Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad has become an absolute favorite! Made with crunchy pickles and the pickle juice, this pasta salad is creamy, tangy, crunchy, and so delicious. Perfect for potlucks or as a side salad with your meal.
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 348kcal
Ingredients
- ¾ pound mini bowtie pasta or similar, see notes
- 6 slices bacon
- ¾ cup chopped dill pickles
- ¾ cup diced fresh cucumbers
- ¾ cup diced cheese Colby Jack or cheddar
- ¼ cup fresh chopped dill
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
Dressing:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup dill pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey plus more to taste
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until a little past al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool completely.
- Cook bacon: Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and let it cool slightly. Dice the bacon into small pieces.
- Make dressing: In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder, dill pickle juice, Dijon mustard, honey, lemon zest, salt, and pepper until smooth. Set aside.
- Assemble: In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked pasta, cooked diced bacon, chopped dill pickles, cucumbers, cheese, fresh dill, and red onions.
- Add dressing: Pour the prepared dressing over the pasta salad and toss until evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve at room temperature or, if you’d like to serve it cold, refrigerate for about 30 minutes or longer. Garnish with extra fresh dill.
Notes
- Cook slightly past al dente, then rinse with cold water to stop cooking and keep dressing thick.
- Short pasta shapes (like mini bowties) work best for serving and scooping.
- Pickles: Use cold-refrigerated pickles (like Grillo's or Claussen) for maximum crunch. Shelf-table pickles tend to be less crunchy, but will work too.
- If you don’t like the strong onion flavors, you can mellow it out by soaking diced onions in cold water for 15 minutes first.
- Cheese: Block cheddar or Colby Jack cut into small cubes by hand works much better than pre-cut, which contains extra starches that can make the salad taste a little gritty.
- Make ahead: Assemble as directed but keep the dressing separately in the fridge for up to 1 day. Combine before serving.
- Storage: Keeps in an airtight fridge container for up to 3 days. Stir in extra dressing or pickle juice if it dries out.
- Do not freeze.
- Pasta: Use ditalini, rotini, shells, elbows, cavatappi, or gluten-free pasta. Basically, any small-shaped pasta.
- Dressing awaps: Use Greek yogurt or vegan yogurt to replace mayo or sour cream, but you’ll need to season more.
- Extra protein add-ins: Add diced ham, white beans, or chickpeas.
Disclaimer: Nutritional values (per serving) are approximates only.
Nutrition
Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 472mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 369IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 1mg