Quick Macaroni Salad (No Mayo!)
This quick and easy macaroni salad is made without mayo and uses elbow macaroni pasta, colorful crunchy veggies, and a simple, zesty homemade Italian dressing for a perfectly light and flavorful pasta salad that’s great to make ahead.
5 star review
“I’ve made this recipe several times over the last couple of years, and it never disappoints! This pasta salad is always a hit at every potluck, and I love that it holds up well in the fridge for leftovers. I always sub bowtie pasta for the macaroni (because bowtie pasta is so cute).”
– Emilia
Macaroni Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing Vibes
Occasionally my family gets nostalgic for the comfort of a good old fashioned pasta, so I set out to create my own version using garden fresh veggies and a sprinkling of fresh herbs! A fresh twist on a classic, this nourishing macaroni salad with homemade Italian dressing is full of fresh summer veggies and tossed with a tangy, quick vinaigrette.
For the veggies I started with the classic chopped red onion and celery, and then added carrots, bell pepper, tomatoes, and a handful of fresh parsley. But it’s a super versatile and forgiving recipe that will work with lots of different produce, so you can use whatever you happen to have on hand. Since you can make it ahead of time & store it in the fridge, this garden pasta salad is perfect for lunch, a light dinner, or as a side dish to bring to a potluck or picnic.
I wanted to avoid the bottled Italian dressing so instead whisked together a quick homemade version. You can, of course, use store bought for a quick recipe shortcut – but trust me, the dressing is so simple to make. It tastes like the bottled version, only much fresher!
Why We Love a Mayo-Free Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is super simple to make in one bowl with just a handful of ingredients. I love that it can be made ahead in batches and it’s one of those rare recipes that somehow tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for meal prep! The trick to less prep and less mess is to make the easy vinaigrette in the bowl before you add your other ingredients (it also ensures you don’t miss a single drop of all that flavorful Italian dressing). Once you whisk that dressing together, you just add in your cooked pasta & chopped veggies and you’re ready to go!
Feel free to play around with the veggies and herbs in this salad, adding what you like and skipping what you don’t. For instance, if you’re not a fan of tomatoes (I know you’re out there!), just leave them out or substitute with something else (like roasted red peppers).
Make it a Main Dish by Adding a Protein of Choice
Add one can of drained tuna for a healthy tuna macaroni salad, 1 cup cooked and chopped chicken for a chicken macaroni salad, 1 cup of chopped hard boiled eggs for a vegetarian macaroni salad, or 1 can of drained & rinsed chickpeas for a vegan macaroni salad.
Ingredient Notes & Sub Ideas for Ya
- Cooked pasta: I used cooked and cooled elbow macaroni pasta because I wanted to create a healthy twist on the classic macaroni salad, but you could use any pasta shape you like. This recipe works great with both whole wheat or gluten-free pasta.
- Carrots: Fresh carrots work best for this recipe. I look for whole carrots with the tops on for the best & sweetest flavor, but baby carrots would also work in this recipe.
- Cherry tomatoes: I used halved cherry tomatoes for this recipe since they don’t require much prep (I appreciate that they’re quick and easy to halve & eat with a fork). If you don’t like tomatoes, you can also substitute roasted red peppers in their place.
- Bell pepper: I used a yellow bell pepper but you could use any color bell pepper you like.
- Celery: Fresh celery works best for this recipe and provides delightful, refreshing crunchy texture to this garden pasta salad.
- Red onion: I love the subtle bite that raw red onion adds to homemade salads. You could also use shallots in their place. If you don’t like or can’t have onions, feel free to omit them.
- Flat-leaf parsley: The flavor of fresh parsley pairs well with the other ingredients in this pasta salad. If you don’t have fresh herbs, feel free to omit them.
- Italian seasoning: I used no-salt added Italian seasoning to flavor the homemade Italian dressing. This premade blend is a great shortcut ingredient since it already comes with a mixture of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. But you could also just use dried oregano in place of Italian seasoning.
- Garlic powder: I love the ease and convenience of using granulated garlic powder in this recipe. But you can also use fresh minced or grated garlic if you prefer.
- Red wine vinegar: Together with the olive oil, the red wine vinegar forms the base of the vinaigrette and brings that flavor we’ve all come to know & love in a good Italian dressing.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I like the subtle flavor from the olive oil in this dressing but you can also use any other neutral oil you like – such as avocado, canola or vegetable oil.
Quick Macaroni Salad (No Mayo!)
Ingredients
For the Homemade Italian Dressing:
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, or dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
For the Salad:
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced into halves
- 6 medium carrots, diced, about 1 cup
- 1 large bell pepper, diced, about 1 cup, any color
- 4-5 stalks celery, diced
- ¼ small red onion, diced, about ¼ cup
- 6 medium carrots, diced, about 1 cup
- ⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 pound cooked and cooled elbow pasta
Equipment
Instructions
- In a small bowl or jar with a tight-fitting lid place the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and vinegar. Whisk or shake until well combined. Add the olive oil and whisk or shake again until well combined. The dressing will naturally settle as it sits, so give it a good whisk or shake before serving.
- In a large bowl combine the cooked pasta, tomatoes, carrots, bell pepper, celery, red onion, and parsley. Pour over the dressing and stir to combine. Let sit at least 30 minutes for the dressing to absorb and the flavors to combine. Serve at room temperature.
Eeek! I cannot make this pasta salad fast enough! I love pasta salad, but some reason I never make it. Which is dumb, because yours looks fantastic. Cannot wait to make this beautiful, colorful bowl of pasta!
Meg, I hope you will make it! Can’t wait to hear what you think. 🙂
This is a keeper! I made some substitutions to use what I already had. I used broccoli instead of celery, green instead of yellow pepper, and basil instead of parley. I also omitted the salt(dietary restriction), added pepper, and doubled the yummy dressing!
Stacey, I love your substitutions! I think I’ll use broccoli next time instead of celery, and doubling the dressing is always a good idea. Glad you enjoyed!
so simple, but so good! This is a great way to use up the CSA box. I had leftover broccoli, onion, tomato, carrots and celery and I get a new box tomorrow – so I cleared the vegetable drawer, and now have lunches for a few days. Thanks!
Kathie, sometimes the most simple recipes are the best, aren’t they? I love the idea of using this as a base recipe to use up whatever is left in the CSA boxes, and it’s always fantastic to have a few lunches for the week. Glad you enjoyed. 🙂
Can I make this the night before?
April, make the salad, hold the dressing aside, cover tightly, and refrigerate. When ready to serve bring to room temperature and toss with the dressing.
Wish you would include the recipe nutritional information with your recipes, like the calories or fat grams, etc. Would be extremely helpful!
Hi Alisa, I actually don’t count calories or fat grams. Instead I simply focus on eating real, whole foods. If tracking calories and fat grams is helpful to you, please feel free to enter the ingredients for your favorite recipes into the many online calculators out there.
This is a delicious side dish, makes it easy to get in your veggies. It is a little time consuming to chop the vegetables, but that can be done ahead of time. Will be making again throughout the summer months. Great for potlucks!
Yay, glad you enjoyed this one–even with that extra chopping. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
I’ve made this recipe several times over the last couple of years, and it never disappoints! This pasta salad is always a hit at every potluck, and I love that it holds up well in the fridge for leftovers. I always sub bowtie pasta for the macaroni (because bowtie pasta is so cute).
Emilia, ohhhh I love the idea of using bowtie macaroni, so smart! Thanks for sharing the tip and for leaving a reivew!