| Total: | 3 hr 40 min |
| Prep: | 40 min |
| Cook: | 3 hr |
| Yield: | 24 servings |
Ingredients
- One 16-ounce package salad macaroni (or ditali pasta)
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup red onion, diced
- 1 cup yellow or white onion, diced
- 1 cup medium Cheddar, diced
- 1 cup Swiss cheese, diced
- 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
- 1 cup dill pickles, diced
- 1 cup salami, diced
- One 6-ounce can large pitted black olives, drained (or 1 cup diced or sliced)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Lowry’s garlic salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon dried horseradish
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- One 3-ounce jar diced pimentos, rinsed and drained
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
Instructions
- Add 2 quarts of water to a medium stockpot and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until it is al dente, approximately 9 minutes. Do not overcook the pasta or it will fall apart when the salad is tossed together. Rinse macaroni until cool. Drain well and let it dry out slightly.
- Add pasta to a large bowl. Carefully fold in celery, onion, Cheddar, Swiss cheese, Parmesan, dill pickles, salami, and black olives. Refrigerate the mixture, uncovered, overnight (or refrigerate for at least 2 hours).
- Mix the Lowry’s garlic salt, minced garlic, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard and celery salt together. Add to salad. Fold in the pimentos. Fold in 1 cup of mayonnaise to start. Add up to a 1/2 cup more of mayonnaise if needed. Refrigerate again for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 24 servings |
| Calories | 264 |
| Total Fat | 18 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 28 mg |
| Sodium | 427 mg |
Reviews
Been making this dish for over 20 years. First saw it air on a Food Network TV show around 2000-2002.
It’s a hit at all family gatherings.
Made this and it is awesome. The only difference I used garlic powder and celery seed instead. This is my pick for picnics and other gatherings.
Yuck. Way too much salt and I’m a salt fiend I used half the salt because of the comments and it was still too salty. Too spicy and I love spicy food. I’m trying to decide if I can salvage this mess.
I would love to know why the pasta marinates with the ingredients for 1.5 hr- 24hr BEFORE adding the seasonings and mayonaise. I’ve made this a couple times before and have completely missed that step. Doing it the suggested way this time.
The best pasta salad ever! The thing I like about this is it’s not dripping with mayo. I have been making this for years to rave reviews. My sister-in-law even loved it and she doesn’t care for anything I cook!
Just made this for a burger lunch at the office … to rave reviews. I’ve made this recipe and versions of it for years, ever since it first appeared on FN. I really love the “kitchen sink” nature of it and I mean that in the best possible way. Use what you have in the fridge and you’ll rarely go wrong. No salami, substitute bacon. No pimentos, use roasted red peppers. Don’t like red onions, use green onions. The only thing I don’t like about the recipe is all the salt. Skip the onion SALT, garlic SALT, celery SALT, seasoning SALT, blech! Use celery seed, onion powder, real garlic, no salt seasoning, THEN salt to taste. It’s not uncommon for me to hear “More mayo please” and I think for some macaroni salad should be creamier than this recipe is. Go ahead, add more mayo or even some sour cream. Adjust seasonings to taste accordingly. Horseradish power is hard to find. Use the real thing instead. Mustard powder or real yellow mustard…use what’s handy. This really is a winning recipe and you’d be hard pressed to go wrong with any variations you might make.
I have used this recipe for years. I use most the dry ingredients, but instead of celery and pickles , I use cherry tomatoes and frozen peas. I also add ham with the salami and only red onions. It’s always a hit,
The Best Macaroni Salad PERIOD! Only thing I change is Roasted Red Peppers 6 oz. instead of pimentos.
I’ve made this recipe for years, however, I reduced the garlic salt to 1/2-1 Teaspoon, not the 1-2 Tablespoons of garlic salt.
This is the best pasta salad recipe ever. Letting the pasta rest in the fridge is a must for maximum deliciousness. Tweak it by adding more or less of something, but this recipe is the basis of a wonderful taste adventure. We love this pasta recipe. Thank you Mr. Dunkley.