- Nut free
- Peanut free
- Sesame free
- Shellfish free
- Seafood free
- No added sugar
- Vegetarian
- High in dietary fibre
- High in protein
- 3 serves veg or fruit
Tender pasta tossed with crisp in-season vegetables and bound with a tart and creamy dressing, this macaroni salad is a great side for your next barbecue.
- Serves4
- Cook time10 minutes
- Prep time20 minutes
Ingredients
- 375g macaroni
- 2 corn cobs, kernels trimmed
- 1 bunch baby asparagus, trimmed, cut into 2cm lengths
- 1 cup (240g) light sour cream
- 1/4 cup (75g) mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 2 tbs Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1/3 cup finely chopped chives
- 1 large carrot, cut into long matchsticks
- 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
- 1 red capsicum, seeded, cut into 2cm pieces
- Flat-leaf parsley and chives, extra, to serve
Nutritional information
Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.
Percentage Daily Intake information on our recipes is calculated using the nutrition reference values for an average Australian adult.
Method
Step 1
Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water following packet directions, adding the corn kernels and asparagus for the last 2 mins or until pasta is al dente. Refresh under cold water. Drain well.
Step 2
Place the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, milk, mustard, chives and parsley in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Season. Add pasta mixture, carrot, celery and capsicum and toss to combine. Season. Sprinkle with extra parsley and chives to serve.
Recipe tip
For a lighter touch, you can use light mayonnaise and/or light milk.
COOK. STORE. SAVE.
Clever Storage: Store leftover macaroni salad with corn in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Smart Swap: Instead of macaroni, you can use any other short pasta like farfalle, rotini, fusilli or penne.
Root to Tip: Zest your lemons before juicing and freeze. Use to amp up the zing in a classic lemon dressing or add to a simple syrup for cocktails.
Introducing your new favourite macaroni salad recipe
If tucking into a big plate of creamy pasta salad is one of your guilty pleasures, then this is the recipe for you. With the perfect proportion of creamy mayo dressing to just-cooked pasta and flecked with crunchy vegetables, our cold macaroni salad can be dressed up or down and is ideal for summer parties, especially when you’re asked to ‘bring a plate’. While pasta is Italian, the origins of macaroni pasta salad lie in America, where it is thought to be a fusion of the local Italian and German population, with the Italians contributing the pasta and the Germans adding the creamy dressing they’d traditionally coat their potato salad with.
The other great thing about this macaroni pasta salad recipe is that it fits into your schedule. Eat it straight after cooking, or later at room temperature, or store in the fridge until ready to tuck into. And while it’s the perfect side salad for picnics and barbecues, you can just add a can of tuna or shredded barbecue chicken and you have an easy dinner for a warm summer night.
How to make macaroni salad
Macaroni comes in two main forms: straight edged or curved (which is known as elbow macaroni). Either type works well in this classic macaroni salad. The hollows trap the tiny bits of corn and the dressing gets both inside and outside of the pasta. As a rule you shouldn’t rinse hot pasta – you want to keep the starch to help bind the pasta to the sauce – but it’s necessary when making a macaroni vegetable salad. The cold water stops the cooking and seals the pasta so that it doesn’t absorb too much dressing, which would make your salad gluggy. Because the salad relies on vegetables for colour and crunch, make sure they’re super fresh. We add milk to our classic dressing of sour cream, mayo and lemon juice to loosen it up so it generously coats the pasta. If you’re making the salad to serve later, dress it with three-quarters of the dressing to start and add the remainder just before serving.
What to serve your salad with.
If making your macaroni salad for a BBQ, try serving it with a smoky BBQ chicken, BBQ steaks with chimichurri or butterflied lamb. If you’re looking for a side to serve with dinner, it also works perfectly with pulled pork.
