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Pasta salad with dill pickles in a creamy sauce.

Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Dill Pickle Pasta Salad combines pickle juice in a creamy dressing with rotini pasta, shredded cheese, chopped pastrami, crunchy red onion, and chopped dill pickles for a flavor like no other.
Servings: 8 servings
Chef Alli
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

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Ingredients
 

Salad

  • 8 ounces rotini pasta, almost 3 cups uncooked pasta
  • 1/2 cup dill pickle juice, from the jar of pickles
  • 3/4 cup diced kosher dill pickles about 1/4-inch in size
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup red onion very thinly sliced
  • 5 oz. deli pastrami or corned beef, chopped may substitute ham or even dried beef

Dressing

  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3 tablespoons dill pickle juice, from the jar of pickles
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill weed may substitute 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill, if preferred
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • kosher Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the Rotini. Cook the rotini pasta according to package directions, just until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool; toss the cooled pasta with the pickle juice and set aside for 10 minutes; drain well.
    8 ounces rotini pasta, almost 3 cups uncooked pasta, 1/2 cup dill pickle juice, from the jar of pickles
  • Prepare the Salad Dressing. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, onion powder, dried dill, and sugar until smooth; season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.
    2/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/3 cup sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 3 tablespoons dill pickle juice, from the jar of pickles, 1 teaspoon dried dill weed, kosher Salt and black pepper, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • Combine the Salad Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the reserved cooked pasta, chopped dill pickles, cheddar cheese, sliced red onion, and pastrami.
    3/4 cup diced kosher dill pickles, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup red onion, 5 oz. deli pastrami or corned beef, chopped
  • Dress the Salad. Pour the prepared dressing over the pasta salad ingredients; toss gently until everything is well coated.
  • Chill. Cover and refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 3-4 hours to allow the flavors to meld.

Notes

Recipe Tips

Up the protein content in this salad by substituting high protein chick pea pasta. It will change the texture somewhat, but is still delicious.
Pasta salads are always best made a day in advance so the flavors can intensify as they meld together.
If the salad seems a bit dry at serving time, stir in a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise to make it creamy again. You can also stir in a bit of dill pickle juice to help "refresh" the salad, too.
For a twist, add some diced sweet pickles too! When it comes to pickles, more is always better.

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 11gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 779mgPotassium: 120mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 246IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 134mgIron: 1mg
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