4-Ingredient Macaroni Salad Recipe
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This 4-ingredient Macaroni Salad Recipe is simple and crazy good. Tender pasta is combined with crunchy red bell peppers, sliced green onions, and tangy banana peppers. Macaroni salad is a summer staple that only takes 20 minutes to prep and it stays good in the fridge for several days. Grab it from the fridge to serve with a Lamb Burger with Tzatziki Sauce, Beef Hot Dogs in the Air Fryer or Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.
Why This is Recipe So Good
- It’s made with only 4 ingredients- Pasta, green onions, red bell peppers, and banana peppers, you can’t get simpler than that!
- It’s customizable. I like to use this 4-ingredient macaroni salad recipe as a base then add mayo for creaminess and cubed pepper jack cheese. You can add diced tomatoes, cucumbers or celery, beef bacon bits or crumbled feta cheese for a different flavor or based on whatever you have on hand.
- Macaroni salad is quick and easy to prep for picnics, BBQs, or as a simple side for weeknight meals.
- It takes 20 minutes to prep and it stays good in the fridge for several days!
Recipe Ingredients
- Pasta – Rotini pasta or macaroni noodles. It’s a matter of preference. The biggest thing to keep in mind is to not overcook the pasta. It should be al dente or have some bite to it.
- Vegetables – I used green onions to give a light onion flavor and red bell peppers for crunch and sweetness.
- Banana Peppers – Adding chopped banana peppers with their juice gives the best tangy zing to this macaroni salad. It steps in for mustard and vinegar in classic macaroni salad recipes.
- Mayo – This is optional. I like to include it if I want a creamier pasta salad.
- Pepper Jack cheese – Also optional. Cubes of pepper jack cheese not only make the salad more filling but even more delicious!
How to Make 4-Ingredient Macaroni Salad
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook your pasta of choice in boiling salted water until al dente according to your package’s instructions. Once done immediately drain the hot water then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, drain then transfer the cooked pasta to a large mixing bowl.
- Next stir in mayo(if using), chopped red bell peppers, sliced green onions, and chopped banana peppers with their juice. Taste and add more banana pepper juice if you like.
- Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until completely chilled.
Frequently Asked Questions —
Should you rinse macaroni when making macaroni salad?
Absolutely this stops the cooking process which makes sure that you won’t have mushy overcooked pasta in your salad.
Why isn’t my pasta salad creamy?
Make sure your pasta is cold before combining it with your mayo or dressing. Warm pasta will soak up the mayo leading to a less creamy pasta salad and mushy pasta.
Looking For More Recipes?
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings with Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Frozen Hot Dogs In The Air Fryer
- Linguine with Red Cabbage and Kale
- 3-ingredient Alfredo Sauce with Fettuccine
- The Best Homemade Lasagna Recipe
- How To Make Homemade Pasta without a Pasta Machine
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4-Ingredient Macaroni Salad Recipe
This 4-ingredient Macaroni Salad Recipe is simple and crazy good. Tender pasta is combined with crunchy red bell peppers, sliced green onions, and tangy banana peppers. Macaroni salad is a summer staple that only takes 20 minutes to prep and it stays good in the fridge for several days. Grab it from the fridge to serve with a Lamb Burger with Tzatziki Sauce, Beef Hot Dogs in the Air Fryer or Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings.
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Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 242kcal
Cost: $5
Equipment
- 1 Chef knife
Ingredients
- 3 cups rotini pasta or 2 cups macaroni pasta
- 1 medium red bell pepper roughly chopped, about 1 cup
- 2-4 tablespoons of the juice of banana pepper rings plus 2 tablespoons banana pepper rings, roughly chopped, I used mild
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
Optional ingredients
- 4 tablespoons mayo
- ¼ cup pepper jack cheese cubed
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta noodles according to the package instructions. Don’t overcook the pasta, as soon as it reaches al dente drain the hot water rinse with cool water then allow it to drain.
- While the pasta is boiling, roughly chop red bell peppers and banana pepper rings and slice the green onions. Add veggies to a large mixing bowl along with the banana pepper juice and mayo(if using). Combine with cooked pasta. Stir and taste, and adjust the seasoning. Add a little bit more banana pepper juice or salt as needed.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until completely chilled. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
How To Store/ Make Ahead
Store macaroni salad tightly covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.Tips and Tricks
- Don’t overcook pasta – Cook it only until it is al dente or with some bite to it, you don’t want mushy pasta.
- Rinse the pasta as soon as it’s finished cooking to stop the cooking process. This is also important because warm pasta with soak up the mayo and vinegar more easily making it softer.
- Pasta – I used rotini pasta but regular macaroni noodles are totally fine as well! Make it gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.
- Mayo – For this 4-ingredient pasta salad the mayo is completely optional. It adds a nice creaminess but it is just delicious without it. Make it vegan by using vegan mayo.
- Cheese – Cubed pepper jack cheese is another optional ingredient, it adds flavor and makes this salad more filling. Can substitute it with your favorite type of cheese, such as mild/sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Colby Jack.
- Banana peppers – Classic macaroni salad includes mustard and vinegar, I find the banana peppers, both the peppers and the juice add the perfect amount of tang and zing to the pasta salad.
- Bell peppers – Red bell peppers are added for crunch and sweetness. Red bell peppers are naturally sweet so there’s no need to add any sugar to this salad. If you want to use green bell peppers your salad will be more savory. Of course, if you find that your pasta salad needs a hint of sweetness feel free to add a dash of sugar if you like!
- Green onions have a light onion flavor that doesn’t overwhelm the salad like yellow onions would. A shallot or minced red onion would give a similar light onion flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 142mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1055IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg
All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.
