This Small Macaroni Salad is the perfect simple side for small get-togethers and dinners with friends!
I have a confession: You know what my favorite summer food is? It’s not ice cream. It’s not s’mores. It’s not even a perfectly cooked and marinated ribeye steak (though that’s a really close second). It’s spoonfuls of macaroni salad stolen from the fridge on a hot summer day.
I don’t know what makes this taste so good. Maybe it’s the blast of cold air you get every time you open the fridge or the delicious feeling that you’re doing something vaguely naughty and getting away with it, but for whatever the reason, it’s the best, and I highly recommend it.
My go-to macaroni salad recipe (AKA the Best Macaroni Salad in the world) is party-sized. It’s made with a pound of macaroni and makes waaaay too much food unless you are having a party. And most of the time I make it, I’m not having a party, so it either ends up going to waste OR I eat a cutlery-drawer’s worth of spoon and forkfuls and don’t feel great about my life choices at the end of the weekend.
So, today I’m shrinking down my fav and sharing a Small Macaroni Salad recipe. It uses just four ounces of pasta and makes two to four very reasonable servings, making it perfect for burger nights with one or two friends, and leaves you with a little left over for fridge stealing the next day. 😉
Aside from being the perfect size, I LOVE THIS PASTA. I wasn’t kidding when I called the original the best macaroni salad in the world. And this small version is just as good. It’s not soaked in gallons of goopey mayonnaise like some pasta salad. There’s mayo to be sure, but just enough for a light dressing that’s sweet but not too sweet, tangy and not too vinegary. It’s loaded with crunchy bits of celery and bell pepper and is basically perfect.
Everyone I’ve ever served this pasta salad to falls instantly in love with it, even people who don’t normally like pasta salad. It’s that good.
So, serve with Tri-Tp Sandwiches. Serve with Oven-baked Ribs. Serve by itself in a bowl with a spoon. However you choose to eat it, it’s gonna be a good time.
Small Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
Pasta
- 4 ounces (1cup) macaroni
Dressing
- 1/4 cup (52g) mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 to 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard or yellow mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne
Vegetables
- 1 small green onion diced, use green and white parts
- 1/2 cup finely diced bell pepper any color
- 1/4 cup finely diced celery
- 1/4 cup finely grated carrot
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of generously salted water to boil and cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and set aside to cool completely. Stir occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking together too badly.
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Add vegetables and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until pasta is cool.
- Once pasta is cooled, stir pasta into the dressing. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Adapted From Food Wishes
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
jenn - peas and crayons says
I love that this is just a small side of macaroni salad – sometimes making a party-sized amount is just too much!
Tracy says
Right!? Thanks, Jenn!
Ruby says
Can I use red onion and double recipe?
Mindy says
This sounds so good!! I normally don’t eat much macaroni salad but i’m going to have to try this one!
Tracy says
I didn’t used to eat much either…until I started making it this way. 😉 It made me a total macaroni salad convert!
Kristina @ Love & Zest says
This looks great! Great recipe for the weekend!
Tracy says
Thanks!
Allison - Celebrating Sweets says
This looks fantastic! And your photos are beautiful! Love all those crunchy veggies in there.
Tracy says
Thanks so much, Allison!
Emily says
I love pasta salads in the summer, this looks so good I can’t wait to try it!
Tracy says
Thanks, Emily! Hope you enjoy it!!
Meg | Meg is Well says
I haven’t had a good macaroni salad in forever so I need to check this out. As soon as you mentioned tri-tip sandwiches and ribs it really brought me back to visiting my grandparents in Texas, where macaroni salads like this were a must for so many bbq meals!
Tracy says
Ooo, I bet you had tons of good BBQ every time you visited your grandparents!
Kristine says
I just made this now. Husband loves macaroni salad but I only wanted a small batch. I added some frozen peas, sweet pickles, and cheese and doubled the dressing.
