Dill pickle pasta salad is the perfect side for barbecues, grilled chicken, even fish. Packed with dill and pickles, with a creamy dressing. It even has the bonus of cheese.
This salad is true to my Latvian heart. Not a Latvian pasta salad, but it may as well be. It has the flavours that Latvians crave, sour cream, dill, and dill pickles.
It may sound a little strange to my Aussie readers, but don't shy away due to the ingredient combo. This is a firm family favourite, and I am sure you will love my dill pickle pasta salad as much as we do.
Sara xxx
Ingredients
- Pasta: You can use any kind of pasta you like, bow ties, spirals, or even penne. I used spiral macaroni.
- Dill Pickles: Also known as dill cucumbers or Polskie ogórki. They have a great tang to them, they aren't sweet.
- Fresh Dill: Imparts a fresh dill flavour to compliment the pickles.
- White Onion: Is sweeter and milder than brown. Also known as salad onion.
- Sharp Cheese: Use a sharp hard cheese like a sharp cheddar, I used epicure.
- Mayonnaise: Whole egg mayonnaise, I use Kewpie.
- Garlic Powder: If you don't have garlic powder you could use half a clove of crushed garlic.
- Sour Cream: is a perfect match for dill at any time!
- Salt: Season to taste
- Pepper: Season to taste
- Dill Pickle Juice: Strange I know! But it adds a little extra zing to the dill pickle pasta salad dressing.
- Dijon Mustard: Rounds off the dressing with a touch of mild savoury heat.
Recipe Walk Through
Fill a large saucepan with water and a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and add pasta.
Cook pasta until it is al dente (still has a little bite of firmness to it when tested).
Strain into a large colander and run pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
Place dill pickles, cheddar, onion, and dill in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a small bowl add the dressing ingredients.
Mix well with a spoon, or whisk to combine
Add cooled pasta to the large bowl with dill pickles and other ingredients. Mix well with a spoon.
Add dressing to the pasta mixture, mix well until all ingredients are evenly coated and combined.
Place pasta salad in the fridge to chill for at least an hour before serving.
Printable Recipe
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Special Equipment
- large saucepan
- chopping board + sharp knife
- large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 230 grams (½ lb) pasta
- 130 grams (¾ cup) dill pickles | also known a dill cucumbers/Polskie ogórki
- 100 grams (3.5 ounces) sharp cheddar
- 3 tablespoons white onion | finely diced
- 3 tablespoons dill | finely chopped
Dressing
- 160 grams (two thirds cup) mayonnaise | Kewpie or other whole egg non sweet mayo
- 85 grams (one third cup) sour cream
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 tablespoons pickle juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fill a large saucepan with water and a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and add pasta.
- Cook pasta until it is al dente (still has a little bite of firmness to it when tested).
- Strain into a large colander and run pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
- Place dill pickles, cheddar, onion, and dill in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bowl add the dressing ingredients and mix well with a spoon, or whisk to combine.
- Add cooled pasta to the large bowl with dill pickles and other ingredients. Mix well with a spoon.
- Add dressing to the pasta mixture, mix well until all ingredients are evenly coated and combined.
- Place pasta salad in the fridge to chill for at least an hour before serving.
Measurement Notes
All measurements are Australian metric standard. All measures are level, and cups are lightly packed unless specified. 1 teaspoon = 5ml / 1 tablespoon = 20mls / 1 cup = 250ml /4 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon.
Recipe Notes
- 1 teaspoon equals 5ml
- 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml (Nth America, NZ & UK use 15ml tablespoons)
- 1 cup equals 250ml (Nth America use 237ml)
- 4 teaspoons equals 1 tablespoon
- I use the below unless specified in my recipes;
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
The recipe's nutritional information is an approximation based on an online calculator. It is meant solely for reference purposes. If you're looking for precise details, be sure to double-check with your own research.
More Side Dishes
For more great sides head to my side recipes section. Including Hawaiian macaroni salad, and bacon fat potatoes.
Sue R
Spot on. Just made it so it's not had a chance yet to mingle but it's darn good already. I used some very nice Margret River Club Cheddar in it. Going to have it with some wild Canadian salmon.
P.S I got some truffle cheese today! I honestly do not need more cheese but how could I resist it? It's Christmas!
Sue R
Yum and I don't even like pasta salads usually 😉 I will give it a try soon.
I bought a jar of Polskie ogórki last weekend ( I'm part Polish so know them well) and am ashamed of the MASSIVE jar of cornichons (1.9kgs!) I couldn't resist. I won't mention the other pickled cucumbers or other pickled veggies in the fridge. Ok well I will admit to the Polska Salatka I have yet to try. Yeah I had a bit of a field day at one of the local shops. Ahem! It was fun though. lol
Sara McCleary
Hey Sue
LOL, you sound like me, we have cucumbers pickled in all sorts of ways around my place. Hope you enjoy the salad.
Cheers Sara
Sue R
I'm making it on Friday night with some BBQ'd in the Webber baby barramundi so will let you know how it goes. 🙂
Gaby
I like this idea, like a potato salad but with pasta. I'd add a healthy dose of greens to make it a true salad 🙂
Sara McCleary
This isn't a healthy one by any means. I tend to serve it along side a green salad, then I can have the best of both worlds.