Old Fashioned Bologna Salad

Old Fashioned Bologna Salad uses a homemade cooked dressing instead of mayonnaise or Miracle Whip. The sweet and tangy dressing perfectly pairs with the classic ingredients of bologna, relish, onions, celery and hard-boiled eggs. Serve it on sliced bread or on crackers for a vintage dinner.

Bologna Salad is one of those dishes many of us remember being a staple on our grandparents table. One taste of this sandwich spread and it can bring you right back to your childhood.

Old Fashioned Bologna Salad

I have a tiny, little secret to share. I don’t really care for bologna on its own. It’s not something my family grew up eating. Now my husband, on the other hand, absolutely loves bologna, especially fried bologna sandwiches.

Even though bologna isn’t my thing, I really enjoy a sandwich spread such as bologna or ham salad served on crackers.  It all started when I was shopping at Rihm’s Meats. They are known for their amazing bologna, so I always stock up when I’m in that part of Indiana.  While I was in line, a lovely lady shared her version of Bologna Salad. (Find that recipe here).  There’s something about this humble salad that just hits the spot on occasion.

Recently, I stumbled upon this Old Fashioned Bologna Salad recipe in on old Baptist Cook Book that I have.  What struck me as unique about this version is that it’s a bologna salad recipe without mayo or Miracle Whip. Instead, a homemade dressing is cooked on the stove top, and the ingredients are all so common that I already had them on hand.

Old Fashioned Sandwich Spread Ingredients:

Bologna

Sweet Pickle Relish

Onion

Celery

Hard-boiled Eggs

Bologna Salad Dressing Ingredients:

Sugar

Flour

Salt

Black Pepper

Ground Mustard

Vinegar

Butter

Egg yolks

How to make bologna salad with homemade dressing from scratch:

For the full instructions and ingredient list for bologna salad with cooked dressing, scroll to the bottom of this page.

1. Grind bologna.
2. Add chopped onions, celery, hard boiled eggs and relish; set aside. (For a shortcut, pulse bologna, onions, celery and hard boiled eggs in a food processor until a course grind.)
3. In a medium saucepan, cook sugar, flour, salt, pepper, ground mustard, vinegar, butter and egg yolks until just boiling, and thickened. Let cool.
4. Combine cooked dressing and meat mixture.
5. Serve on crackers or as a sandwich spread.

Can I freeze bologna salad?

This type of salads do not hold up well to the freezing process. Instead, freeze the bologna by itself (for up to 2 months), and then prepare the bologna salad after thawing.

What to serve with bologna or bologna salad?

Old fashioned salads pair nicely with bologna in all forms.

• Pink Lady Salad
• Southern Vegetable Salad
• Cauliflower Ranch Salad
• Macaroni Salad
• Sweet Coleslaw
• Mashed Potato Salad

Notes About Old Fashioned Bologna Salad:

• To easy grind bologna and chop veggies, add them all to a food processor and pulse until you get the desired texture.
• Substitute ground ham for bologna, if desired.
• Use more or less sweet pickle relish to taste, or use dill pickle relish for a whole new spin.
• Shredded cheddar cheese would be a great addition to this sandwich spread recipe.
• Omit onion or add more to desired tastes.
• Use yellow mustard instead of ground mustard, if desired.
• Check out our Amazon store for our favorite kitchen gadgets and pantry essentials.

Old Fashioned Salad Recipes

Ham Salad Spread

3-ingredient Chicken Salad

Red Bean Salad

Old-Fashioned Pea Salad