Creamy Mayo Pasta Salad

Name: Creamy Mayo Pasta Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 32 min
Yield: 8 as a side dish people
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients: 350 g Dry elbow macaroni (Small pasta shells also work well); 10 ml Salt (For the pasta cooking water); 250 g Whole-kernel sweetcorn (Drained weight; use tinned corn, not cream-style); 1 Red pepper (Medium, deseeded and cut into small dice); 1 Carrot (Medium, peeled and coarsely grated); 3 Spring onions (Trimmed and thinly sliced); 200 g Mayonnaise (Use a commercially prepared creamy mayonnaise); 100 g Plain unsweetened yoghurt (Preferably full-fat); 15 ml Lemon juice (Plus a little extra to taste); 5 ml Mild prepared mustard (Dijon or mild yellow mustard); 5 ml Sugar (Optional; omit if your mayonnaise is already sweet); 1.25 ml Ground black pepper (Plus extra to taste); 1.25 ml Fine salt (For the dressing; adjust after chilling)

Jump to recipe ↓ Creamy Mayo Pasta Salad – homemade traditional South African recipe, plated and ready to serve

This Creamy Mayo Pasta Salad is the sort of no-fuss side I like on a braai table: familiar, colourful and easy to dish up. Tender macaroni, sweetcorn, red pepper and carrot get a generous coating of mayonnaise dressing, with plain yoghurt and lemon juice keeping it tangy rather than heavy.

It is especially good with Lamb Sosaties, where the creamy dressing balances the spiced meat, or Peri-Peri Chicken when you want something cooling alongside the heat. It also fits right in with Boerewors and Pap. For a bigger spread, browse the Braai Salads collection and add a sharper, vinegar-based salad for contrast.

Make it the evening before and keep a little dressing aside to stir in before serving. In our South African heat, keep the salad at 4°C or colder until needed, and transport it in a cooler box with ice packs. Do not leave it out for more than 2 hours in total, or 1 hour when temperatures are above 32°C; keep most of the batch chilled and refill a small serving bowl instead.

Tips & Techniques

Drain properly: Give the rinsed pasta and sweetcorn time to shed excess water. A wet colanderful is the quickest route to a watery salad.
Keep the pieces small: Dice the pepper into roughly 5 mm pieces so each spoonful has a little crunch without a large chunk of raw vegetable.
Reserve some dressing: Pasta absorbs dressing as it stands. The reserved 60 ml restores a creamy coating just before the salad goes onto the table.
Taste it cold: Chilling softens the impression of seasoning. Check the finished salad before serving rather than adding lots of salt at the start.
Plan for chilling: Allow at least 1 hour beyond the 20 minutes of prep and 12 minutes of cooking. Keep it in a reliable fridge or an ice-packed cooler during load shedding.

Delicious Variations

Gentle curry flavour: Stir 5 ml mild curry powder and 15 ml fruit chutney into the dressing. Omit the optional sugar.
Cheesy pasta salad: Fold in 100 g cheddar cut into small cubes. Taste before adding extra salt, as the cheese brings its own seasoning.
Extra pickle tang: Add 50 g finely diced, well-drained gherkins and replace 5 ml of the lemon juice with gherkin brine.
Dairy-free dressing: Replace the yoghurt with 80 g dairy-free mayonnaise and 20 ml cold water. Check the mayonnaise label and adjust the lemon juice to taste.

Serving Suggestions

With spicy chicken: Serve cold alongside peri-peri chicken or chicken dust for a cooling contrast to chilli and smoky skin.
With chops and wors: Add a spoonful next to lamb chops, sosaties or boerewors, with a crisp green salad to lighten the plate.
For a braai buffet: This batch serves 8 comfortably when there are other sides. Use a small serving bowl nestled over ice and replenish from the fridge.
For a packed lunch: Portion into sealed containers and carry with an ice pack. Add leftover cooked chicken only if it has also been cooled and stored safely.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: Can I make creamy mayo pasta salad the day before?

Yes. Assemble it up to 24 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate at 4°C or colder. Keep the reserved dressing chilled separately and fold it in just before serving. The vegetables retain a pleasant crunch overnight.

Q2: How long will leftovers keep, and can I freeze them?

Refrigerated leftovers are best eaten within 3 days of making the salad, provided they have stayed properly chilled. Discard salad left out for more than 2 hours in total, or more than 1 hour above 32°C; refrigeration does not reset that clock. Freezing is not recommended because the dressing can separate and the vegetables lose their crunch.

Q3: What can I use instead of yoghurt or elbow macaroni?

Replace the 100 g yoghurt with 100 g sour cream, or use 80 g extra mayonnaise plus 20 ml cold water and adjust the lemon juice to taste. Small shells or short spirals can replace the macaroni gram for gram. Avoid sweetened or flavoured yoghurt.

Q4: How many people does this recipe serve?

It makes roughly 1.6-1.8 kg of salad, enough for 8 generous side portions with braai meat and other accompaniments. For 12 people, multiply all the ingredients by 1.5; for 16, double the recipe and use two mixing bowls.

Q5: How do I fix pasta salad that has become dry in the fridge?

First fold in the reserved dressing. If it still needs loosening, mix 15 ml mayonnaise with 15 ml cold water and stir it through, repeating only if necessary. Add a small squeeze of lemon if the flavour needs brightening rather than pouring in enough lemon juice to make it sour.

In Summary

This creamy mayo pasta salad brings tender macaroni, crisp vegetables and a gently tangy dressing to the braai table without much fuss. Make it ahead, save a little dressing for the final stir and keep it properly chilled until serving.

Recipe