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During the summer months, macaroni salad is one of my favorite side dishes to accompany all of the typical BBQ fare that we all love. Macaroni salad goes great with burgers, ribs, chicken, you name it!
While traditional macaroni salad is a classic, I wanted to make a more substantial macaroni salad with some healthy protein that would give me the option of serving it as a side or a main entree. Hello quick and easy weeknight dinners!
Enter BBQ Macaroni Salad made with Turkey Kielbasa. My almost three year old is a meat eater. He loves his meat! If I presented macaroni salad to him, he’d likely not eat it. But this BBQ Macaroni Salad with smokey turkey kielbasa? For my little Turketarian (a lover of all things turkey), it’s a winner.
With this non-traditional but oh-so-tasty BBQ Macaroni salad, there are still some veggies for crunch (diced red pepper and green onions) like a traditional macaroni salad, but instead of traditional mayo, I combine bbq sauce with a bit of mayo and hints of cayenne pepper and chili powder for a slightly spicy, but tangy sauce. We’re not done though. The perfect ingredient that rounds off this entire salad is some smoky chopped Kielbasa.
This is a recipe you’ll come back to over and over again!
Looking for a way to spice up your next backyard BBQ? Look no further. This BBQ Macaroni Salad with Kielbasa needs to be on the menu. You won’t be disappointed!
BBQ Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3-4 green onions, diced
- 12-13 ounces kielbasa sausage cut into bite sized chunks
- 3/4 cup mayo
- 3/4 cup bbq sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Cook 1 lb. elbow macaroni according to package directions. When pasta is done cooking and you've drained it, run cold water over the pasta until it is completely cooled. Allow macaroni to drain well.
- In a large skillet heated to medium high heat, sauté the chopped Butterball Turkey Kielbasa until it is lightly browned.
- In a small bowl combine mayo, bbq sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and chili powder.
- In a large bowl combine cooked and cooled pasta with diced bell pepper, green onions, and browned kielbasa. Stir in the dressing you made in step 3.
- Store the BBQ Macaroni Salad in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. If the pasta has been in the fridge for a while, stir in 1-2 two tablespoons of warm water before serving to obtain a creamy consistency again.
