Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is a crunchy and tangy twist on a classic. This is not your Grandma’s pasta salad. Perfect for picnics, BBQ, or any time you are really craving pickles, this dill pickle pasta salad is a winner.
We usually get two reactions when we’re talking about this pasta salad: 1.) “hell yes”, or 2.) “that’s weird”. However, we pretty much get just one reaction when we’re sharing this pickle pasta salad: 1.) “yum”.
Because this pasta salad combines what is delicious about picnic and BBQ foods into one dish – it is creamy, crunchy, rich, tangy, and fulfilling.
As mentioned, we bring this one to picnics a lot. We’ve also been known to make a big batch of this and pack it as a meal prep side alongside a salad main. It makes a good sized batch, and it is easily doubled.
When we make a lot of dishes that traditionally use mayonnaise (like a pasta salad, potato salad, etc.) we tend to use ½ mayo and ½ greek yogurt. We do this for several reasons. First, it is healthier without sacrificing flavor. Secondly, sometimes mayo can be too rich and overpowering. With our ½ and ½ approach, it still allows other flavors to come through, like the fresh dill. Additionally, greek yogurt is a bit brighter and tangier than mayo or even sour cream, which we love. We are huge fans of dishes with a very balanced sourness/acidity. Often, when a dish feels flat, it just needs more acid. And this dish uses acid well, in the form of pickles, pickle juice, and greek yogurt.
Here are the main components:
- Short Pasta – we use farfalle, AKA bow ties.
- Pickles. Definitely Dill pickles.
- Pickle Juice – reserve this from your jar and let the pasta soak some of it up while it cools.
- Cheddar Cheese – we like how it looks when it is diced into cubes, but you can also shred your cheese.
- Jalapeno – optional, but delicious.
- Fresh Dill
- Mayo and Greek Yogurt
The recipe below is for around 6-8 servings. It is very easily doubled if you’re making this for a crowd – just double everything, using a full jar of pickles and a full 16 oz. package of pasta.
If you like this recipe, we think you’ll like our BBQ Pulled Jackfruit with Tangy Dill Coleslaw. Both are great twists on classic BBQ foods, and these recipes are so good together.
Let us know when you try out this dill pickle pasta salad!
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 shallot
- 2 cups chopped dill pickles (about 1/2 of a 24 oz jar)
- 4 oz cheddar cheese cut into cubes
- ½ jalapeno optional
- ¼ cup fresh dill
- 8 oz short pasta (we used farfalle)
- ¾ cup pickle juice
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt full fat
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ tsp paprika
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.
- While the pot is heating up, prepare produce: dice a shallot, pickles (reserving the pickle juice) and cut cheddar cheese into small cubes. Dice optional jalapeno. Dice fresh dill.
- Drain pasta into a collander when al dente. Return to the pot. Add ½ cup of pickle juice to the pot, and let the pasta rest and absorb some of the pickle juice for at least 10 minutes. *depending on the type of pasta used it may affect how much pickle juice is absorbed. After 10 minutes, your pasta should have a little bit of liquid left.
- Into a large bowl, add all pickle pasta salad ingredients: pasta (soaked in pickle juice), pickles, shallot, optional jalapeno, fresh dill. Add greek yogurt and mayo. Add ¼ tsp of paprika powder, black pepper, and salt to taste (it may not need any salt depending on the saltiness of your pickle juice). Stir to combine and enjoy!
