Dill Pickle Pasta Salad Recipe
I am a big pickle fan, but my daughter has me beat! She loves her pickles and always has. We can’t go to a county fair or Disney or anywhere someone may be selling pickles without stopping to get one. This dill pickle pasta salad recipe is music to her ears as well as anyone who loves pickles as much as we do! It’s a mixture of tender pasta, coasted in a creamy dressing, along with crispy and crunchy dill pickles in every bite! Plus there are cubes of Colby Jack cheese and crumbled bacon bits for even more savory flavor. I just love the different textures in this fast and easy pasta salad recipe that will be a hit with your family and friends. Truly sometimes that simple recipes are always the ones that people seem to go for and this is one of those recipes! It’s especially great in the summertime for casual picnics and potlucks, backyard barbecues, or serve if for holidays such as Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, or Labor Day.
Ingredients in Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
For this versatile macaroni salad with pickles, you’ll need only a handful of very basic and common fridge and pantry ingredients including:
Small elbow macaroni Baby dill pickles Colby Jack cheese Mayonnaise Sour cream Pickle juice Fresh dill Salt Pepper Garlic powder Cooked bacon crumbles
How to Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
It doesn’t get any easier to turn out an amazing pasta salad recipe that everyone goes crazy for than this fast and easy macaroni pickle salad recipe. Follow these very straightforward steps to make dill macaroni salad: Step 1: Boil the pasta, drain it, and rinse under cold water. Step 2: Add the dill pickles and cheese to the cooked pasta. Step 3: Separately, mix together the sour cream, mayo, pickle juice, dill, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Step 4: Add the dressing mixture to the pasta and stir to combine. Step 5: Stir in the crumbled bacon, refrigerate for 1 hour, and serve!
Storage Instructions
After you make dill pickle pasta salad, refrigerate it for at least 1 hour before serving. The flavors will marry, the pasta will soak up the dressing, and it such a scrumptious pasta salad recipe when served chilled. Leftover dill pickle pasta salad will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days but my family goes to town on it and it never lasts that long for us!
Tips for the Best Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad
When you’re boiling the pasta for your pickle pasta salad make sure not to overcook it in the least. In fact, if you undercook it by about 30 seconds, that’s even better. That’s because the pasta will continue to soften after it soaks up the dressing and pickle juice. If you’re a fan of even more dill pickle flavor, go ahead and add more pickle juice. This is especially true if you find your pasta noodles have already soaked up the dressing mixture. As I alluded to above, I like to make sure to keep my baby dill pickles chopped on the coarser or chunkier side so they really stand out in this dill pickle pasta salad recipe. If you slice them too thin, they will blend into the background with everything else and that’s not the intention with this recipe! I used cubed Colby Jack cheese but other types of cheese such as cheddar, white cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or Pepper Jack cheese are also great swaps. Technically speaking, the bacon is optional so in case you are trying to keep this recipe as a vegetarian dill pickle pasta salad, you can by simply omitting the crumbled bacon. For anyone who likes things kicked up a notch, feel free to shake in a bit of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Finally, if you’re in need of some fast, easy, and delish pasta salad recipes, check out my pasta salad roundup of The Best Pasta Salad Recipes!
More Easy Favorite Pasta Salad Recipes:
The Best Pasta Salad Recipes – There’s something for everyone in this collection of FAST and EASY pasta salad recipes!! Whether you need something to bring to a potluck or picnic, or are in need of a no-fuss weeknight meal the whole family will enjoy, these recipes have you covered!! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! BLT Pasta Salad — EASY, ready in 15 minutes, feeds a crowd, and PERFECT for potlucks and parties. Creamy ranch dressing perfectly coats the pasta and BACON. Guaranteed family FAVORITE! Club Sandwich Pasta Salad – All your favorite club sandwich ingredients in an EASY pasta salad!! Turkey, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese with ranch! Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad — The BEST version of a chicken Caesar salad because there’s tender pasta, too!! EASY, ready in 20 minutes, makes a big batch, and a guaranteed family FAVORITE!! Mandarin Orange Chicken Pasta Salad – EASY, ready in 30 minutes, and packed with Asian-inspired flavors!! Juicy sesame chicken, pasta, and lots of healthy vegetables! Chinese Chicken Pasta Salad — Big juicy chicken chunks and texture galore from the rainbow of crispy veggies! Fast, easy, fresh and healthy!! Great for picnics, potlucks, and easy dinners!! Taco Pasta Salad — EASY, ready in 20 minutes, and loaded with great Mexican-inspired ingredients including corn, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado, and more!! Perfect for picnics, parties, and potlucks!! Italian Chicken Pasta Salad – Easy, ready in 20 minutes, and healthy! Bursting with fresh flavors from juicy tomatoes, cucumber, basil, parmesan, and tender chicken tossed in a tangy lemon vinaigrette!