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macaroni picnic salad

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This is sort of a combination of Knott’s Berry Farm’s Pea Salad and Minnesota Macaroni Picnic Salad. I decided to mix it up…and ended up with the best macaroni salad I’ve ever had. If I do say so myself. And I do 😉

~ macaroni picnic salad ~

1-16 oz. package elbow macaroni

 3/4 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, cubed small

1 cup bread and butter pickles, chopped

1- 12 oz. package frozen peas, thawed

1 red bell pepper, chopped

6 green onions + green tops, chopped

2 stalk celery, chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped fine

1 lb bacon, fried, cooled, blotted and chopped

5 eggs, hard boiled and chopped

Dressing:

1 package dry Ranch salad dressing mix

1 cup real mayonnaise (I use Hellmann’s)

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup sweet pickle juice

2 Tablespoons mustard

2 teaspoons Tony Cachare’s Creole seasoning

generous amount of freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Allow to cool. Boil , chop and cool eggs at the same time. Combine all salad ingredients. Combine all dressing ingredients. Mix together. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

~Melissa

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89 Comments

  1. My mom takes out the bacon & eggs and puts in small cubes of ham. Her regular at family reunion picnics.
    My mother-in-law made her salad like yours without the bacon and I make with the bacon and no eggs.

    Reply

      1. I use Heinz mayo. No matter how long the salad sits it doesnt get watery. Found this out on making cole slaw.

        Reply

    1. Hi Valerie! Well, if you like spicy, then I would substitute a little Lawry’s seasoned salt mixed with cayenne pepper to taste. If you’re not a fan of spicy…then just Lawry’s 🙂

      Reply

  6. Thank yoiu La Belle Cuisine. You have truly spiced up my life and allowed me to spice up others lives.

    Reply

  8. I made this macaroni picnic salad this morning and I cannot rave enough about how DELICIOUS it is!!! That dressing is AMAZING!!! The only thing I changed was I used the Season All instead of the Creole Seasoning (I didn’t have any) and it was seriously sooo good! This is by far the best macaroni salad I’ve ever had! So unique and SO GOOD! The dressing alone is so so so so good! 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Rachel! so pleased you like it! I always make a big batch and people just keep eating it til it’s gone 😉 I even like it for breakfast! bacon and eggs, so it counts! hee hee. xoxo

      Reply

  9. Oh I think I will be making this whether we picnic or not 🙂 A big batch it will be too so we can spend a couple of days munching through it xoxo

    Reply

    1. Hi Michelle!
      Prepared mustard is just the already bottled stuff in the yellow squeeze bottle… Plochman’s and French’s are common brands of prepared mustard.

      Reply

  15. I wonder if it would taste good with Dill Pickles and dill pickle juice since no one in the family likes Bread n Butter and sweet pickles. I think i will try it that way and also put the cheese cubes on the side.

    Reply

    1. Hi Jolene! I’ve made this with dill pickles before and it turned out great 🙂 thanks for stopping by. Great question! ~M

      Reply

  17. Hi Melissa! Sounds lovely but some of the ingredients I have never heard of, being in the UK. Can you explain or give a UK alternative to bread & butter pickles, Tony Cachare’s Creole seasoning and dry Ranch salad dressing mix, please?
    Would like to make this to share on my Cousins Hen Party week-end.

    Reply

    1. Hi Denise! 🙂

      Bread and Butter Pickles… a sort of spicy, sweet pickle (not gherkins.)

      Creole seasoning: salt with cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder and other spices…

      Dry Ranch Dressing is just onion powder, dry buttermilk, a little dry parsley and possibly garlic powder.

      Hope this helps! 🙂

      Reply

    1. I’ve never tried it with shrimp, but I bet it would be yummy if everyone who will be eating it likes shrimp 🙂 Enjoy! Thanks for visiting!

      Reply

  20. I’m trying this tomorrow …wish me luck…I also need a good egg salad recipe. .my son has never had an egg salad sandwich

    Reply

  23. Thanks for that fabulous recipe. Now I know what to bring to a wedding potluck. Then I am bringing your layered salad in a cake pan to another potluck. Love your site. Keep it up.

