Go Back
a plain bowl of small pasta shells in creamy dressing with diced green dill pickles, small orange cheddar cubes, tiny red-onion pieces and chopped fresh dill mixed throughout
Rachel Kim

Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Pickle brine seasons the pasta before the creamy dressing goes on, which gives this salad more dill flavor than simply adding extra chopped pickles at the end. Drain the pickle pieces well. Their brine is already measured into the dressing, and an extra puddle would make the coating thin. Small cheddar cubes soften the sharpness without taking over, while fresh dill goes through the whole bowl so each scoop tastes unmistakably like a pickle salad.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 55 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 7 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz dry small pasta shells
  • 1 tbsp fine salt for pasta water
  • 1/4 cup dill pickle brine divided
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 1/4 cups diced dill pickles drained
  • 4 oz cheddar cut into small cubes
  • 2 tbsp finely minced red onion
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill

Method
 

  1. Boil shells in water with the tablespoon salt until fully tender. Drain, rinse briefly under cool water and drain thoroughly.
  2. Toss pasta with 2 tablespoons pickle brine and let stand for 5 minutes. Mix remaining brine with mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon, garlic powder and pepper.
  3. Fold creamy dressing through the shells with drained pickles, cheddar, red onion and dill.
  4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the pasta chills and the flavors settle; the listed prep time includes this chilling.
  5. Stir before serving and keep refrigerated until needed; refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.