When you need a side dish for a party — or any recipe for that matter — you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel. You don’t always need something new, unexpected, or novel… sometimes you just need a true classic. Something that’s reliable and steadfast and true and pretty much universally loved. That, my friends, is Macaroni Salad. It’s classic because it’s delicious enough that it deserves to be a potluck and picnic mainstay throughout the ages. And this version is my ideal one — creamy as you could want it to be, with a confetti of crunch and flavor thrown in.

There are a million and one macaroni salad recipes out there that you could turn to, but this is my perfect one. It has the ideal balance of flavor — both a little tangy and a little sweet, but mostly just straightforward in its creaminess. It’s simple — just mayo (plenty of it), and a dollop of sweet relish, mustard, some granulated sugar, and some apple cider vinegar. Just whisk it together and you’re good to go.

Of course, texture is important too. You don’t want a macaroni salad that’s too soft or one note, so we’ve got celery, shredded carrots, bell pepper, and red onions. I like to dice those pretty fine so there aren’t any huge chunks of crunch but rather so they’re dispersed nicely in every bite. The carrot fades into the background a bit but still provides some contrast.

Red onion might be too sharp for some but I really enjoy the sharpness it provides. If it’s too much for you, though, you could opt to use green onion instead. The celery and bell pepper will still take care of the crunch for you!

It’s important to let macaroni salad chill for at least an hour. While it doesn’t need to be super duper cold, it does need time for the flavors to come together and for the pasta to absorb a bit of the dressing. It helps it achieve that perfect level of creaminess without being too much.