How to Make Macaroni Salad - Classic Southern Cookout Side

Set a big pot of water on the stove and bring it up to a rolling boil. Salt the water aggressively - it should taste like the ocean. This is the only chance the pasta gets to absorb seasoning from the inside, so don't be shy.

Pour in 1 pound of elbow macaroni and cook to package instructions. Stir within the first 30 seconds so the pasta doesn't clump on the bottom. Drain it in a colander, rinse briefly under cool water to stop the cooking, and spread it out on a sheet pan so it can cool to room temperature. Hot pasta will thin out the dressing and make the salad greasy.

While the pasta cooks, prep the vegetables. Mr. Make It Happen uses half a red bell pepper, half a green bell pepper, half a yellow onion, two ribs of celery, and a small handful of fresh parsley. The two pepper colors aren't strictly necessary - they're for plate appeal in a finished bowl.

Cut everything small. Aim for pieces the same size as an elbow noodle or smaller. Anything bigger and the salad eats clumsy. Toss the diced vegetables into a bowl and set them aside while you finish the eggs and dressing.

Place 4 to 6 large eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then start a timer for 12 minutes. Twelve minutes gives you fully-set yolks with no green ring. While the eggs cook, build an ice bath: fill a bowl with ice cubes and cold water.

When the timer hits zero, transfer the eggs straight to the ice bath. Cold-shocking stops the cooking immediately and makes the shell separate from the egg - both critical for clean peeling. Let them sit in the ice for at least 5 minutes before peeling.

In a large mixing bowl, start the dressing with 1 1/2 cups of good-quality mayonnaise. Mr. Make It Happen uses Duke's - the southern standard, real mayo with no sugar. Best Foods or Hellmann's work too.

Add a quarter cup of sour cream. The sour cream adds tang without thinning out the dressing. Spoon in a tablespoon of Dijon mustard for bite and a tablespoon of yellow mustard for that childhood-memory color and flavor. Both mustards together give you a dressing with more dimension than either one alone.

Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar for acidity and a tablespoon of honey to balance it. ACV brightens the dressing without the harshness of white vinegar; honey softens the bite of the Dijon. A pinch of sugar works in place of honey.

Season the dressing aggressively. A teaspoon of Cajun seasoning, a teaspoon of all-purpose blend (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder), a teaspoon of smoked paprika, and a half-teaspoon of extra garlic powder. Finish with one or two tablespoons of sweet pickle relish - this is the secret most people forget, and it's the difference between homemade and grandma-made. Whisk hard until everything is smooth and pourable.

Pull the eggs out of the ice bath. Crack each one all over against the counter, then roll it under your palm to break the shell into small pieces. Peel from the wide end - the air pocket is there, and getting under the membrane is what makes the shell come off in big sheets. Rinse the peeled eggs briefly under cold water to wash off any small shell fragments, then chop them into rough quarter-inch pieces.

Fold the diced vegetables, parsley, and chopped eggs into the dressing first. Stir gently. Now add the cooled elbow macaroni and fold everything together until each noodle is coated. Don't stir too hard or the pasta will break.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. Macaroni salad is best cold, and the flavors get noticeably better after the dressing has time to settle into the pasta. Overnight is even better - this is the kind of side dish that improves the next day.

Plate in a wide shallow bowl. Dust the top with extra smoked paprika or a sprinkle of Old Bay for color and the visual cue that this is the southern version. Serve cold alongside ribs, pulled pork, grilled chicken, or burgers.