Pimento Cheese Macaroni Salad

Skip the plate and dive spoon first straight into the bowl of this creamy yet crunchy, and completely savory Pimento Cheese Macaroni Salad. Combining the caviar of the south with summertime’s favorite side, this mashup of two southern favorites is an instant classic.

As a southern there are certain dishes that generations of families hold near and dear to their hearts. They instantly evoke vivid memories and love. Mac and cheese, potato salad, macaroni salad, and pimento cheese are some of the top. You will find multiple versions at every potluck, cookout, and family holiday.

This southern macaroni salad combines the balance of a creamy dressing and crunchy and crisp vegetables with the bold cheesy pop of pimento cheese. It delivers everything you love about a classic macaroni salad with the added bonus of saltine’s best friend.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Familiar Flavors – There are certain things you don’t want to mess around too much with, and a classic macaroni salad is one of them. This recipe doesn’t stray too far from this beloved barbecue side but does bring in more savory flavors and texture.
• Make Ahead – Some things get better over time when they’re allowed to refrigerate and get happy. This pimento macaroni salad is one of them.
• Customizable – Have fun playing around with your favorite combination of cheeses as well as add-ins. If you like hard boiled eggs in your mac salad, go ahead! A fan of ham, toss that in. Macaroni salad is a choose your own adventure.
• Easy Ingredients – You can easily find all of the ingredients at your local grocery store. Your combination of cheeses can be as traditional as sharp cheddar. The dressing utilizes pantry staples you probably already have while the salad relies on fresh basics like celery and onions.

Ingredient Playlist

There is nothing complicated about any of the ingredients for this pimento cheese macaroni salad, but you do want to pick quality ingredients. Here is a list of the main components.

• Mayonnaise – This is the base for the pasta salad dressing. You want to pick a high-quality mayo. Being a southern girl, Duke’s reigns supreme.
• Pickle Relish – All southern style macaroni salads have a sweet back note. Most rely on a little or a lot of white sugar which can be one note. Using a sweet and spicy pickle relish such as Wickles Pickles gives that sweetness, but also tang. Want your pasta salad a little sweeter? Add a little more relish.
• Red Bell Pepper – Skip the jarred pimentos and roast your own red bell pepper. This will give you the additional layer of smokey flavor and offer natural sweetness.
• Macaroni – This is macaroni salad. Not farfalle or penne. Stick with the classic.
• Cheese – While you can use your favorite combination of cheeses for this recipe, you want to use block cheese and grate it yourself. This will give you the best texture and flavor. The bagged shredded cheese has a coating on it that will make your dressing have a weird texture.

How to Make Pimento Cheese Macaroni Salad

Maybe one of the reasons macaroni salad is so beloved is how easy it is to make. It feeds a crowd and is total comfort food. The only difficult part of making this pimento cheese pasta salad is not diving in and eating it straight from the bowl! But no judgement if you do. Just remember to share.

• Roast your pepper. You can roast your red bell pepper on the grill, under the broiler, or on a gas burner. You just want to char the skin and soften it up. Once all of the sides are charred transfer it to a plastic bag and seal it up. It will steam as it cools down.

• Cook your pasta. Cook your pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Make sure to salt your water when it comes to a boil so you season your pasta itself.
• Rinse it off. Drain your pasta and give it a rinse to both stop the cooking and also remove the excess starch. Unlike a warm pasta recipe where you want the starch to marry the pasta and sauce together, you don’t need the excess starch for a cold pasta salad.
• Chop your vegetables and grate your cheese. Remove your red bell pepper from the bag and peel off the skin. Don’t worry if it doesn’t all come off, it just adds flavor and texture. Remove the seeds and core and give it a chop along with the rest of your vegetables.
• Mix together your dressing. Add all of the ingredients for the dressing into a separate bowl and mix to combine. Taste it and see if you want it a little more sweet, spicy, tangier. Hold off on adding any additional salt as the cheese brings another layer of saltiness.

• Combine your ingredients. Add all of your ingredients to a large bowl and gently toss to combine.
• Allow your southern macaroni salad to refrigerate. Let your creamy macaroni salad refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Taste test. Give your pimento pasta salad a stir and a taste. Want it a little creamier? Add a touch more mayo. Want it a little saltier? Add an extra splash of Worcestershire sauce.
• Dress her up. The sprinkle of paprika on top of macaroni salad is absolutely mandatory. Don’t forget a little extra sprinkle of shredded cheese, scallions, and celery leaves if you have them.

Substitutions

The tang of the pickled jalapeno adds a nice little punch to this recipe while also mellowing the natural heat of the pepper. However, you can use a fresh jalapeno that has been deseeded or leave it out altogether.

I add a freshly roasted red bell pepper to this recipe in place of jarred pimentos. This is the same way that I make my homemade pimento cheese. You can easily substitute this for either jarred roasted red bell peppers, or a jar of drained pimentos.

Best Cheeses for Pimento Cheese Macaroni Salad

I apply the same rules to this macaroni salad as I do both my homemade pimento cheese, and also my macaroni cheese. I like to do a combination of three different cheeses. You want a creamier cheese, a good cheddar cheese, and an accent cheese.

• Creamy cheeses – Pick a creamy cheese that will bring flavor and also hold up in this pasta salad. Mild cheddar, Monterey jack, pepper jack, and block mozzarella cheese are all great options.
• Cheddar cheese – Use at least a sharp cheddar cheese for this recipe but extra sharp, Vermont or Irish cheddar, white cheddar, they all work. Use what you like and what you have on hand.
• Accent cheese – There is a cup and a half of shredded cheese in this recipe. Your accent cheese you will want to keep around 1/4 cup depending on what you use so it doesn’t overpower the rest of the ingredients. I used smoked cheddar cheese as my accent cheese. Smoked gouda would be delicious. Like things spicy? Add a habanero cheese.

Additional Add-Ins

Feel free to dress up and customize your pimento cheese macaroni salad. Here are just a few ideas on more ingredients you can add. You will need to adjust your dressing slightly depending on what you add and how much.

• Diced hard boiled eggs
• Bacon
• Ham
• Peas – If adding frozen peas allow them to defrost in your colander while your pasta boils. Pour the hot pasta and pasta water directly over the peas to quickly shock them and then rinse them with your pasta.
• Shredded carrots
• Diced green bell pepper
• Fresh jalapeno

Tips From the Beach

• Grate your own cheese. This is a nonnegotiable. Take the time and grate your cheese for the maximum amount of flavor and best texture.
• Allow your pasta salad to refrigerate before adjusting the seasoning. As it refrigerates all of the flavors will meld. Hold off adding anything additional until the flavors have had a chance to develop and the dressing has thickened up a little.
• Keep refrigerated unless serving. We have all been to those barbecues where the mayonnaise-based potato salad and pasta salads baked under the sun for a questionable amount of time. Don’t do this to your loved ones. Keep this pimento cheese pasta salad sealed in either an airtight container or tightly covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator and it will last for up to five days.
• Pick quality ingredients. This creamy macaroni salad relies on basic ingredients, but that doesn’t mean they should taste basic. Pick ingredients that pack a punch of flavor.

For more pimento cheese recipes make sure to check out Roasted Red Pepper Pimento Cheese and Buffalo Pimento Cheese. For more pasta salad ideas make sure to check out Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad.

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