FYI….first ingredient says 4 oz of macaroni (1 cup). There are 8 oz in a cup. Just had to chuckle. We all make boo-boos.
I am thinking this is going to be perfect for us!
Tracy says
Hi, Kristine. Hope you guys enjoyed the pasta salad! Sweet pickles sound like an awesome addition!
And you’re right that 8 fluid ounces = a cup, but for cooking ingredients, they all have different weights, so a cup of shredded cheese might weigh 4 ounces where a cup of chocolate chips weighs 6 ounces. In this case, if you weigh out 4 ounces of macaroni, it will measure out to (about) 1 cup. Hope that makes sense!
Dana Lammer says
I’d love to try this! I love macaroni salad and never make it. Would you also send a link to your party-sized macaroni salad? Thanks!!
Tracy says
Hi, Dana, the original is actually not one of mine. It’s from Food Wishes and you can find it here: http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2015/06/classic-macaroni-salad-delicious-is-in.html Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Nina Hettema says
I’m from Hawaii, and if you’ve ever been there you know that for folks in the Islands, mac salad isn’t a food, it’s a religion. And I’ve never made less than a baby’s bathtub full at a time. And as you say, it’s a slippery slope; the stuff just calls you from the fridge and unless you’re having a party, you end up feeling a little bit sick and very penitent. And if no one else is around you actually might have to eventually throw some out (no!). So it’s great having this mini recipe. My family would think I’m nuts making it this way but it’s perfect for a party of one. Thank you so much!
Just FYI We like parsley, chopped hb eggs, sliced black olives and chopped sour dill pickles in ours but otherwise it is very much like yours, seasoning wise and with carrot, celery, gr. onion etc. And it’s always much better the next day so make a day ahead. Those extras I listed would be a lot of work to add to your Small salad – prob. turn it into a salad for two or three! I like your simplicity. Aloha and mahalo –
Tracy says
Thanks, Nina! And I totally cracked up over your description of a “baby’s bathtub full” size. I feel like that amount of pasta salad is just a challenge waiting to be accepted. 😉
Supriya Naidu says
Tracy! This was perfection! I absolutely loved this salad and cant wait to have the leftovers tomorrow. Please share more salad recipes! I’d love to try them out – maybe a potato salad? or just more pasta ones 😀
Thank you! <3
Tracy says
Thanks, Supriya!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, and your request for more salads has been noted. 😉
I do have a potato salad recipe on the site. (It’s not small-batch, but it is very tasty!) https://bakingmischief.com/2016/06/13/loaded-baked-potato-salad-with-yogurt/
Bev says
Thanks for such a tasty recipe. It was so good on a hot day here in Arizona.
Tracy says
So happy you enjoyed it, Bev!
Jean Ferrario says
Hi, This reminds me of our beloved macaroni salad from my childhood except for a couple of crucial changes. First, always use what’s called salad macaroni, short little tubes, instead of elbow. Then replace the mustard and sugar with a quarter cup ketchup!! It makes slightly Russian dressing-y salad and seems to stay moister longer. I like my mac salad a little squelchy and ketchup makes it so!! As usual I enjoy ur blog, keep up the good work! Jean
Tracy says
Oh, interesting! I’ve never even seen macaroni salad with ketchup before, but now I’m kind of dying to try it!
Shane says
WOW. This is mind blowing. Thanks for posting.
The only thing I didn’t have on hand was celery, but I’m not sure it’s missed.
Thanks again.
Tracy says
Lol. Thanks, Shane! So glad you enjoyed it!
Mary Ann says
Everyone loved this, I’ve been looking for a easy and tasty recipe so happy I found this one . Next time I will be doubling the batch.
Tracy says
So glad everyone enjoyed it!! Thanks for reporting back!
Patricia Kuchevar says
This was so quick and delicious. I added taco seasoning and a little chilli powder. Yummy
Tracy says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Patricia!! Loooove the idea of adding some taco seasoning!
