Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is a pickle lover’s dream come true. We’ve taken the classic summer pasta salad and given it a serious pickle makeover with tangy dill pickles, fresh herbs, and a creamy dressing that’s packed with all those briny flavors you crave. It’s the side dish built for anyone who thinks regular pasta salad could use a little more zing. Try it out at your next cookout, picnic, or potluck, and let the pickle lovers reveal themselves!

It’s One Dilly of a Pasta Salad

If you’re the kind of person who loves pickles in that could-drink-pickle-juice-straight-from-the-jar sort of way [raises hand!], this Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is about to become your new obsession. My love of pickles and pickle juice was formed in my youth, and I think my siblings would be mildly traumatized now if they ever found out that too-young-to-understand-germ-transmission, future-SoupAddict used to sneak sips right out of the mostly-empty pickle jar. (We always had empty jars in the fridge. Either my mom was a big pickle fan, too, or maybe she knew about my weirdness and left the pickle juice for me intentionally.)

ANYWAY. I’ve always loved using pickle juice in place of vinegar when making salad dressings — my Easy Mashed Potato Salad and Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad use pickle juice; both recipes passed down to me from my mom, btw — as it adds an extra zip of flavor to the otherwise plain but sharp nature of wine vinegars.

The viral Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is delish, of course, but when I was testing my version of the recipe for the first time, I also had an Italian salumi pasta salad recipe on my brain (recipe coming soon!), and realized that a little cheese and cured deli meats would be fabulous here, too. A little salami, a little fried pancetta. It’s all good. And it bumps up this pasta salad from mere side dish to entree status.

Make it ahead on the morning of a packed-schedule Saturday and stash it in the fridge. And then enjoy a casual dinner later with lots of buttery garlic bread on the side, and maybe some grilled corn on the cob if the weather is cooperating.

Key Ingredients

Pasta — Use your favorite one-bite-friendly pasta shape, such as rotini, elbows, shells, or bowties. I tested the salad with rotini and shells, but for the photographs here, I used cellentani, which I sort of regretted because while cute and curly, they’re also big and clunky and required a huge bowl! Lol. When making pasta salads, I always cook the pasta for a minute longer than the package directions. Al dente is a lovely texture, but it leaves the pasta a bit “thirsty,” as there’s still room to absorb more liquids: the pasta will suck the moisture out of the dressing while resting in the fridge, leaving the salad less creamy than you might be hoping (if it happens, no worries, it’s fixable; see the recipe card).

Dill pickles! — The star of this pasta show, the dill flavor comes into play in three different forms: pickles, pickle juice, and the herb. This pasta salad is for pickle lovers, so don’t skimp on any of the dill pickle ingredients — you won’t regret it! I buy a brand that slices their dill pickles in half lengthwise (Grillos, in case you’re curious), which are easier to chop than whole pickles or spears.

Dressing — I use a combo of mayo, sour cream (Mexican sour cream is wonderfully creamy), Dijon mustard, and pickle juice to create a light and lovely but super-flavorful dressing. I know it’s possible to have big feelings about any one of these ingredients, but substitute with care. If you’re leaning towards something like Greek yogurt, make sure it’s a creamy brand. Some are quite … I don’t know, sticky? … and make the dressing go womp-womp.

Seasonings — My recipe calls for both fresh dill and dried dill. But why, SoupAddict, why! Hear me out. Dill rules the pasta salad, right? So, fresh dill is bright and verdant, while dried dill is concentrated and intense. While they both share the same flavor essence, each is slightly different and wonderful. If you have to skip one, stick with the fresh dill and double the amount. (I always have dried dill in my spice rack, so it didn’t require an extra purchase for me.)

Charcuterie — As I mentioned above, I felt compelled to add a little something-something to this pasta salad. Bacon felt like too much of a salt bomb (ikr, gasp!). So, a little pan-fried pancetta hits the spot. And I love salami in just about everything, so I had to add that, too. Technically, it’s all optional, but you might just appreciate this variation as pasta salad season marches on and you need something new and different for a special occasion.

