BBQ Macaroni Salad

You'll love this unusual bbq macaroni salad recipe! It's SO easy but so delicious that it's one of the first to disappear at potlucks. One reader even won a contest with it!!

Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 25 minutes minutes

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BBQ macaroni salad is the Southern summer staple you didn't know you needed. This Texas-style version is smoky, creamy, tangy, and packed with texture-perfect for your next cookout, potluck, or Tuesday night meltdown when you need carbs and comfort in a bowl.

🗝️ Why this bbq macaroni salad is your summer go-to recipe

• Smoky, sweet, and tangy with a creamy barbecue mayo dressing.
• Full of crunch from fresh veggies and smoky bacon.
• Great make-ahead dish-flavor gets better overnight.
• Always the first thing gone at the potluck (and yes, people ask for the recipe).

One reader in Great Britan even won a prize with this recipe!

This Texas Style bbq macaroni salad is going to be the star of your summer parties. Smoky, sweet, spicy, tangy goodness wrapped up in one of the most beloved summer dishes ever.

🧾 Ingredients for barbecue macaroni salad

• Macaroni - any pasta is fine for this bbq macaroni salad recipe but I think the shell pasta works best because it traps the sauce and chopped veggies for more flavor.
• Poblano peppers are milder than jalapenos but either can be used.
• Don't have black beans? Use kidney beans, pinto beans, or whatever you prefer.
• Save time by buying the celery, peppers, and onions already diced in the produce section.
• Fire roasted frozen corn is a delicous substitution for the corn if you can find it.
• Bacon adds crunch and a nice smoky flavor.

💡Want to make it foolproof? Grab the free printable BBQ Macaroni Salad cheat sheet with storage tips, flavor hacks, and FAQs-no email required.

📖 Recipe

Texas Style Barbecue Macaroni Salad

4.73 from 37 votes

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You'll love this unusual bbq macaroni salad recipe! It's SO easy but so delicious that it's one of the first to disappear at potlucks. One reader even won a contest with it!!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American - Southern

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings:10

Calories:489

Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

• ▢ 16 ounces macaroni
• ▢ 1 cup mayonnaise
• ▢ ½ cup sweet barbecue Sauce, like Stubbs original
• ▢ ¾ cup spicy barbecue sauce , like Stubbs spicy
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons cider vinegar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cumin
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ¼ cup sugar
• ▢ 2 cups corn
• ▢ 2 cups black beans, cooked -canned is fine
• ▢ ¾ cup red onion, diced
• ▢ ½ cup green bell pepper, diced
• ▢ ½ cup yellow bell pepper, diced
• ▢ ½ cup orange or red bell pepper, diced
• ▢ ½ cup celery, diced
• ▢ ¼ cup poblano pepper, optional, roasted and diced

Instructions

• Cook the macaroni in a large pot of water with a little salt until tender.
• Drain pasta and set aside.
• Mix the mayonnaise, both BBQ sauces, vinegar, cumin, smoked paprika, and sugar.
• Set aside.
• If you happen to be grilling add the corn kernels to a mesh grill roasting pan and grill until some of the kernels start to brown. If you're not, don't worry about it.
• Drain the corn and beans if they are canned.
• Add the corn, black beans, onion, bell peppers, celery, and poblano if you're using it, to the macaroni in a large bowl.
• Spoon the mayonnaise mixture over the top.
• Gently stir and fold until the mayonnaise mixture covers everything.
• Cover and chill overnight for the best flavor.

Notes

Storage

Store bbq macaroni salad in the refrigerator for about 4 days. Just cover the bowl with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. It doesn't freeze well.

For best results, store in a glass container with a tight lid. The acids in the dressing can make plastic containers smell... permanently seasoned and colored!

Tips

• Cook the pasta until it is tender, don't stop at a la dente. Trust me.
• And, like most pasta salads, this is best if you make it the day before.
• If any kind of creamy macaroni salad has been at room temperature for 2 hours or more throw it out. It's not worth a trip to the ER.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 489kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 518mg | Potassium: 460mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 510IU | Vitamin C: 35.1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1.9mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

🔪 How to make the best bbq macaroni salad

1. Mix all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Mix the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Whisk the dressing mixture until smooth
4. Pour over the salad ingredients and mix well..

My mom taught me that in order to really make a good homemade macaroni salad you have to kind of overcook the pasta.

Now, I hate overcooked pasta as much as anyone but after a lot of trial and error I had to admit she was right. You know, moms always are...

The slightly overcooked pasta soaks up more of the flavors in the dressing and just tastes better.

📚 Related recipes

Looking for the perfect summer side dish? Here are more great recipe ideas.

• If you're looking for more of a main dish you can't go wrong with this Texas pasta salad!
• Italian pasta salad is east to make with a fat-free vinaigrette that's out of this world.

I've spent years recreating my mom's macaroni salad but I can never get it quite right. It's yummy but not like I remember it.

One year I decided that I was going to try to go rogue and make a bbq pasta salad recipe that she wouldn't have thought of.

I took her recipe, added some things and subtracted others, and came up with this spicy, creamy barbecue macaroni salad that tastes just like Texas in the summer.

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BBQ Macaroni Salad

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