Description
Guy Fieri’s Macaroni Salad is a crowd-pleasing classic, loaded with tender elbow macaroni, crisp vegetables, and a bold, creamy dressing. Perfect for picnics, potlucks, or BBQs, this zesty salad blends tangy mustard and mayonnaise with savory spices for a refreshing side everyone loves.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pasta
- 4 cups cooked elbow macaroni (about 8 ounces dry)
Vegetables
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup shredded carrot
Dressing
- 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the elbow macaroni and cook until just al dente, following package instructions. Drain well and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to cool.
- Prepare the Vegetables: Meanwhile, dice the red bell pepper, celery, red onion, and carrots. Slice the green onions thinly. Set all the prepped veggies aside.
- Mix the Dressing: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, yellow mustard, sugar, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and paprika until smooth and well combined.
- Combine Salad: Add the cooled macaroni, diced vegetables, and sliced green onions to the bowl with the dressing. Toss everything together gently with a spatula until all ingredients are evenly coated.
- Chill and Serve: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the macaroni salad for at least 1 hour before serving. This helps the flavors meld and the salad to firm up nicely. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed before serving.
Notes
- For extra flavor, let the salad chill overnight – it gets better as it sits.
- You can swap in other crisp veggies like peas, corn, or chopped pickles for variety.
- If you prefer a lighter salad, substitute half of the mayonnaise with sour cream or Greek yogurt.
- Leftovers keep well, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- For a little zing, try a dash of hot sauce mixed into the dressing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 485mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 33g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 12mg
