This dill pickle pasta salad recipe is the perfect side dish for summer picnics. A wonderful balance of brine, crunch, salt and creaminess this pasta salad is made with a simple homemade dill ranch dressing that is also perfect as a dip for fresh vegetables.
If you are a fan of dill, like I am, you are going to want to make dill pickle chex mix, fried pickles, or homemade seasoned ranch cheese crackers.
What type of pasta should I use for dill pickle pasta salad?
I recommend a Gemelli pasta because it holds the dressing beautifully in the twists. If you do not have Gemelli on hand, campanelle, fusilli, rotini, radiatori or Pipe rigate would make a good substitution.
What type of dill pickles are used to make dill pickle pasta salad?
You know I am going to suggest you use your own homemade dill pickles, but I know not everyone has them sitting in their pantry. I would suggest using a local dill pickle brand or the brand your family loves. The dill pickle spears work well in addition to whole dill pickles and mini dill pickles. I would shy away from slicked dill pickle chips as they don’t hold up well in this pasta salad.
How do you get the beautiful green color in the ranch dressing?
I took one extra step and used my Blendtec blender to blend together the ranch dressing ingredients. The power of the blender took the fresh dill and made the dressing a lovely green color. You are welcome to whisk or stir the dressing together but to get the green hue throughout, blend for 30 seconds. If you would like a Blendtec blender at 25% off, use code: STG25 at Blendtech.com when you check out. Restrictions apply.
What else an I add to dill pickle salad to make it extra delicious?
While this recipe is fabulous on its own I am always looking to make recipes unique and delicious. I think additions of pitted kalamata olives, corn kernels or pepperoni slices would be delicious. Start with 1/4 cup of your favorites and see how you like it!
How far ahead should I make dill pickle pasta salad?
I will make this recipe the night before if I remember! But I have also been known to make it fresh and serve it right away. I have found that the optimal time to make this pasta salad ahead of serving is one to 4 hours. This gives the pasta the opportunity to soak up all the delicious dill ranch dressing.
What ingredients are in dill pickle pasta salad?
- gemelli pasta
- thick-cut bacon
- cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- Colby Jack cheese, diced in 1/4-inch cubes
- kosher dill pickles, chopped
- mayonnaise
- sour cream
- fresh dill, chopped
- pickle juice from the jar of dill pickles
- milk
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- salt and pepper
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad Directions:
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels to remove excess grease. Sous vide bacon is perfect in this recipe.
- While the bacon is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil.
- Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.
- Rinse under cold water and drain excess water.
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, dill, pickle juice, milk, garlic powder, and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper.
- Or for a greener color to the dressing, blend in a Blendtec blender for 30 seconds.
- In a large pasta bowl, toss together the cooked pasta, cooked bacon, tomatoes, cheese and pickles. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss until combined.
- Chill for at least one hour before serving for the best flavor results.
this is a variation of a recipe found at HuffPost.
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Dill Pickle Pasta Salad Recipe
A wonderful balance of brine, crunch, salt and creaminess this pasta salad is make with a simple homemade dill ranch dressing that is also perfect as a dip for fresh vegetables.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces gemelli pasta
- 1 pound thick-cut bacon, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 8 ounces colby-jack cheese, diced in 1/4-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup kosher dill pickles, chopped
Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
- 1/4 cup pickle juice from jar of kosher dill pickles
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy.Drain on paper towels to remove excess grease. Sous vide bacon is perfect in this recipe.
- While the bacon is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil.
- Add pasta and cook according to package until al dente.
- Rinse under cold water and drain excess water.
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, dill, pickle juice, milk, garlic powder and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper.
- Or for a greener color to the dressing, blend in a blendtec blender for 30 seconds.
- In a large pasta bowl, toss together the cooked pasta, cooked bacon, tomatoes, cheese and pickles. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss until combined.
- Chill for at least one hour before serving for best flavor results.
Notes
I think additions of pitted kalamata olives, corn kernels or pepperoni slices would be delicious. Start with 1/4 cup of your favorites and see how you like it!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 513Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 1504mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 31g
Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
Lovely! This would be perfect for a weekend gathering!
wilhelmina says
This is so good! I will be making this one over and over!
Sarah says
I am so glad you liked it! This recipe is a favorite every time I serve it!
Sarah says
I am taking it to a picnic this weekend. I couldn’t agree more.