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This Healthy Macaroni Salad (Deli Style!) is the absolute best summer side dish. It’s amazingly creamy, packed with delicious crunchy vegetables and has the most perfect tangy sweet flavor! This recipe is lower in fat than the traditional recipe but absolutely no one will know it for a second! The perfect side dish for your next summer BBQ!
About This Recipe
You do not want to miss out on this Healthy Deli Style Macaroni Salad! It’s the perfect summer side dish made with simple ingredients including yummy pasta, colorful veggies and a creamy dressing. You’ll love this deli-style pasta salad because it’s perfect to prepare in advance and a favorite recipe of mine for serving a crowd.
This deli-style macaroni salad is also a big hit because it’s lower in fat than traditional recipes! The combination of greek yogurt and light mayo blend together perfect to give it the best creamy, tangy sweet sauce that packs a little extra protein.
This lighter version of creamy macaroni salad is also great because it’s super customizable! You can easily make this recipe gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan! Serve this delicious salad at summer gatherings or meal prep for an easy side all week. I love pairing this easy macaroni salad with my Air Fryer Greek Turkey Burgers, BBQ Chicken, or my Healthy Salmon Burgers!
Why You’ll Love This Macaroni Salad
- The perfect side dish for summer!
- A simple recipe that can easily be doubled or tripled to serve a crowd at your next summer BBQ
- Homemade dressing is lower in fat than classic macaroni salad!
- Super easy to make gluten-free or dairy-free
- An easy summer recipe that only takes 25 minutes to come together.
- Macaroni noodles – I used regular elbow macaroni noodles. Any type of noodle or pasta shape will work here. You can use regular, whole wheat or chickpea pasta. Use gluten-free if needed.
- Celery
- Red pepper – I used a red bell pepper but red, yellow or orange would work
- Red onion
- Baby gherkins – sweet or savory gherkins work. I love the sweet ones!
- Light mayo – you can use regular or light mayo. You can also omit and just use all greek yogurt if you prefer.
- Greek yogurt – I used plain greek yogurt. Use dairy-free if needed or omit and use all light mayo. Sour cream would also work!
- Pickle juice
- Dijon mustard
- Sugar – Sugar is necessary to bring that classic deli-style sweetness! We are only using a little bit for this recipe, but feel free to use a sugar substitute if you prefer!
- Red wine vinegar – can also sub for apple cider vinegar.
- Sal and black pepper
- To make gluten-free: use gluten-free macaroni noodles.
- To make dairy-free or vegan: use dairy-free greek yogurt (or omit and use all mayo)
- Add your favorite cheese: Try adding cheddar cheese cubes, crumbled feta or mini mozzarella balls.
- Add more veggies: Add additional veggies like shredded carrots, cucumber, green onions or diced radishes!
- Throw in some protein! If you’re looking to really kick up the protein (or make this into a main entree), add some diced chicken, shredded rotisserie chicken or ham!
- Spice it up! Give it an extra kick with diced jalapeños or a few shakes of cayenne or paprika!
How To Make
Store macaroni salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Helpful Tips
- Don’t over-cook your noodles – Cook noodles until they are al dente (or 2 minutes less than the package directions). Fully cooked or overcooked noodles might become soggy in your macaroni salad and no one enjoys that!
- Rinse noodles in cold water – Rinse the cooked pasta in cold water to stop additional cooking. Check out this awesome article from the The Kitchn about when to rinse noodles!
- Add salt to noodle water – adding salt to the water before you cook your noodles will help give the whole dish additional flavor! You can omit if you or someone you’re serving is on a low-sodium diet.
Can you taste the greek yogurt in this macaroni salad?
Don’t worry! You cannot taste the greek yogurt in this macaroni salad. I actually love using combination of greek yogurt and light mayo because I feel like it balances out the sweetness of the mayo, adds additional creaminess and give it a slight tang. It also helps to keep the fat down and add additional protein. However, if you’re strongly against greek yogurt you can also just sub for more light mayo or use sour cream!
Is this a good recipe to make in advance?
This is a great recipe to make in advance; I actually think it’s better made the day before so the flavors have time to come together! Just give the macaroni salad a big stir before serving to make sure everything is thoroughly combined. You can store any leftover macaroni salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Can I cook the pasta in the instant pot?
Sure! To save time cooking the pasta, you can easily cook it in the instant pot! Use 2 cups of water per 8 oz. of pasta to cook on high for 1 minute then let it naturally release for 5 minutes. Check out this great article on How to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot for more detailed instructions!
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The Best Healthy Macaroni Salad (Deli Style!)
Ingredients
Macaroni Salad:
- 8 oz. elbow macaroni noodles any type of pasta works! Use gluten-free if needed.
- 1 cup celery, finely diced (140g)
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced (150g)
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced (60g)
- 1/2 cup baby gherkins, finely diced (70g)
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup light mayo (120g)
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt (60g)
- 2 Tbsp pickle juice (30g)
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper
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Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the water, then add the pasta. Cook according to package instructions. Then rinse with cold water and drain well.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the diced celery, peppers, red onion and gherkins to the bowl. Add the pasta and the dressing and toss well to evenly coat. Taste and add more salt, pepper, pickle juice, etc to taste.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Best if refrigerated for 24 hours.
Equipment
- Vegetable chopper optional, just makes life so much easier and so nice to have everything the same size!
Notes
- Add your favorite cheese! Try adding cheddar cheese cubes, crumbled feta or mini mozzarella balls.
- More veggies! Add additional veggies like shredded carrots, cucumber, green onions or diced radishes!
- Throw in some protein! If you’re looking to really kick up the protein add some diced chicken or ham!
- Spice it up! Give it an extra kick with diced jalapeños or a few shakes of cayenne or paprika!
- Don’t over-cook your noodles – Cook noodles until they are al dente (or 2 minutes less than the package directions). Fully cooked or overcooked noodles might become soggy in your macaroni salad and no one enjoys that!
- Rinse noodles in cold water – Rinse the cooked pasta in cold water to stop additional cooking. Check out this awesome article from the The Kitchn about when to rinse noodles!
- Add salt to noodle water – adding salt to the water before you cook your noodles will help give the whole dish additional flavor! You can omit if you or someone you’re serving is on a low-sodium diet.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
