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Jump to Recipe PrintThis creamy macaroni salad recipe with and peas is a fresh, tasty, and easy side dish that is ready in under 30 minutes. Loaded with fresh celery, carrots, bell pepper, and of course tons of green peas for a great side dish.
This pasta salad has a wonderfully creamy ranch dressing, a great crowd pleaser for summer potlucks, backyard BBQs, or parties!
What’s better than a sweet and tangy salad that goes great with anything off the BBQ? This Macaroni and Pea Salad is a super fun take on the classic summer side dish.
This easy pea pasta salad has a tangy and creamy dressing, perfectly paired with the sweet peas.
This Macaroni and pea salad is a super vibrant and fresh take on the classic macaroni salad. The crunchy veggies and sweet peas pair really well with the creamy ranch dressing. This simmer side dish pasta salad goes great with burgers, dogs, or anything off the BBQ.
This Macaroni Salad Recipe with Peas Is
- Creamy
- Loaded with Flavor
- Tangy
- Delicious
- Crunchy
- Vegan and gluten free!
- A fun summer side dish, the perfect crowd pleasing dish for your summer BBQ, potluck, or cookout
Ingredients for This Macaroni and Green Pea Salad Recipe
- Elbow Macaroni Noodles: You can use regular pasta, or a gluten version if you avoid wheat.
- Celery
- Carrots
- Bell pepper – I used a red bell pepper for added sweetness.
- Frozen peas – thawed
- Onion – you can use chopped red onion or yellow onion for this recipe.
- Sweet Pickle Relish – or just chopped sweet pickles for a little bit of sweetness.
- Mayonnaise – you can use regular mayo, vegan mayo, or even Miracle Whip for flavor in the dressing.
- Apple Cider Vinegar, for a nice tang in the dressing
- Cheddar cheese
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Favorite Add-Ins & Variations
This delicious macaroni salad recipe is a great base recipe to add your favorite chopped veggies and salad ingredients. Customize this classic pasta salad with some variations below:
- For a southern style mac salad, add yellow mustard (or Dijon mustard) and chopped hard-boiled eggs
- Add green onion for extra crunch
- Instead of the sweet relish, you can use dill pickles or dill relish for a more savoy flavor.
- Substitute green bell pepper instead of red.
Make Ahead Macaroni Salad for Entertaining!
This dish is great for entertaining as it is an easy make-ahead side dish! It actually takes better the longer it sits. This is great to make a day ahead of your cookout and just grab and go to bring it along.
The flavors marry together better when left sitting a while, and the veggies don’t lose any of their crunch! I love Make Ahead Meals (I have a whole recipe collection of them here) and am all in favor of prepping anything ahead of time!
How To Make Pea and Macaroni Salad
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook to package directions. Rinse with cold water, drain, and set aside until cooled.
- In a large bowl add the cooled macaroni and the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Stir well to combine. Taste for flavor and add any additional salt or pepper as desired.
- Refrigerate overnight in an airtight container. Remove from fridge, and stir right before serving.
Dietary Modifications
This recipe is vegetarian, because it contains no meat. You can make it vegan by using vegan mayo and dairy free ranch dressing, but you can absolutely make this with real dairy products if you aren’t vegan or eating dairy free.
For a gluten free version, use certified gluten free pasta (and make sure all other ingredients are verified gluten free). Also, you can use any shape you’d like, I prefer the classic macaroni noodle, but a small shell pasta or ditalini will work just fine.
More Tasty Side Dishes You’ll Love
Pot Luck Greek Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette
Kidney Bean Salad: Copy Cat Recipe
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Macaroni Salad with Peas
Ingredients
- 16 ounces macaroni noodles
- 1/4 cup sweet onion diced
- 2 carrots shredded or spiralized
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper
- 2 cup frozen green peas thawed
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise dairy free if desired
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar dairy free if desired
- 1/4 cup sweet relish
- 1/2 teaspoon each Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook to package directions. Rinse with cold water, drain, and set aside until cooled.
- In a large bowl add the cooled macaroni and the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Stir well to combine. Taste for flavor and add any additional spices, salt, or pepper as needed.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving, in an airtight container. Stir in one additional tablespoon or mayonnaise or ranch dressing before serving.
Nutrition
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Hello Gayle, I find that chickpea pastas work better for cold dishes rather than rice or corn based pastas. Have you tried Banza chickpea pasta yet?
Recipe looks great. I have celiac disease and must eat gluten free. I struggle with finding a good pasta for a cold salad. Initially they taste good but the following day they are always hard with a very unusual texture. What brand of pasta do you find to be successful the following day? Thanks!
Hello Gayle, I find that chickpea pastas work better for cold dishes rather than rice or corn based pastas. Have you tried Banza chickpea pasta yet?