The BEST Macaroni Pasta Salad!

How to make the BEST Macaroni Pasta Salad! Crunchy fresh vegetables and bacon are loaded into this easy Pasta Salad with Elbow Macaroni! It all comes together with a creamy coleslaw dressing.  We love this recipe! It’s perfect for picnics, cookouts and barbecues! This delicious salad is one you’ll serve again and again!

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This easy macaroni pasta salad will be the hit of your next barbecue!

Macaroni Pasta Salad

Hey, friends guess what day it is?!!! Guess what day it is?!!! (Right now I’m picturing that camel that walks thru the office on the Geico commercial, haha!) Well it’s Freaky Friday!!

You remember what that is right? That’s when a bunch of us bloggers get together and share a recipe from a colleagues blog. It’s one of my favorite blogging events and only happens a few times a year!

My buddy Michaela from An Affair from the Heart organizes it and we always have such a great event and turnout! We get to peruse the blog we’re assigned and pick out our favorite recipe to share.

In the past, I’ve shared some yummy recipes – Authentic Posole, 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies and this lovely Nicoise Salad to name just a few! See? Now you know why it’s so much fun!

Welcome to the spring edition of the Freaky Friday Blog Hop!!!

This time I was assigned Aunt Bee’s Recipes and though I decided to share her recipe for Loaded Macaroni Salad, let me tell you it was no easy task to pick a recipe to share!

Her recipe for Smoked Ribs with a Honey Glaze really caught my eye, as did this delicious recipe Instant Pot BBQ Chicken – YUM!

Have you visited her blog yet? If not you need to skedaddle right over! You can find her here –>> Aunt Bee’s Recipes. She says she couldn’t even boil water when she got married but now has her own food blog. I’m not so sure about that, because her recipes are definitely drool-worthy!

As a Southern gal she shares a lot of delicious comfort food which is right up my alley – I think you’ll love it too! I hope you take a moment to check out her blog.

So much food…. so little time! 😋

Macaroni and Cheese Pasta Salad is a great side salad or a light lunch!

Macaroni and Cheese Pasta Salad Recipe

Now it’s my turn to tell you about this delicious pasta salad! Loads of veggies, packed with bacon and cheese. It’s almost a meal in itself! (Actually, we had it for lunch on Sunday, delicious!) It’s a quick and easy recipe. Perfect for a cook-out and it makes a great summertime side dish when you’re grilling.

You’ll love it, I promise!

Grocery list for Macaroni Pasta Salad

• macaroni noodles
• bacon
• broccoli
• cucumber
• tomato
• carrot
• celery
• onion
• extra sharp cheddar cheese
• coleslaw dressing

Macaroni Pasta salad is an easy side salad for your next barbecue!

Macaroni Pasta Salad Recipe

Do you rinse pasta for a cold pasta salad?

Yes! When making a cold pasta salad, be sure to rinse the pasta and drain well. Rinsing it with cold water will stop the cooking process. After draining it well, toss it with a tablespoon of olive to keep it from sticking together.

How long can you keep this salad?

Can you make pasta salad ahead of time?

Absolutely! In fact, it will taste better if it’s made ahead of time. Another option is to cook the pasta a day ahead. Rinse it well, toss with olive oil and store in a Ziploc bag or well-sealed container.

Cold pasta is preferred when making a salad because if it’s warm it will soak up the excess dressing.

How do you keep this salad moist?

Cook the macaroni noodles until they are “al dente,” drain them in a colander and rinse with cool water to remove any excess starch. Pour the noodles into a mixing bowl and toss them with a little olive oil, which will keep the pasta from sticking and prevent them from soaking up the rich dressing.

This easy Pasta Salad with Elbow Macaroni tastes even better on day two!

Pasta Salad with Elbow Macaroni

Steps to make Macaroni Salad Recipe

1. Prepare the noodles to al dente, rinse with cold water and drain well.
2. Toss with olive oil and refrigerate.
3. Cook the bacon, cool and crumble it, set aside.
4. Dice the cucumber, onion and celery, slice the tomatoes in half, peel and dice the carrot. Cut the broccoli into the florets, cube the cheese.
5. Combine the noodles, bacon, cheese and vegetables in a large bowl.
6. Toss with coleslaw dressing and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate. 

