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    Home » Recipes » Sides

    Unusual but Tasty Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

    December 4, 2020 By Sara McCleary Updated December 4, 2020 - This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe

    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

    dill pickle pasta salad in a serving bowl with a spoon
    What's in this post
    • Ingredients
    • Recipe Walk Through
    • Printable Recipe
    • More Side Dishes

    Ingredients

    dill pickle pasta salad recipe ingredients
    dill pickle pasta salad dressing ingredients
    1. Pasta: You can use any kind of pasta you like, bow ties, spirals, or even penne. I used spiral macaroni.
    2. Dill Pickles: Also known as dill cucumbers or Polskie ogórki. They have a great tang to them, they aren't sweet.
    3. Fresh Dill: Imparts a fresh dill flavour to compliment the pickles.
    4. White Onion: Is sweeter and milder than brown. Also known as salad onion.
    5. Sharp Cheese: Use a sharp hard cheese like a sharp cheddar, I used epicure.
    1. Mayonnaise: Whole egg mayonnaise, I use Kewpie.
    2. Garlic Powder: If you don't have garlic powder you could use half a clove of crushed garlic.
    3. Sour Cream: is a perfect match for dill at any time!
    4. Salt: Season to taste
    5. Pepper: Season to taste
    6. Dill Pickle Juice: Strange I know! But it adds a little extra zing to the dill pickle pasta salad dressing.
    7. Dijon Mustard: Rounds off the dressing with a touch of mild savoury heat.
    pasta salad in a bowl for serving

    Recipe Walk Through

    process image of pasta draining in a colander after cooking

    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.

    process image of prepared salad ingredients in a bowl
    process image of dressing being whisked in a glass bowl

    In a small bowl add the dressing ingredients.

    Mix well with a spoon, or whisk to combine

    process image of mixed salad dressing
    process image of ingredients in a glass bowl ready for dressing

    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.

    process image of salad being mixed
    pasta salad in a bowl for serving

    Printable Recipe

    dill pickle pasta salad recipe

    Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

    Recipe Author: Sara McCleary
    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.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
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    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American, Latvian
    Servings 8
    Calories 321 kcal

    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.

    Oven Temperatures

    All oven temperatures are fan forced.

    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

    LEFTOVERS
    Leftover dill pickle pasta salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in a sealed airtight container.
     
    GENERAL COOK’S NOTES
    All oven temperatures are for a conventional oven, if using fan forced lower the temperature by 20 Deg C (70 Deg F).
    All measurements are Australian tablespoons and cups. All measures are level, and cups are lightly packed unless specified;
    • 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;
    Herbs are fresh | Vegetables are of a medium size | Eggs are roughly 60 grams in weight (large)
     
    NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION BELOW IS A GUIDE ONLY

    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.

    Calories: 321kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 8gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 482mgPotassium: 112mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 246IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 116mgIron: 1mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?I do a happy dance when people share how they went. Tag me on Instagram @bellyrumbles & #bellyrumbles

    More Side Dishes

    For more great sides head to my side recipes section. Including Hawaiian macaroni salad, and bacon fat potatoes.

    • Bacon Fat Potato Recipe
    • hawaiian salad in a red bowl with serving spoons
      Hawaiian Macaroni Salad - Addictively Delicious
    • baked stuffed onions recipe
      Baked Stuffed Onions with Parmesan Cream
    • Petits Pois a la Francaise, French Peas
      Petits Pois a la Francaise, French Peas
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    « Easy and Elegant White Chocolate Mint Truffles
    Perfect Parmentier Potatoes Every Time »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Sue R

      December 19, 2020 at 5:54 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    2. Sue R

      December 10, 2020 at 5:18 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Sara McCleary

        December 16, 2020 at 5:54 pm

        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

        December 16, 2020 at 6:05 pm

        I'm making it on Friday night with some BBQ'd in the Webber baby barramundi so will let you know how it goes. 🙂

    3. Gaby

      December 04, 2020 at 4:11 pm

      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 🙂

      Reply
      • Sara McCleary

        December 07, 2020 at 12:22 pm

        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.

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