Description
Creamy dill pickle pasta salad brings zesty tang and summer picnic vibes to your table. Crisp dill pickles and cool mayo blend perfectly, creating a crowd-pleasing side dish you’ll crave at backyard gatherings.
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
Dairy and Creamy Components:
- 3/4 cup (180 milliliters) mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) sour cream
Herbs, Seasonings, and Aromatics:
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) chopped fresh chives
- 2/3 cup (160 milliliters) pickle juice
- 1/2 white onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Boil rotini pasta in salted 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.
- Cube cheese into uniform small pieces to ensure consistent texture throughout the salad.
- Dice dill pickles into precise, bite-sized chunks for optimal flavor distribution.
- Finely chop fresh dill and chives to release their aromatic oils and enhance overall taste profile.
- Create creamy dressing by whisking mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, minced onion, and garlic until smooth and well-integrated.
- Season dressing with salt and black pepper, adjusting to personal taste preferences.
- Gently fold pasta with cheese, pickles, herbs, and prepared dressing until every ingredient is evenly coated.
- Refrigerate salad for minimum 60 minutes, allowing flavors to meld and intensify.
- Before serving, splash additional pickle juice for extra tanginess and bright flavor accent.
- Garnish with fresh herb sprinkles and extra pickle pieces to elevate visual presentation and provide textural contrast.
Notes
- Rinse pasta under cold water after cooking to stop the cooking process and prevent sticking, ensuring a perfect al dente texture.
- Use full-fat mayonnaise and sour cream for a richer, creamier dressing that coats the pasta more evenly.
- For a lighter version, swap regular mayo with Greek yogurt and reduce the amount of cheese to cut down on calories.
- Prep ingredients ahead of time and let the salad marinate overnight to develop deeper, more intense pickle and herb flavors.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 278 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 570 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg