Description
A creamy and tangy Honey Mustard Pasta Salad featuring elbow macaroni mixed with crunchy red bell pepper, celery, and green onions, all tossed in a sweet honey mustard dressing enhanced with sweet pickle relish. Perfect as a refreshing side dish for picnics, barbecues, or potlucks.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta and Vegetables
- 16 oz elbow macaroni pasta, cooked and drained
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 green onions, diced
Dressing
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 2/3 cup honey mustard
- 2/3 cup sweet pickle relish
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook Pasta. Prepare 16 ounces of elbow macaroni according to package instructions until al dente, then drain and allow to cool slightly.
- Combine Vegetables and Pasta. In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked pasta, diced red bell pepper, chopped celery, and diced green onions. Mix thoroughly to combine all ingredients evenly.
- Prepare Dressing. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, honey mustard, sweet pickle relish, onion powder, sea salt, and black pepper until the dressing is smooth and well blended.
- Mix Salad. Pour the prepared dressing over the pasta and vegetable mixture. Toss gently but thoroughly until every piece is coated with the dressing.
- Chill Before Serving. Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld and the salad to chill before serving.
Notes
- For best flavor, let the pasta salad chill for at least an hour before serving.
- You can customize the sweetness or tanginess of the dressing by adjusting the amount of honey mustard or pickle relish to taste.
- Use low-fat mayonnaise to reduce fat content if desired.
- Adding hard-boiled eggs or cooked chicken can increase protein content.
- This pasta salad is best served cold and consumed within 2-3 days when refrigerated.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Honey Mustard Pasta Salad, creamy pasta salad, picnic side dish, macaroni salad, summer salad