    Reply

    1. Wow! thanks so much for the awesome, encouraging message, Sig! 🙂 I appreciate readers like you. I’m so happy you’re enjoying my blog and recipes.

      Best,
      ~M

      Reply

  26. Are the frozen peas crunchy? I’m not a real big fan of frozen peas not cooked. Would it be okay to cook them first or use canned ones?

    Reply

    1. they’re not really crunchy, Pat… just fresh and sweet. Much like fresh peas. You can certainly substitute them with peas that you prefer, or leave them out all together. 🙂 Enjoy!

      Reply

  29. We dont use bacon. I use chicken and pineapples and apple all in squares. Makes it a bit sweet. We also use all the other ingredients you use including the harxboiled eggs. We make it for every birthday and family reunion and t goes extremely fast. Its delicious!

    Reply

    1. It makes a lot, Patricia! 🙂 I’ve honestly never taken the time to measure the finished amount… but cut the recipe in half if you’re only serving a small group 🙂 Whenever we have leftovers they disappear pretty quickly!

      Reply

  32. Thank you so so much for this recipe, I am definitely going to try it! I hope you have an awesome Labor day!

    Reply

  33. This looks delicious. I plan on making it next weekend for a gathering. What is the number of servings with this recipe?

    Reply

    1. Wow! That is high praise! Thanks for trying my recipe, Kathleen. I’m so happy you like it and that it will have a permanent place in your recipe files 😉 xoxoxo ~M

      Reply

  37. This salad has been around for many, many years I used to make it for cook outs. I used shrimp in place of bacon and cheese. A huge hit. Thanks I had forgotten all about how good it is will be on our summer cook outs this year.

    Reply

  38. Hi – I’m from Canada and haven’t heard of Tony Cachare’s Creole seasoning. Can you tell me what it might be similar to that is more common? This looks like a bit of a twist on my traditional mac salad – and looks like it’s definitely worth a try.

    Thanks very much. BTW – will be trying your oven roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon & garlic this week.

    Reply

    1. Hi there, Cindy! Are you familiar with Lawry’s seasoned salt? A good substitute for the Tony’s would be to add a little cayenne pepper to the Lawry’s… otherwise, just mix: salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to taste 🙂 Hope that helps! XO ~M

      Reply

  39. I first printed this recipe out in August, 2011 for a large End of Summer Hurrah. EVERYONE loved it….I made it X4!!!
    Since then, I have served it at many family gatherings and it’s always warmly received and quickly consumed.
    As Minnesotans, we’ve all had the buffet version of the Minnesota Macaroni/Pea salad. While it is near and dear to our hearts, it is rarely tasty. You took a beloved tradition and made it awesome. In my family it is known by your originally posted name…the Macaroni Picnic Salad of Awesomeness! Most sincerely and deeply, Thank you!!! (Yes, I’m making it for a super bowl party) 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Jody! I’m so happy you love this recipe as much as I do! Thanks so much for stopping by to comment and to let me know! XOXO ~M

      Reply

  40. You lost me at the last ingredient. No way am I using hard boiled eggs in any salad I make. My mother in law believed in peeling the peppers. She said it was the skin on the peppers that caused them to repeat.

    Reply

    1. Well, you certainly didn’t have to leave a comment if you don’t like the looks of a recipe without ever trying it. This little recipe has been shared and pinned thousands of times. Lots of people obviously disagree with you. I don’t usually even bother commenting when someone leaves a negative comment. Have a wonderful day, Karen!

      Reply

      1. Melissa,
        Is there a way to substitute the pickles and pickle juice with something else? We are allergic to pickles but I fear leaving them out would kill the recipe…
        If you have any ideas to help us enjoy your recipe, we would be grateful.
        Thank you so much for posting! Looks amazingly delicious

        Reply

        1. Hello, Misha! I’m not sure what a good substitute for pickles would be. You could add white vinegar in place of the pickle juice though 🙂

          Reply