Macaroni Salad With Cheddar Cheese And Kidney Beans
Classic dishes like this macaroni salad with cheddar cheese and kidney beans will always be a staple at potlucks, picnics and barbecues. Simple to make, easily adapted to your own tastes, this flavorful pasta salad should be on the table at your next summer get together with friends.
Nostalgic memories of a macaroni salad that my mother used to serve when I was young prompted me to recreate her timeless side dish to go along with barbecue baby back ribs. It is not a trendy recipe made with an imported Italian pasta such as orecchiette, or with ingredients such as artichokes and fresh mozzarella but is instead made with small elbow macaroni, cheddar cheese and red kidney beans, ingredients most everyone can find at their local market.
My mother once told me that she didn’t enjoy cooking like I do, however she did make some really good meals. Her Sunday pot roast and her fried chicken with cream gravy were the best I’ve ever had and I loved her potato salad. She added cheese and beans to her macaroni salad that she liked to serve with ham or barbecue chicken. It was different from most macaroni salads but she didn’t have a recipe. As a matter of fact I only remember her using a recipe when she made her stoneground buttermilk cornbread and miniature cheese cake desserts.
I’ve tried to recreate her macaroni salad from my memories from years past but have used several ingredients that I prefer such as dijon mustard instead of yellow mustard. What I did keep was her use of elbow macaroni as it is the foundation of a classic macaroni salad. As a matter of fact, I remember it wasn’t until around the 1980’s that people started calling pasta… “pasta” and there wasn’t the huge variety of shapes that we have to choose from today.
What also makes this pasta salad different from what you can buy at most grocery stores and delis is that there is no sugar in the recipe, the little bit of sweetness comes from apple cider vinegar that balances the mayonnaise perfectly. I also only used just enough creamy dressing so that it wouldn’t be dry but also not loaded with too much dressing.
Macaroni Salad With Cheddar Cheese And Kidney Beans
Serves 4 – 6, adjust the recipe accordingly
- 1 1/2 c. elbow macaroni (about 3 c. cooked)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. salt, more may be needed
- 1/4 tsp. more or less, freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- a pinch of cayenne or to taste
- 1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (other beans may be substituted)
- 1/2 c. cubed cheddar cheese
- 1/2 c. chopped celery
- 1/4 c. chopped bell pepper, any color you wish
- 1/4 c. chopped Vidalia sweet onion
- 1/2 c. mayonnaise
- 2 tsp. dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, or to taste
- celery leaves for garnish (optional)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally, until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place cooked macaroni in a large bowl and add the two tablespoons of olive oil and season well with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Add the kidney beans, cheese, bell pepper and onion and mix. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, and apple cider vinegar and stir gently until well mixed. Taste again for seasonings. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. After chilling, you may wish to add an additional tablespoon or so of mayonnaise or olive oil if pasta appears dry. Taste again for any additional seasoning.
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This pasta salad recipe is an easy and filling side dish to serve at your next barbecue or pot luck dinner. It is creamy but light, flavorful and easily adapted to what you have in your kitchen and your own taste. It’s an simple but tasty macaroni salad that I think you will enjoy.
This is a beautiful dish, I love pasta salad and it is perfect for a hot summer day! Thank you for sharing, Karen.
Like you, my mom didn’t write down or use a recipe for many dishes. Sometimes you just have to take the memories to reconstruct a recipe and hope that it tastes the way you remember it. Thanks for sharing your macaroni salad, it looks like a great side dish for a summer picnic.
Perfect for a picnic! My mom made something like this too and on a recent visit to my daughter, she made one very similar. Except we forgot the forks and had to eat it with our hands. We were in a little boat so we could easily rinse off our hands.
I don’t think I’ve ever had that! It looks delicious – I might make it for a picnic tomorrow.
I think it is just lovely to put kidney beans in a macaroni salad! My mind is thinking of other beans as well.
This is a lovely salad. Would be perfect for the hot, sunny weather we have in London today. And it’s great to read about your mother’s cooking. It’s so nice to read a background story.
The cheese and beans are a nice addition to macaroni salad. I’ll remember that next time I made a mac salad. Thanks for sharing.
I love nostalgic recipes like this, Karen! Not only do they taste good, they take me back to a simple and beautiful time.
The salad looks delicious, and it’s probably more so, with all the memories it brings up. I often add beans to pasta salads, but haven’t used red kidney beans so far. Love the idea. It adds such nice color to the salad. I’ll definitely use them next time. 🙂
Those ribs look droolworthy!
I am bad for not using recipes, except baking and general concept. This sounds good, I am from the South and do not remember ever having macaroni salad? Potato salad and Cole slaw.
Sounds wonderful, Karen. Thanks for sharing 🤗🩷
I detest pasta (and potato) salads that have too much of the dressing – I always prefer just a little touch, as you did with this recipe. And the combination of other ingredients sounds so perfect and delicious!
yes when we were young, ‘pasta’ was just either spaghetti or macaroni! Pretty much the one long thin one and the fat tube ones 🙂
cheers
sherry http://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
So hearty and delicious! This macaroni salad with kidney beans is the perfect side for ribs or your favorite cookout delights. Love the extra pop of protein as leftovers are a complete meal. (Healthy World Cuisine)
Sounds tasty Karen. Some of the best ‘recipes’ are the old favourites. Glad you could recreate it. 😃
This salad dish looks tasty. The ribs are delicious. Excellent combination, Karen!
Looks delicious but I don’t know if I’ve had this version of macaroni salad although it looks like something Mom would make.
I ate a lot of macaroni salad growing up. This looks quite delicious plus it has good Mom memories. 🙂
Karen,
Macaroni salad is just the best in my opinion and you have certainly taught us how we can take it to another level of deliciousness with the addition of the beans and more!
PS: I have the same green lettuce leaf plates….so pretty that the salad just pops out with it as background.
Hope your summer has been going well!
Ciao,
Roz
I love macaroni salad but will add the healthy kidney beans next time 🙂
Karen, I wanted to let you know I made this salad and it’s delicious. Of course I changed some ingredients due to what I had on hand (like I used 1/2 can red beans) I will probably post it… Thanks 🙂
Perfect on all counts! I love there to be not too much dressing, and I also love unexpected ingredients in a salad like this. My feeling is that macaroni salad can be interesting, but shouldn’t be sophisticated. Otherwise, I think you miss the whole vibe. I love that this one has beans!
I’ve never had this combination of ingredients before. It looks tasty!
Karen, your macaroni salad with kidney beans and cheddar really looks delicious. I think it is a creative way to enjoy a classic American pasta salad. Your mom was definitely on to something. I love the simplicity of this salad too.
Thanks for the great throw back recipe nicely updated with the addition of the beans. I like that you used red beans for the pop of color the beans give to the salad – not to mention the nutritional value.
This macaroni salad recipe is such a nostalgic gem! I love how you’ve kept it true to your mother’s original, while adding your own touches. This will definitely be a hit at my next barbecue, just like it was in your childhood memories. Thanks for sharing this timeless classic!
Great minds think alike! I made a macaroni and cheese pasta salad, too. You can’t every go wrong with that combination, and it’s of course much better suited to hot days like this.
My grandmother did not write anything down. My mother and aunt did not think to ask her how to make certain recipes from the home country. Luckily Martha Stewart is putting some of these old world recipes up online.
I do love a good mac salad, and this one sounds fantastic, Karen. Kudos to you for recreating your mom’s recipe! I have tried that with success on some recipes…and failure on others. But then again, that’s the fun of cooking, right?? I love the idea of adding kidney beans to bulk up pasta salad. Great alongside smoked meats for sure!