BBQ Macaroni Salad – seriously DELICIOUS! So simple, yet so amazing! Macaroni, red bell pepper, celery, green onions, cider vinegar, hot sauce, chili powder, cayenne, garlic, mayonnaise, and BBQ sauce. Can make ahead and refrigerate until ready to eat. Perfect for a summer potluck! Such an easy side dish recipe!
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It is hard to beat a good macaroni salad. They are a staple at all of our summer cookouts. They go with just about everything and are super easy to make. This BBQ Macaroni is a family favorite. Pasta, red peppers, and celery tossed in a homemade BBQ mayonnaise dressing. YUM!
How to Make BBQ Pasta Salad
This macaroni salad is super easy to make. Start with cooking the pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta and let it cool. Next, chop a red bell pepper, some celery, and green onions. Whisk together mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, cider vinegar, hot sauce, chili powder, and garlic. Toss everything together and pop in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
The one thing we really liked about this pasta salad is that it wasn’t dripping with mayonnaise. There was a nice coating of the BBQ dressing, but it wasn’t a mayonnaise bomb. Now that being said, if you prefer more mayonnaise on your macaroni salad, feel free to add an extra half or whole recipe of the dressing to the pasta.
Pasta Salad for a Crowd
This recipe makes a lot of macaroni salad, so it is great for a crowd. You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. I love easy make-ahead recipes like this! This macaroni salad goes with everything – chicken, pork, beef. Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this pasta salad:
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BBQ Macaroni Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 celery rib, finely chopped
- 4 green onions, sliced thin
- 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
Instructions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain water and transfer to a large bowl.
- Add bell pepper, celery, and scallions to the pasta.
- Whisk together vinegar, hot sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne, mayonnaise, and BBQ sauce. Add to pasta and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Can serve pasta salad immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Notes:
My favorite BBQ sauces are G. Hughes, Sweet Baby Rays, Stubbs, and Williamson Brothers.Steph
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I used gluten free macaroni to make this for a church lunch, and it was very well-received. Even people who didn’t like macaroni salad had seconds and requested the recipe. It’s a winner! (alterations: no celery, added extra vinegar/mayo the second day)
I loved this salad and will definitely make again. All your recipes are winners for me! Thanks!
SO glad it was a hit!
Loved that the dressing reminded us of Red Robin’s Campfire Sauce! I made the salad in the morning, for supper last night and next time would make just a little more dressing, as by time we ate the pasta had soaked up the dressing and it was a little drier than we like. But, great recipe, great flavor. Will definitely make again. And again.
What kind of hot sauce do you use? Thanks!
I made this for a BBQ and added Tillamook triple cheddar blend cheese farmstyle thick cut, shopped up with a knife and diced ham, plus some extra mayo as we don’t like our mac dry…….gone baby gone……the whole container. Next time I will make a little more for left overs as this recipe was just enough for 11 people!
My favorite pasta salad yet…made this and everyone loved it , thank you for the recipe.
This salad is delicious. The sauce is so good, I’m going to use it to marinade my chicken wings.
Made this yesterday. Very good. The bbq sauce I used was a bit sweet so next time I’ll add 1/4 Heinz chili sauce. This will be a great summer potluck dish, thanks!
No Cheese?
Add whatever you want