Ingredients
Salad
- 1 lb (450 g) elbow macaroni
- 4 large eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
- ½ cup diced dill pickles
- ½ cup diced sweet pickles or relish
- ½ cup diced celery
- ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- ¼ cup finely diced onion
- ½ cup sliced mushrooms, optional
- 2–3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Creamy dressing
- 1½ cups mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp pickle juice
- 1½ tbsp apple-cider vinegar
- 1–2 tbsp sugar, to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¾ tsp salt
👨🍳 Method
- Cook the macaroni in well-salted water until just tender. Don’t overcook it.
- Drain and rinse briefly under cold water. Let it drain very well.
- Whisk all dressing ingredients together. Taste it — you want creamy, tangy, slightly sweet and savory.
- In a large bowl, combine macaroni, eggs, pickles, celery, peas, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms and parsley.
- Pour in about ¾ of the dressing and gently fold everything together.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
- Before serving, stir in the remaining dressing. Macaroni absorbs dressing as it sits, so this step gives you that extra-creamy texture seen in the photo.
- Finish with parsley, a light sprinkle of paprika, and freshly cracked black pepper.
⭐ The secret to making it really good
For the closest restaurant/deli-style result, don’t skimp on the pickle juice and vinegar. The acidity cuts through all that mayonnaise and makes the salad taste much brighter.
Also, make the dressing slightly more flavorful than you think it needs to be before chilling—the macaroni will mellow and absorb the seasoning.