What goes with this salad?

Love a great grilled meal with pasta salad, here’s what I recommend!

• Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs
• The BEST Grilled Chili Lime Chicken
• Veggie Kabobs with Plum BBQ Sauce
• Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon
• Beer Brats Recipe

More of my favorite salad recipes!

• Steakhouse Salad: No boring salads here!
• Southern Style Ham Pasta Salad
• Southwest Salad Recipe
• Tuna Pasta Salad
• Easy Pasta Salad
• Bow Tie Pasta Salad

Love this recipe? Be sure and check out all of the recipes for the Spring Edition of the Freaky Friday Blog Hop! I couldn’t say enough how much I appreciate all of the work Michaela from An Affair from the Heart puts into these events. She is a rock star! For more foodie inspiration, be sure and swing over and visit her also!!

Take a look at all of our Spring 2019 Freaky Friday Recipes!!

• A Grande Life – Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
• An Affair from the Heart – Margarita Dip with Salted Pretzels
• Aunt Bee’s Recipes – BLT Pasta Salad
• Hostess at Heart – Blueberry Buckle Recipe – Incredibly Easy To Make
• House of Nash Eats – Asparagus Tart
• Kylee Cooks – No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake
• LeMoine Family Kitchen –  Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos
• Life Currents – Blackened Shrimp Pasta
• Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish – Spicy Thai Basil Slaw
• Mildly Meandering –  Mediterranean Scalloped Potatoes 
• Seduction in the Kitchen – Grilled Peach Caprese Salad
• Take Two Tapas –  Spicy Bacon Wrapped Air Fryer Shrimp
• The Foodie Affair – Coconut Pie with Creamy Custard Filling
• The Speckled Palate – Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
• West Via Midwest –  Air Fryer Cherry Pies
• Who Needs a Cape? –  Slow Cooker Cheesy Taco Soup

Some of the items below contain affiliate links; I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. However, I only promote things that I love and think you will love, too. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.

I love these cutting boards! I use one just for meat and it’s easy to tell them apart. PLUS they are inexpensive, yay!!

If you love this as much as we do, be sure to leave a five star rating below! I reply to every comment on the blog and I’d appreciate to hear what you think of this recipe!

If you make this, be sure to tag me on Instagram @bowl_me_over or use the hashtag #bowlmeover – that’s me!

Print Recipe

5 from 14 votes

Macaroni Pasta Salad Recipe

Crunchy vegetables and salty bacon are loaded into this Easy Macaroni Pasta Salad! Topped with coleslaw salad dressing, this is SO GOOD and so easy!!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: Lunch or Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pasta salad

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 335kcal

Author: Souper Chef Deb

Ingredients

• 1 cups macaroni pasta noodles measure dry and cook to al dente
• 6-8 slices bacon cooked, drained and crumbled
• 1 head broccoli cut into florets
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
• 1/2 cucumber diced
• 1 stalk celery diced
• 1 carrots peeled and diced
• 1/2 red onion diced
• 1 cup cheddar cheese diced into small cubes
• 3/4 cup coleslaw salad dressing start with 1/2 cup add additional salad dressing as needed.
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

• Cook the macaroni noodles to al dente. Rinse with cold water and drain the noodles completely. Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking together - refrigerate.
• Cook the bacon, cool and crumble the bacon.
• Prepare the vegetables - dice the cucumber, onion  and celery, slice the tomatoes in half, peel and dice the carrot. Separate the broccoli into the florets. 
• Cube the cheese.
• Combine the noodles, bacon, cheese and vegetables in a large bowl.
• Toss with about half the salad dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate. Right before serving, give it a good stir. Add additional salad dressing if needed. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 692mg | Potassium: 439mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 40.6% | Vitamin C: 89.4% | Calcium: 15.5% | Iron: 6.6%