How to Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to see the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and printable, detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through of making the pasta salad.

Prep notes

Here’s a quick guide for prepping the ingredients, if you need it (not including anything that simply needs to be measured out of a container, such as dried herbs and liquids).

• If you purchased blocks of cheese, cut them into small cubes.
• If your pancetta was packaged as large cubes or other rough cuts, chop them up a bit so they’re more the size of bacon bits.
• Slice the salami into small pieces.
• Chop the dill pickles into small pieces. (I cut a half pickle into thick slices, and then quarter each slice.)
• Peel and chop the onions into small dice. If the onion is strong, soak in red wine vinegar for at least 15 minutes. Drain, rinse, and pat dry.
• Clean and chop the fresh dill leaves. Small stems are okay, but discard the thicker branches.

Cook what needs cooking

Boil up the pasta for a minute or two beyond al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to speed cooling. While the pasta cooks, pan-fry the pancetta until the edges begin crisping up. Some brands have a lot of fat; be sure to render that out.

Make the dressing

Whisk the mayo, sour cream, mustard, and pickle juice until smooth and loose, and then whisk in the seasonings.

Start building the salad base

Mix in the dill pickles and red onions, coating everything thoroughly.

Finish with the pasta

Fold in the cheeses and cured meats, followed by the pasta. The bowl is going to get very full, so take your time and do everything in batches, folding the ingredients by scooping from the bottom and turning over on the top. The bowl I used in the photos here is too small lol. Don’t be Karen: use a ginormous bowl. You’ll be happy for the wiggle room. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for a few hours to let everything chill and the flavors fully develop.

Storing

Store leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. As time passes, you’ll probably need to add liquids to loosen the salad to its original state. Use water or dill pickle juice or apple cider vinegar — one tablespoon at a time — until the pasta is loose and glossy. You can also stir in a tablespoon of mayo to restore some creaminess.

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try, and let me know if you’re Team Dill Pickle Pasta Salad in the comments below! Or, tag me on IG (@soupaddict) with a photo of your own creation.

Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

by Karen Gibson

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This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is a pickle lover’s dream come true, featuring a creamy, tangy dill dressing and loads of dill pickles. Perfect for cookouts, potlucks, and picnics.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 22 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 ounces cubed pancetta
• 16 ounces dried pasta
• 1 cup mayo
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons dill pickle juice (from the jar)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried dill leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons diced red onions*
• 1 cup chopped dill pickles
• 6 ounces cubed cheeses**
• 4 ounces chopped salami

Instructions

 

• Cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water (refer to package directions for timing). Meanwhile, pan fry the pancetta until the edges start to turn golden. Remove from heat and let cool. When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and rinse with cold water to cool down the pasta. Set aside (you can leave it in the strainer while you work).
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, pickle juice, and mustard until smooth. The dressing should be very loose (add another tablespoon of pickle juice if necessary). Pour in the herbs and seasonings (dill through salt) and whisk to combine.
• Fold in the onions and pickles, followed by the salami, pancetta, and cheeses, mixing well with each addition.
• Use a large serving spoon to fold the cooled pasta into the mixture in three batches. Take your time and turn frequently to make sure everything is coated in the dressing. (If you used a small or flat pasta like elbows or bowties, you might be able to “stir” the salad, but for most shapes, scooping up from the bottom of the bowl and bringing the spoonful to the top will blend everything with the dressing without damaging the pasta.)
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Before serving, give the pasta salad a few more folds to loosen things up.***

Notes

*if your onions are pungent, you can tame the sharpness by soaking the dice in red wine vinegar for 15 minutes. You can do this while the pasta cooks. Drain, pat dry and continue with recipe.

**I use a mix of medium cheddar and provolone cheeses.

***If the pasta absorbed a lot of the dressing while in the fridge and it feels a bit dry, whisk up some mayo with a splash of pickle juice or apple cider vinegar and stir it into the pasta.

Keyword dill pickle pasta salad

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