy!! But when you say 10 oz. of sliced green olives,does this mean a 10 oz bottle,or an actual 10 ounces of sliced green olives?
Karly says
I use a 10 oz jar, but you really can’t mess this up. Add more or less to your tastes. 🙂
Elizabeth Kadavi says
Did make this for July 4th celebration.OMG-SOOOO good!!! So used to biting into pickles in regular mac salad,it was a real treat to be biting into mellow green olives instead.Was a hit with everybody-definately a keeper!!
Karly says
Glad it was a hit!
Brian Minor says
white vinegar or apple cider vinegar?
Karly says
I use white vinegar. 🙂
Di says
I don’t like the crunch of raw onions. Could onion powder be used?
Thanks!
Karly says
Sure thing!
Kim says
I love tuna salad with green olives. I’ll have to try this with eggs instead. Thanks for the recipe.
Holly says
Oh wow! Just stumbled upon this, and imagine my surprise that yes indeed, it’s pretty much how my mother, and her mother before her, made cold mac salad – except our family has always used black olives. Never actually had a recipe for it, just dumped in several large spoonfuls of mayo (have ALWAYS used Cains), a few squirts of mustard, splash of pickle juice, entire can of sliced black olives, a few sliced hard boiled eggs, and salt & pepper to taste. Neither my grandmother, or my mother, ever put onions in it, so neither did I. But I like sweet red onions, so I think I’ll add some in next time! LOL So, yup, I’d say this is a classic recipe! 😀
Kris says
Karly – I had everything in my pantry and fridge to make this. ? We are soldiers and prison guards and we both work too much. We worked a double last night and I got up and saw this recipe in my email and mixed it up while waiting for our coffee to brew. We have never had a recipe that included green olives. I used to use frozen peas (like my mom) but every bag I pick up now recommends not consuming unless they are boiled again. Nobody wants that. Anyway your mom’s salad was a big hit here, two thumbs up and we are packing it for our lunches at work. This is my new go to. 🙂 My husband ate a big serving already with his toast and coffee. YUM!
Karly says
Hi Kris! So glad that it was a hit for you and the husband!