Instant Pot Macaroni Salad

Though my mom made this salad often, it’s not one that I grew up eating because of all the ingredients in it. I was a picky eater, so I didn’t try it until I was a bit older.

Boy, was I missing out!

A Macaroni Salad with a Few Twists

I really wish I would’ve tried this when I was younger, but at least I have been enjoying this macaroni salad for the last 20 years! My aunt used to make it for family gatherings, and my mom got the recipe from her years ago and still makes it often.

Some of the ingredients may not be conventional, and a few of you may even frown upon a couple of them. But when you put it all together, you get such a delicious and tasty pasta salad, it’s sure to please even the pickiest of eaters!

The Perfect Combination

This delicious macaroni salad is very easy to make and is a great complement to any meal. It was easy to make it the traditional way, and now that I make it in the Instant Pot, it’s even easier!

I’ve made it for several of my recent get-togethers and even my super picky eater friend Melanie loves it! The combination of ingredients is perfect. Just the right amount of salty mixed with the sweetness of the peas and the tanginess of the pickles! Yumm!

A Simple Macaroni Salad Everyone Will Love

When I first got the recipe from my mom, of course, it came with no measurements.

That’s her trademark!

So Ryan and I got to work in the kitchen and made at least 4 batches until we got the flavor exactly like hers. My family has now eaten it several times and they all agree we nailed it! The recipe is very easy to make – takes just a little bit of prep, and all the ingredients are easy to find. You probably have most of them at hand already!

Yes, It Has Spam In It! (And Pickles!!)

Ok, so I know, I know. Spam is bacon’s ugly and unloved cousin. If you absolutely cannot handle Spam, then use another type of ham. But trust me, Spam makes this pasta salad perfect! If you can try it at least once with Spam, I think you won’t regret it.

This macaroni salad also has bread and butter pickles in it (and a little pickle juice!). I chop them so fine with my chopper, no one even knows they’re there. The Spam, peas, pickles, shredded lettuce, olives, and dressing mixture give this macaroni salad a delicious taste that has a surprising flavor in every bite.

Now it’s your turn to try this easy and delicious Macaroni Salad! Here we go!

Making Macaroni Salad In The Instant Pot

Thanks to the Instant Pot, this macaroni pasta salad will be ready in about 15 minutes with a few easy steps.  Plus, there are no extra prep bowls to have to clean up because everything is done directly in the Instant Pot.

Gather Your Ingredients

Like I said before, you’ll need Spam, bread and butter pickles, olives, peas, and lettuce.

The creamy dressing uses mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard and pickle juice.

Prep The Ingredients

Since the pasta cooks so fast, you’ll want to prep the following ingredients before cooking the pasta.

Slice and dice the Spam

Slice up the entire can of Spam and then cut it into small cubes. I bought the 25% less sodium can of Spam and it worked perfectly.

You can also use any ham as a replacement for the Spam. However, the ham is not going to be as salty as the Spam and will change the flavor a little.

Chop the pickles

I use bread and butter pickles for this recipe. The sweet, tanginess of the bread and butter pickles really complements the saltiness of the Spam and olives. If you’d prefer not to mix the sweet and salty flavors, you can try using dill pickles.

While I prefer the taste of the bread and butter pickles, I have used dill pickles to make this macaroni salad and it tastes great also.

Make sure to chop the pickles well. I usually use a handheld chopper to make sure I get the pieces small enough.

Chop the lettuce

I buy pre-shredded lettuce but it is usually too large for this salad so I chop it a little smaller.

Cooking The Pasta

The process of cooking the pasta for this recipe may be a little different than you’re used to seeing.

First, the cook time is VERY fast.

I’ve found that cooking elbow pasta for longer than what’s recommended below always gives me soft, mushy pasta. I like the pasta to be cooked just past al dente. Not too firm, not too soft. I’ve found that following the steps below gives me the perfect pasta for this recipe.

You’ll also learn about a little trick that Ryan and I discovered to help make cooking pasta in the Instant Pot less messy.

Add the pasta to the pot

Add 1 lb or 4 ½ cups of elbow pasta to the Instant Pot. I usually buy the 1 pound box of elbow pasta from Barilla to make things easy.

Add the water

The correct water to pasta ratio for this recipe is 4 cups of water to 1 lb of elbow pasta (or approximately 4 ½ cups of elbow pasta).

Add salt

Add one teaspoon of salt to the pot. Just spread the salt evenly across the top of the pasta – no need to mix.

The trick to less messy pasta

You know how pasta usually creates a big mess when doing a pressure release?

Well, there is something you can do right before closing the pot to help avoid that mess.

Here is the trick I discovered:

Before closing the pot, use my flip-the-trivet mess-free pasta method. It prevents such a large mess when doing the pressure release.

Set the cook time

Close the Instant Pot and select Manual (Pressure Cook on some models) High Pressure and set the cook time to zero minutes.

Release the pressure

For perfect macaroni pasta, you will not allow the pot to sit under pressure for any time at all. As soon as the Instant Pot comes to pressure and the pin has popped up, immediately hit the Cancel button and release the pressure.

Again:  as soon as the pin pops up, release the pressure.

Fully open the pressure release valve to do a quick pressure release. Using my flip-the-trivet mess-free pasta method, you will notice significantly less mess is made when doing a quick-release on the pasta.

Open the pot

Once the pressure has been released and the pin has dropped, open the pot.

With a long spoon, carefully mix the pasta around to release steam.

There will be some excess water in the pot. That’s ok.

Let the pasta sit for a couple of minutes while you gather the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, and pickle juice. This will allow the water remaining in the pot to evaporate and be absorbed by the pasta.

Make The Creamy Dressing

This macaroni salad is coated in a mayo and sour cream-based creamy dressing that is oh-so-good.

Add the mayonnaise

Measure out 1 ½ cups of mayonnaise and add it to the Instant Pot.

Add the sour cream

Next, add a ½ cup of sour cream.

Add the pickle juice

Two teaspoons of pickle juice give the dressing a little extra tang.

Add the mustard

Finally, add 2 teaspoons of mustard to the pot.

Mix everything well

Mix the mayo, sour cream, pickle juice, and mustard into the pasta until the pasta is evenly coated.

Start Adding The Goodies

Add the Spam

Add the cubed Spam to the Instant Pot.

Add the Pickles

Now add the ½ cup of diced bread & butter pickles to the pot.

Add the Lettuce and Mix

Next, add the cup of shredded lettuce to the pot.

Give everything a quick mix before adding the final two ingredients.

Add the Peas & Olives

Finally, add the cup of green peas…

and a cup of green olives.

Give Everything a Mix

Now give everything a final mix.

Make sure all the ingredients are mixed together well and evenly coated with the dressing.

After everything is mixed, cover the liner and place it in the refrigerator for a few hours to let it cool. I have to admit – I usually can’t wait that long to start digging in.