Description
Creamy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is the ultimate side dish for any gathering, picnic, or weeknight meal when you’re craving something a little different but wonderfully familiar. It’s a delightful twist on a classic, packed with the zesty goodness of dill pickles and a velvety smooth dressing that ties everything together beautifully.
Ingredients
1 box (16 oz) rotini pasta
1/3 cup dill pickle juice from the pickle jar
2 cups chopped baby dill pickles
1 block (8 oz) Colby Jack cheese cubed small
1 small white onion finely chopped
Creamy Dill Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup dill pickle juice from the pickle jar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 1 tablespoon dried dill)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Cook the rotini pasta according to the package directions, adding about 1 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water. Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water. Place the rinsed pasta in a mixing bowl and pour 1/3 cup of pickle juice over it, stirring to coat. Let it sit while you prepare the other ingredients. Chop the dill pickles and Colby Jack cheese into small cubes. Finely chop the white onion. Drain the pasta again and return it to the mixing bowl. Add the chopped pickles, cheese, and onion to the bowl and stir to combine. In a separate small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients (mayonnaise, sour cream, 1/3 cup pickle juice, dill, salt, and pepper) and mix well. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and stir everything together until well combined. You can eat the salad right away, or for a cooler, more blended flavor, cover and refrigerate it for 1-2 hours. For the best texture, it’s recommended to serve this salad within a few hours of preparing it, either immediately or after chilling.
Notes
Make sure your pasta is cooked just right. Overcooked, mushy pasta can make the salad heavy and less appealing. Aim for tender with a slight bite.
Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. The saltiness of pickles can vary, so it’s important to taste your dressing and the final salad and add salt and pepper as needed.
If you find your pasta salad is getting a bit dry after sitting in the fridge, a little extra mayonnaise or a splash of pickle juice will refresh it perfectly.
Finely chopping your dill pickles and red onion ensures they are evenly distributed throughout the salad and don’t overwhelm any single bite.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: N/A
- Fat: N/A
- Carbohydrates: N/A
- Protein: N/A