Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Name: Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 150 min
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; 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

Published : May 20, 2019 Updated : October 25, 2020 by Together As Family 58 Comments

Dill Pickle Pasta Salad will be an instant favorite! Tender spiral pasta, 2 cups of diced pickles, cheese, and onion covered in a ultra creamy homemade dill dressing with pickle juice.

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DILL PICKLE RECIPE

I have no words for this dill pickle pasta salad. If you're not a fan of pickles then you may just want to look away.

But if 2 cups of chopped pickles + pickle juice is your thing, then I know you will love this pasta salad recipe that is loaded with dill pickle flavor.

Rotini Pasta. This is the best pasta for any pasta salad, but especially this one because the spiral curves of the pasta soak up all that pickle goodness.

Baby Dill Pickles. The baby dills are small so they're much easier to cut for this salad. Plus, I think the baby dill pickles are crunchier and taste better.

Mayonnaise. Please, please use REAL mayonnaise. Not miracle whip. Not the lite stuff. The real stuff because it tastes so much better. I am not a fan of mayonnaise to begin with, but you need it in pasta salads, and if I am going to eat it then it needs to be the real stuff.

Colby Jack Cheese. You really can use any cheese but I have found the Colby Jack to be the best. Make sure you dice the cheese really small. See my pictures below.

Dill Pickle Juice. No this is not an extra ingredient. Although I wonder if they sell bottles of straight up dill pickle juice? Anyways, you will just need to use some of the juice from the pickle jar for this recipe.

White Onion. Yes it's very specific and yes you will want to use the white onion. A yellow onion will be too strong (onion flavor wise) and the white will blend in with the dressing and pasta. With that said, I would not skip the onion. It adds such a needed flavor profile to this salad. Make sure you finely dice it so no one ends up with big chunks of onion in their pasta salad.

Sour Cream. I have used light sour cream with great results in this recipe. It adds a smoothness and creaminess to the salad.

MY TIPS FOR THIS RECIPE

This salad can be served right away or refrigerated for 1-2 hours before serving if you prefer a cold pasta salad. I prefer it cold so I refrigerate it for a couple of hours. As with any pasta salad, the longer it sits in the fridge the dressing will thicken up. Which is why I prefer this salad only after a couple hours in the fridge, that way it is still creamy but also cold too.
You can use any pasta but I highly recommend the rotini spiral pasta.
Again, you can use any cheese you want but I've found that the mild and creamy flavor of the Colby-Jack is the best in this recipe.
If you decide to experiment with using Greek yogurt instead of mayo or sour cream, just know that it will change the end result slightly (taste wise). I am sure it would work just fine if you decide you wanted to try.
Fresh dill is best in this recipe but dried dill can be substituted. You can find fresh dill in the refrigerated area of the produce section. Make sure to wash it and chop it finely before adding it into the dressing.