A classic pasta salad with an unexpected twist.
Now that the weather is starting to warm up, I’m feeling less enthusiastic about hot soups and casseroles. At the end of a warm day, a nice, chilled salad seems a lot more appealing. Naturally, I’ve got lots of cold salad recipes already. There’s my Tarragon Chicken Salad, my Best Potato Salad, and of course, my beloved coleslaw. But lately, I’ve been feeling in the mood for something…different. Something with a twist.
And here’s my twist: Dill Pickle Pasta Salad.
This starts out like a classic pasta salad, with cubed cheddar and a creamy, garlicky dressing. But then comes the twist: the juicy crunch and sour-salty flavor of a good dill pickle. In fact, for good measure, it’s got half a cup of the pickle juice thrown in, so that pickle-y flavor spreads throughout the whole dish. This is one pasta salad that’s definitely twisted. And I’m loving it!
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- Place cooked pasta in a large mixing bowl.
- Add in cheese, pickles, pickle juice, dill, mayo, sour cream, pepper and garlic salt, stir to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Here are more pasta salads we love!
Looking for more free recipes? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow pasta salad cooked
- 8 oz cheddar cheese cubed
- 2 cups sliced dill pickles
- 1/2 cup dill pickle juice
- 3 Tablespoons fresh dill
- 1 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
- Place cooked pasta in a large mixing bowl.
- Add in cheese, pickles, pickle juice, dill, mayo, sour cream, pepper and garlic salt, stir to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Video
Save this recipe for later! Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your recipe box!
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Melissa @Insiderthekitchen.com says
Fantastic recipe! Plus you can get creative and add a handful of chopped boiled potatoes or carrots to enhance the flavors and add more texture, right? Excellent work.
Wendy says
Have you tried this with sweet pickles??
Corey says
I haven’t Wendy.. but that does sound like a yummy idea!
kathleen thelian says
I also added feta cheese and sundried tomato. I was a little hesitant about the pickles and pickle juice but wow….I was pleasantly surprised. Delish!!!!!
Corey says
Oh! Those sound like yummy additions Kathleen!
Billy says
This looks delicious! I love pasta salad but haven’t had one with dill pickles before. Sounds so good! Cold salads are the best!
Debbie says
We added bacon bits – yummers!
Peg says
Will this work with Miracle Whip?
Corey says
The flavor will be different if you use Miracle Whip, so I can’t say for sure Peg.
Valerie says
This is the best salad. Everyone loved it so much. The second tome I made it, I added a cup pf sweet gerkins on add ition to the two cups of sliced baby dills to the recipe and 1/4 tsp ceyenme pepper instead of garlic salt. It was also very good.
Adrienne says
I kinda just made this! I changed it up by adding chopped onion, carrot, celery, and red bell pepper. I also made it with Veganase and vegan sour cream instead of dairy (yeah, took out the cheese too, sorry). Absolutely delish. I may not share this batch with the hubbins & kiddos, as it’s that good.
Krissi B says
I see you have nutritional content, which is great, but what is a serving size? It says 12 servings, but that’s not helpful without a suggested serving size. Is it a cup or half a cup?
Krissi B says
I love the recipe! It’s definitely a change up to regular old macaroni salad or potato salad.
Corey says
It’s about 1/2 a cup
Wanda says
Can you make this recipe day before you serve it
Corey says
You sure can! I think it tastes better the next day.
Wanda says
Thanks and the cheese also or put in the next day
Angie says
I made this pretty close to the recipe and loved it. The only difference is I used the dried dill weed (3 tsp) because I couldn’t find fresh at my local supermarket and maybe added 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
My husband thought it was too bland!!! He added cajun seasoning to his… He also thought the cheese was excessive. I used grated instead of cubes. Not sure if that would made a difference. He must be a weirdo because based on word of mouth this is a popular recipe.
Nevertheless next time I will try these variations and see thanks if it meets his high standards (j/k, he’s not that picky): 1. Half the cheese, 2. Add 1/4 red onion, 3. Add 1 or 2 stalks of celery, and 4. Add 1 tsp of Dijon mustard.
Angie says
I saved this and finally made this again when I got my hands on some fresh dill. My husband loved it this time. I still halved the cheese, added a couple of shakes of salt, halved the pickle and added celery
Cynthia W. says
I have always made my mac salad with sweet relish, mayo, vinegar, and a ton of diced veggies. A while ago I was in the middle of making it when I realized I didn’t have any relish. We live in the middle of nowhere so I had to compromise. That’s when I found your recipe. My husband and I love it so much that I don’t make mine anymore. Plus the ingredients are almost always on hand. Thank you!!!
Suzanne says
Has anyone added chopped boiled eggs?
Cynthia Wilson says
Ever since discovering this recipe a year or so ago I no longer make my mother and grandmother’s macaroni salad. It’s just that good! Thank you so much for this recipe.
Corey says
This is one of our favorite pasta salads too!
Victoria says
BEST Dill Pickle Pasta Salad Recipe and I have tried many!!!
Corey says
Thanks Victoria!
Amy H says
This was a huge hit at a family gathering. Keeper recipe 😋