Coleslaw Macaroni Salad

Coleslaw Macaroni Salad is the best spring and summer side. It’s creamy, crunchy, and packed with flavor from celery seeds, mustard, cabbage, and relish.

It’s hard to think of any better BBQ Side Dishes than Macaroni Salad and Coleslaw, but what if you put them together? This recipe is the perfect combination of the two with tender pasta and crunchy slaw all in a creamy mayo dressing. 

Coleslaw Macaroni Salad in bowl

COLESLAW MACARONI SALAD

This easy Coleslaw and Macorni Salad is perfect for your next cookout, potluck, or as the main dish for an easy lunch. It’s quick to make and full of delicious flavor and texture. You’re sure to love the rich dressing with mustard, relish and some sweetness. It makes the perfect side for BBQ Chicken or Grilled Pork Chops.

Coleslaw Macaroni Salad is one of the easiest dishes to make. Once you’ve cooked the macaroni, it’s a simple matter of whisking together the creamy dressing and then tossing it with the slaw and noodles. It only takes a few minutes to throw together, then just leave it in the fridge for a few hours to set. Simple as that!

If you’re making this dish for a party, I’d recommend making a little extra. You’ll be amazed at just how much gets eaten, and it’s great to have leftovers. Coleslaw Macaroni Salad keeps well in the fridge for a few days, so It’s nice to have for an easy lunch.

MORE MACARONI SALAD RECIPES

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN COLESLAW CABBAGE MIX

It’s really easy to find premade coleslaw at any grocery store. So, if you want to skip shredding the cabbage, just grab a bag and toss it with your salad. However, if you have some cabbage you’re trying to use up, or just want a fresher coleslaw then you can make your own mix. 

  • What you’ll need: Green Cabbage, some red cabbage if desired, and a carrot.
  • Shredding the cabbage: You can either shred your cabbage in a food processor or with a knife. Either way, start by cutting the head into fourths and then cutting out the core. If you’re using a food processor, just put 1/4 in at a time to shred. For the knife, slice each wedge horizontally into thin strips of cabbage. About 1 head should be plenty. 
  • Shredding the carrot: To shred the carrot either use a food processor or a grater. Once you’ve shredded the cabbage and carrots, mix them together to make your slaw. 

Coleslaw Macaroni Salad ingredients in bowl

VARIATIONS ON COLESLAW MACARONI SALAD

  • Pasta: You can exchange the elbow macaroni for any other short cut pasta that you prefer or happen to have in the pantry. Penne, rigatoni, orechiette, or orzo would all work nicely. 
  • Yogurt: For a lighter creamy slaw, exchange the mayonnaise for Greek yogurt. It has a slightly different taste, but the other flavorings are strong enough that shouldn’t make a huge difference. Greek yogurt does a good job keeping the same coleslaw texture you want, but it is much more healthy. 
  • Sweetener: We use 1/4 cup granulated sugar in this Coleslaw Macaroni Salad recipe for a nice sweet undertone. However, if you want a slightly healthier sweetener, try using honey. You’ll exchange it in equal parts so use 1/4 cup honey to replace the sugar and mix it in thoroughly with the other ingredients. 
  • Add-ins: For some flavor add-ins try mixing in dill, chives, or some lemon juice. If you want some extra vegetables, chop up  cucumbers and broccoli to toss in. You could also add frozen peas to the mixture. 
  • Protein: To make this into a more filling main dish try mixing in some meat like tuna, chicken, or turkey. 

HOW TO STORE COLESLAW MACARONI SALAD

  • Serve: Don’t leave Coleslaw Macaroni Salad at room temperature for more than 2 hours. 
  • Store: Cover the salad or put it in an airtight container to store in the fridge. It should keep well for 3-4 days. 
  • Freeze: This recipe won’t freeze well because the mayonnaise and dressing will all separate. It’s much better to make a fresh batch. 

Coleslaw Macaroni Salad in bowl

Pin this recipe now to remember it later

Pin Recipe

Coleslaw Macaroni Salad

Coleslaw Macaroni Salad is the best spring and summer side. It's creamy, crunchy, and packed with flavor from celery seeds, mustard, cabbage, and relish.
Course Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Coleslaw Macaroni Salad
Prep Time 5 minutes
Refrigerate 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings 8 Servings
Calories 392 kcal
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients

  • 2 cups mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 2 tablespoons relish , sweet or dill is fine
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons celery seeds
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni , cooked and drained
  • 1/4 yellow onion , minced
  • 16 ounces coleslaw cabbage mix

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, relish, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and celery seeds.
  2. Add pasta and cabbage mix.
  3. Toss well.
  4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Nutrition Facts
Coleslaw Macaroni Salad
Amount Per Serving
Calories 392 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 9mg3%
Sodium 785mg34%
Potassium 258mg7%
Carbohydrates 59g20%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 9g18%
Vitamin A 95IU2%
Vitamin C 21mg25%
Calcium 47mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

Categories

Leave a comment & rating

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *