Best Family Picnic Macaroni Salad Recipes

THE PERFECT PICNIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk Dijon mustard, cider vinegar, rice vinegar, salt, sugar, and cayenne together in a large bowl for about 30 seconds. Whisk in olive oil in 1-teaspoon increments until emulsified. Whisk in tarragon, dill, parsley, chives, and thyme. Remove and reserve 1/2 of the dressing in a separate small bowl.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Add snow peas, carrots, peas, and broccoli about 2 minutes before the pasta is done. Drain pasta and veggies well, but do not rinse.
• Transfer hot pasta mixture to the vinaigrette in the large mixing bowl and toss well to combine. Let rest for 5 minutes and toss again. Toss occasionally until the mixture is almost room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, green onions, salt, and the reserved dressing and toss well.
• Wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours before serving. Toss and adjust seasoning before serving.

PICNIC MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• Prepare Dinner in large saucepan as directed on package; spoon into large bowl.
• Add remaining ingredients; mix lightly.
• Refrigerate several hours or until chilled. Stir gently before serving.

CLASSIC PICNIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Whisk the mayonnaise, parsley, sour cream, chives, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper together in a large bowl.
• Cook the broccoli in the boiling water until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander. Run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Add the broccoli to the bowl with the dressing.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Three minutes before the pasta is done, add the peas to the pot. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Add to the bowl.
• Add the ham, provolone, olives, onion and salami to the bowl and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. The pasta salad is best if served right away.

FAMILY REUNION MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• Prepare Dinners as directed on package.
• Add remaining ingredients; mix lightly.

PICNIC MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Mix ranch dressing, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons reserved olive juice, garlic powder, adobo, and pepper together in a bowl.
• Pour dressing mixture into cooled macaroni. Add olives, tuna, and red bell pepper to macaroni; stir well to combine. Chill until serving.

OLD-FASHIONED PICNIC MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• In a large salad bowl, toss together the warm pasta, oil, salt, and pepper; allow to cool, then add the onion, celery, pickles, and bell pepper; toss to blend.
• In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, milk, mustard, and celery seeds; pour half over the salad and toss to coat.
• **At this point, cover and refrigerate the salad and remaining dressing for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.
• One hour before serving, remove the salad from the refrigerator, add more dressing, if needed, and taste for salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle with the paprika, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Variations--try adding any of these to the salad:.
• *2 cups frozen peas, defrosted.
• *2 cups smoked turkey or ham cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
• *2 cups cherry tomatoes, whole, or cut in half.
• *2 cups pimento-stuffed green olives, drained and chopped.
• *2 cups ranch dressing, in place of the mustard/mayonnaise combination; omit the celery seeds.
• *6 hard-boiled eggs, sliced.

CONTEST-WINNING PICNIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook spiral pasta and tortellini according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a large bowl; add the artichokes, broccoli, provolone cheese, salami, peppers, beans, olives, onion and garlic. , Prepare salad dressing according to package directions; pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

SUMMER PICNIC MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• Drain the macaroni.
• Pour a mixture of 3 tablespoons vinegar and 2 tablespoons sugar over the drained (still in the colander) macaroni.
• Drain the macaroni (again).
• In a large bowl mix salad macaroni, peas, baby gherkins, celery, sweet onion, tuna, cubed cheese.
• Dressing: Take the mayo, sugar, some vinegar, salt and pepper to taste; mix into the macaroni mixture. You may want to add more dressing.
• This is a very forgiving salad. You can sub salad shrimp, ham or chicken for the tuna or ditch the meat/fish and add some grated carrots (if using carrots you might want to cut back on the sweet pickles), diced zucchini and diced red peppers.
• Chill, check the dressing and enjoy.