If you love deviled eggs, you will adore this Loaded Bacon and Deviled Egg Pasta Salad. Eggs, pasta, bacon, and celery combine with a creamy dressing reminiscent of the inside of a deviled egg. We also swap in low fat mayonnaise for a lighter take on macaroni salad. Made with simple ingredients, this is the perfect dish to pass.
I really don’t think we can ever have enough pasta salad recipes, and this one is a winner. I know that I’m falling in love with a recipe when I have to “taste test” it eighty-four more times while photographing it just to make sure it’s truly delicious. That was the case with this fantastic recipe, and I know that you will love it too. It has all the great taste of deviled eggs with the bonus of pasta and bacon. Honestly, I’m not sure there is much more we can ask for.
How to Make Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
Below is a summary of how this pasta salad recipe comes together with step-by-step photos. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full recipe, including all ingredients and their measurements.
Cook the Pasta
Cook the elbow macaroni for the length of time given on the box. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside. Find all my tips for cooking pasta here: How to Cook Pasta.
Cook the Bacon
This recipe has six slices of bacon which adds a great rich flavor to the final salad. I find it easiest to cook the bacon as strips and then dice it into small pieces.
Make the Hard-Boiled Eggs
Hard-boil the eggs, then transfer the eggs to a bowl full of ice water. Peel the eggs and cut them in half, putting the yolks in a bowl. Then chop the whites.
Pro Tip! We are taking the method here of putting the eggs in water and then bringing it to a roaring boil and turning the heat off to let the eggs sit. Boiling eggs continuously causes a chemical reaction between the sulfur in the whites and the iron in the yolks, creating that ugly grey-green discoloration. This boil then sit method fixes that leaving you with perfect yolks.
Make the Dressing
This no fuss dressing uses a hand mixer to combine the egg yolks, mayo, mustard, and seasonings until creamy and smooth. It takes just a few minutes and you get the perfect creamy dressing.
Put the Salad Together
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, bacon, chopped egg whites, celery, red onion, and the egg yolk dressing. Mix until everything is well coated. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and serve.
Tips and Tricks
- Make hard-boiled eggs in your Instant Pot: Using my Instant Pot is one of my favorite (and easiest) ways to make hard-boiled eggs. I also include instructions for making hard-boiled eggs on the stovetop in the recipe card below. You can find the instructions here: Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs.
- Using light mayo: I love using light mayonnaise in recipes like this because you can cut back on fat without cutting back on flavor, but of course, full-fat mayonnaise will also work.
- Cooking pasta: While cooking pasta for a recipe seems like a simple step, I have a few tips for making it perfectly every time here: How to Cook Pasta.
Storing Leftovers
This pasta salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Make sure to throw away any salad that sits out at room temperature for more than two hours for food safety purposes. Always use your best judgment when storing and eating leftovers.
If you make this simple Deviled Egg Macaroni Pasta Salad recipe or any of my other recipes, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.
Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium elbow pasta
- 6 slices bacon
- 8 large eggs
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 3/4 cup light mayonnaise see note 1
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a roaring boil. Add in one teaspoon of kosher salt and then the pasta. Cook for the length of time given on the box. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.8 ounces medium elbow pasta
- While the pasta boils, add the bacon to a skillet over medium heat and cook until crisp, turning once during cooking. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Once cooled, chop into small pieces.6 slices bacon
- As the bacon cooks, add the eggs to a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, turn the heat off and cover the saucepan for ten minutes. At the end of the ten minutes, transfer the eggs to a bowl full of ice water. Let the eggs sit for five minutes before peeling. (See note two.) When peeling, cut the eggs in half and put the yolks in a bowl. Then chop the whites.8 large eggs
- To the egg yolks, add the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, paprika, and black pepper. Blend until smooth. I like to do this with a hand mixer for really quick and easy mixing.3/4 cup light mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- In a large bowl, combine the pasta, bacon, chopped egg whites, celery, red onion, and the egg yolk dressing. Mix until everything is well coated.2 celery ribs, 1/2 red onion
Notes
- I love using light mayonnaise in recipes like this because you can cut back on fat without cutting back on flavor, but of course, full-fat mayonnaise will also work.
- Instead of boiling on the stovetop, you can use my Instant Pot hard-boiled egg instructions.
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