Description
Creamy dill pickle pasta salad delivers a tangy twist on classic summer side dishes. Crisp pickles, zesty dressing, and cool pasta create a crowd-pleasing experience you’ll crave at picnics and potlucks.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 pound (454 grams) dry rotini pasta
- 2 cups (300 grams) diced dill pickles
- 8 ounces (227 grams) sharp white cheddar cheese, cubed
Sauce and Seasoning Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (180 milliliters) mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) sour cream
- 2/3 cup (160 milliliters) pickle juice
Herbs and Aromatics:
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) chopped fresh chives
- 1/2 white onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook rotini pasta in boiling water for 8-10 minutes until perfectly tender, then drain and rinse with cold water to halt cooking process.
- Allow pasta to cool completely at room temperature, ensuring no residual heat remains.
- Dice cheese into uniform small cubes and chop pickles, fresh dill, and chives into fine, consistent pieces.
- Create creamy dressing by whisking mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, minced onion, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper until smooth and well-integrated.
- Transfer cooled pasta to a spacious mixing bowl and add prepared cheese, pickles, dill, and chives.
- Gently fold dressing into pasta mixture, ensuring every ingredient is thoroughly and evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate salad for minimum 60 minutes, allowing flavors to meld and intensify.
- Before serving, drizzle additional pickle juice for enhanced tanginess and brightness.
- Garnish with extra chopped pickles, fresh dill sprigs, and delicate chive snippets for visual appeal and added flavor complexity.
Notes
- Customize the pasta type by using gluten-free rotini for a celiac-friendly version.
- Swap mayonnaise with Greek yogurt to reduce calories and add protein while maintaining creamy texture.
- Enhance flavor intensity by letting the salad marinate overnight in the refrigerator for deeper pickle and herb notes.
- Include diced crispy bacon or plant-based bacon bits for added crunch and smoky complexity without overwhelming the tangy pickle profile.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 374 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 13 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg