Picnic macaroni salad

This picnic macaroni salad is a perfect classic cookout dish to bring to a summer party or family barbecue. It's full of flavorful and color and is easy to put together.

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Grilling, picnic, and cookout season is upon us and that means more eating outdoors and more eating with family and friends. Pasta salad is pretty standard at all of our family's cookouts and summer picnics. 

This recipe is a great one because it has a lot of texture and flavor in it from the celery, bell peppers, green onions, and hard boiled eggs. Mayonnaise is used in this salad along with a touch of Dijon mustard, garlic powder, and paprika.

This picnic macaroni salad is not a sweet macaroni salad - there is no sugar in the recipe. It goes perfectly with pretty much any cookout or grilling food- hot dogs, burgers, sausage, barbecue chicken, ribs, and more.

As with many cold salads, this pasta salad is best made the night before or at least a few hours ahead so it can chill and the flavors can all get happy together. Then before serving, give it a stir and add a bit more mayonnaise to moisten it up again. 

Top the salad with reserved sliced green onion tops and some paprika for a lovely garnish of color before serving. 

Give this picnic macaroni salad a try at your next cookout or bring it to a potluck this summer. It's always a hit with our family and friends.

Yield: 10 servings

Picnic Macaroni Salad

Whip up a batch of this macaroni salad for your next cookout or picnic. Bell pepper, celery, and green onions add flavor, color, and crunch.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups elbow macaroni
• 1 cup (approximately) mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (approximately) salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 hard cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 2 green onions, sliced thin

Instructions:

How to cook Picnic Macaroni Salad

1. Cook the macaroni in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2. While the pasta cooks, stir together the mayonnaise (1 cup), mustard, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper (use to taste - start with 1/4 teaspoon and add more if desired) in a large bowl. Stir in the vegetables, reserving some of the green onion tops for garnish. Fold in the eggs and cooked pasta. Cover and refrigerate until serving (if serving right away taste for seasoning and add garnishes below).
3. Taste for seasoning. You can add more mayo if it looks a little dry. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with remaining 1/4 teaspoon paprika and reserved green onion tops.

Created using The Recipes Generator

I hope you give this macaroni salad a try! Let me know in the comments below.

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This post was originally published in 2018 and has been updated in 2022 with new text and more to improve reader experience.

Check out these other cookout side dish recipes:

Creamy Carrot, Raisin, & Pineapple Salad

Broccoli Stem Slaw w/ Cranberries

Dill Pickle Potato Salad

Easy Creamy Grape Salad

Green Bean & Red Potato Salad