This blog post is going to be written more like a “how to” post rather than a recipe because pasta salad is so easily personalized. I did not want to leave any readers feeling that they were boxed into a recipe. Instead, I hope to provide you with a good understanding of the process for preparing this summertime favorite, and teach you a from scratch trick for the mayonnaise.

Below, I will address what can be included in a pasta salad, some seasoning insights, how you can make your own homemade mayonnaise with only two ingredients, and how to keep it fresh or re-serve it in the days that follow.

The basic process

To make the best pasta salad involves a little planning or at least accessibility. When I have leftover meats like ham and chicken, I love to save it for meals like this one. Prior to making the macaroni salad, ensure you have prepared any meats that you want to include.

You will want your pasta salad made at least an hour in advance of the time you want to serve it so that it can chill in the fridge ahead of time. Cook the pasta of your choice on the stove top. I like to use 100% whole wheat pasta for the added nutritional benefit. You can find this at most grocery stores usually for just a slightly higher price point than regular pasta.

While it is cooking chop any vegetables and meats that you want included in the salad. Once the pasta is cooked drain it and run it under cold water to help it chill. Combine the pasta in a large bowl with all of your various additions and seasonings. At this point, you can chill it in the fridge until it is time to serve it.

While the pasta is chilling, prepare your mayonnaise, and then refrigerate that as well until it is time to serve. Combine the mayonnaise with the pasta salad shortly before serving to ensure the freshest tasting salad.

What to put in your pasta salad

What you decide to put into your pasta salad is going to greatly depend on what kind of occasion you are making it for. If you are making it as a meal for a hot day because your family wants something cool to eat, you will likely want to include some meat and protein sources in it to help make it a balanced dinner. Alternatively, if you are making it as a side dish for a party and you don’t have meat available, you may want to stick with just vegetables.

Vegetable variations

I like to chop up my vegetables into small diced chunks for my pasta salads, so that they can all blend together well, and none of the vegetables really stand out. I can’t think of any veggies that are off limits in a pasta salad. You have the freedom to experiment and insert all your favorites here! I love adding in peppers, carrots, or celery, and cucumbers are always a must.

As I prepared pictures for this post, I included red peppers, carrots, and cucumbers in this salad as it is what I had on hand. Green beans, peas, broccoli, beets (cooked and then chilled), tomatoes, or even avocados are also great options.

Meat and higher protein variations

Again, if you are wanting to create a simple, well-balanced meal out of this dish, you are going to want to add in some protein. Meat sources like ham or shredded chicken are great options, and would be my go to’s whenever I make something like this. You can add multiple types of meat if you have access to it, and I recommened that as it enhances the overall quality of the pasta salad.

Adding hamburger or other types of ground meat would also be a great choice. Outside of meat sources, hard boiled eggs are a very fitting addition in a pasta salad. Similarly, shredded cheeses would seemlessly fit in with the flavor and composition of the salad, and I like to add cottage cheese on occasion, as well. Cottage cheese is an abundant source of protein, and it also helps to provide a “sauce” texture for the pasta salad in addition to the mayonnaise.

Seasoning your pasta salad

You can take this multiple directions. Stay consistent and predictable with some simple salt and pepper. Or, give your pasta salad an italian feel with any combination of oregano, basil, thyme, garlic, and parsley. You can also put a mexican twist on it by choosing fitting vegetables and meats, and then seasoning it with chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion powder salt, and paprika.

How you season a macaroni salad will obviously deeply impact the flavor outcome of it, and therefore you should determine what sort of experience you are going for before you choose from the above spice blends.

For example, an Italian style pasta salad will go great with things like chopped ham, shredded chicken, shredded mozzerella cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, celery, or broccoli. Whereas, a Mexican style pasta salad will go great with ground meats, shredded cheddar cheese, corn, assortments of beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, and onions.

Making homemade mayonnaise with just 3 ingredients

Making homemade mayonnaise is so amazingly simple! It takes less then two minutes once you are practiced, and it is actually simpler and quicker to make yourself at home than to remember to put on the grocery list and get it at the store. With only two necessary ingredients, it also becomes a huge money saver to make it yourself! It is one of those “do it yourself” homemaking hacks that actually saves you time and money, and is so much healthier for you than when store bought.

All you need to make a cup of mayonnaise is 2 eggs and some olive oil. You can make mayonnaise easily with raw eggs. However, I prefer to use hard boiled eggs, as consuming raw eggs in the US risks exposure to salmonella. If you have been avoiding making your own mayo because you don’t want to use raw egg, then check this out!

Simply take 2 hard boiled eggs and use an immersion blender to mash it all up. Then slowly, while running the immersion blender on high, pour 1-2 tablespoons of water over the egg until it begins to form a creamy consistency rather than powdery.

You want the egg to be fully combined with the water, ensuring a uniform and creamy texture before moving onto the next step. If the hard boiled egg still has a powdery or grainy texture it will not mix well with the oil.

Finally, when ready, take 1/4 of a cup of oil and slowly drizzle it over the egg mixture while running the immersion blender on high. Do this until you have the consistency that you want.

Troubleshooting

I have had to experience trial and error trying to find the reliable way to get consistent results, especially using hard boiled eggs. I experienced my mayo being too runny, too grainy, and staying separated rather than emulsifying well.

If it is too runny, you are likely adding too much water to the egg. To fix this, you can try taking another hard boiled egg in a different container, and blending it up with a smaller amount of water. Then, add this to the mayonnaise mixture while running your immersion blender on high. You may have the same issue if you run your immersion blender on low while combining the ingredients. To whip the mayo into a good creamy texture, your blender really needs to be running on high.

If it is too grainy or it is staying separated instead of emulsifying, you likely didn’t blend the egg well enough before adding the oil. If your egg was not emulsified well with a little bit of water before adding the oil, it will not whip into the right kind of texture after the fact. Don’t worry, the flavor is still present, and you can still use this mayo. It just won’t be as good, especially in sandwiches or salads, as when it comes out right. Simply try it again as explained above.

Re-serving leftover pasta salad

If you’ve ever made pasta salad, then you know it often becomes dry after sitting. I tend to try to save some mayonnaise to add to it again the next time I want to re-serve it. Alternatively, you can always top it with some shredded cheddar cheese and your favorite dressing to give it a little moisture and bring it back to life!

If you found this post helpful, leave a comment and let me know. Follow along for more simple recipes, homemaking encouragement, and uncomplicated education on from-scratch cooking for the simple homemaker.