Amanda says
Added some Frank’s hot sauce for a little kick but this is an excellent easy recipe!
Tracy says
Love that idea! So glad you enjoyed it!
Shreela says
Thanks for the small size, it’s perfect for me and DH, we eat smaller now that we’re seniors and he eats it with crackers. Subbed with frozen seasoning blend that thawed with the hot pasta. Cholula instead of Cayenne. DH approved for more quarantine meals, whew!
Suzanne says
This looks delicious, thank you for sharing!
Confused says
In your recipe you say 1 green onion, use green parts and white…. Is the 1 only scallion onion? Do not see and green onion parts in your photo….
Tracy says
Yes, use one small green onion/scallion, both the white and green parts. I like mine pretty finely diced, so you can’t really tell from the photos, but they’re in there!
Linda says
Fantastic! I actually made half recipe. It was delicious.
Darlene says
Just made this to go with hamburgers for supper. My hubby is eating it by the spoonfuls from the bowl…haha. Good thing just him and I here. 🙂 Delicious recipe. Thanks for sharing Tracy.
Darlene
Nova Scotia
Tracy says
Lol the best way to eat it!! So glad you guys are enjoying the recipe!
BARBARA says
I’m rating this a 5 star because it will be when I make it. I’ll add some seeded and diced cucumber, maybe a few cherry tomatoes cut in half and steamed shrimp for an entree. I like the guide to proportion this for a small batch. Thank you!
Karen says
This looks exactly like the macaroni salad my Dad used to make when I was growing up. It was not super heavy with mayo like most are now. One thing that was added was a can of rinsed dark kidney beans. No idea where that cMe from but it worked. I have tried to find a “drier” macaroni salad for years. I think I just did, with the addition of those beans.
Tracy says
Interesting!! I’ve never had kidney beans in pasta salad before, but it sounds kind of good now that I think about it!
Susan says
We have sandwiches for lunch. It gets old having chips with the sandwich every day. This is just the right size. It lasts the week and tastes good. I can add whatever I want. The dressing part is perfect – not too gloppy and not too dry
Tracy says
So glad you enjoy it, Susan!!
Linda Schnall says
In the “small macaroni salad” recipe, it says to use 4 oz (1 cup) macaroni. Is that 4 oz dry or cooked?
Tracy says
4 ounces (by weight) dry.
Debbie Florio says
I have tried a few macaroni salad recipes within the last year, some promising to taste like deli salad. Actually some were delicious, but something was missing.I came across this one , I wanted to try it, not only because of the reduced volume, but it looked similar to the recipe my mother use to make.Well I have to say this is my favorite by far of the many I have tried over the past year, and I have to admit it beats my mothers recipe. The proportions of the ingredients are perfect.
Debbie says
Great macaroni salad. Loved the dressing. So flavorful with the Dijon mustard I served along with sloppy joes. Will definitely make again YUM!
Tom says
I just saw this recipe, but except for the cayenne, the ingredients are the same as I put in my macaroni salad. I typically make enough for a small army for family get togethers. This is the dish I am generally requested to make. Any leftovers get split up and taken home by multiple people. I do prepare all the vegetables in the food processor. That way they are all cut up into fine pcs and mix well in the salad.
GiannaTheChef says
Best macaroni salad ever!! This is amazing! I’ve made it twice and the second time I tripled the recipe because I needed more than 4 servings. Absolutely delish!
Sandra Stephenson says
I love, love, love this salad! The only change I make is to substitute grated cheese for carrot…personal choice. On Saturday I will serve it for a family funeral, tripling the recipe. I hope that it isn’t all eaten so I can bring some home, but, if not, I can make myself the small version soon. Thank You!
Judy Shkolny says
I made this small macaroni salad and used Italian dressing instead of the vinegar. I also used more celery. I used 3 little red onions instead of green onion. It is a very good salad. I will make it again