Macaroni Salad
Quick and easy pasta salad that is always a hit at parties, potlucks and BBQs. Tons of flavor from the pasta, peas, ham, cheese and seasonings!
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time12 minutes mins
Chill Time1 minute min
Total Time23 minutes mins
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 512kcal
- 16 ounces elbow macaroni
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon onion salt
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- ¾ teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- ¼ teaspoon seasoning salt
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- 16 ounces frozen peas rinsed with warm water
- 1 cup diced ham
Boil elbow macaroni according to directions. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl mix together celery salt, onion salt, mayonnaise, mustard, seasoning salt in large bowl.
Add noodles, cheddar cheese, peas and ham. Mix well.
Chill until serving, at least 1 hour.
- Macaroni salad can sit out for up to 2 hours at room temperature, but there are factors that play into this. If it is sitting in the sun at an outdoor function it can spoil much faster. Try to keep it in the shade when you are serving otherwise put a large bowl under the bowl with the macaroni salad in it and then put ice in that bowl to keep it cold longer.
- You can safely store this macaroni salad in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store in an airtight container to maximize freshness.
- To lower the sodium content in this pasta salad you can skip the seasoning salt. You can also sub out the onion salt for onion powder, but only use 1/4 tsp or just skip it all together and add in fresh diced purple onions! Another easy way to reduce the sodium is to skip the celery salt and dice fresh celery and add that to the salad instead.
- If you would like to use something other than mayonnaise we recommended using half mayo and half non-fat Greek yogurt if you are trying to not use as much mayo. The flavor will change a bit but we think it's still delicious!
Great Add-In Ideas!
- Diced onion
- Diced celery
- Cubed cheese (instead of shredded)
- Diced red pepper
- Shredded carrots
- Pickles
- Pickle juice
- Crumbled bacon bits
- Diced hard boiled eggs
Calories: 512kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 831mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 503IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 1mg