If you're a pickle lover, this Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is going to be your new favorite side dish! It's creamy, tangy, crunchy, and seriously addicting. Whether you're bringing it to a BBQ or prepping it for lunches, this recipe is always a hit.
I love to meal prep and make my life easier, so why you're cooking the bacon, go ahead and make a double batch for this Bacon Hash!
For more gluten free pasta salad recipes, try this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad!
🔍 Quick Look: Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 12 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 27 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 10
- 📊 Calories: ~476
- 🔥 Cook Method: Stovetop and Oven
- 👩🍳 Main Ingredients: Pasta, Dill, Pickles
- ⭐ Difficulty: Very easy!
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Why You'll Love This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- Bold and tangy: The chopped pickles, fresh dill, and sour cream bring the best kind of zingy flavor.
- Creamy and satisfying: The dressing is made with clean ingredients and can be made fully dairy-free with one swap.
- Perfect for summer: Great for potlucks or make-ahead lunches.
- Gluten-free: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta and no one will even notice!
Ingredients Needed
- Bacon-cook it just the way you like it-it's fine to use either soggy or crispy bacon!
- Mayonnaise-make your own seed oil free with this Whole30 Mayo!
- Dill Pickles-I love using Grillo's Pickles as they have such an insanely good dill pickle flavor and a great crunch!
- Cheddar Cheese-use shredded or chopped cheese, but I much prefer the shredded for maximum distribution.
Swaps and Variations
- Make it dairy-free: Use dairy-free sour cream for the dressing and dairy free cheddar cheese.
- Add protein: Stir in some chopped chicken, hard-boiled eggs, or even tuna for a protein boost.
- Extra crunch: Toss in celery, red onion, or a handful of crushed potato chips on top right before serving.
- Make it spicy: Add a chopped jalapeño.
How to Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- Cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and cool it down. Set aside until cooled.
- Cook the bacon according to package instructions. Set aside to cool.
- Mix the dressing by combining the mayo, sour cream, garlic, dill, pickle, and salt. Blend with with an immersion blender.
- Chop the cooled bacon, remaining dill, remaining pickles, and cheese (if using cubed).
- Toss everything together in a large bowl: pasta, chopped pickles, fresh dill, bacon, cheese, and the dressing. Serve or chill for later.
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad FAQ's
I would not recommend freezing it. The mayo based dressing would not hold up well!
You absolutely can, making it a time saving dish for cookouts! Pasta tends to absorb sauce- so either make extra to stir in before serving, or mix in only half when you make it, then mix in the other half right before serving.
Store it in an air tight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Be prepared to stir in some extra sauce before serving again as the pasta will have absorbed some!
Suggested Serving Options
If you tried this Dill Pickle Pasta Salad recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 16 oz. Gluten Free Pasta
- 8 oz. Bacon
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- 5 cloves Garlic
- ½ cup Fresh Dill split
- 6 spears Dill Pickles split
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 4 oz. Cheddar Cheese shredded or cut into small cubes
Instructions
- Start by cooking the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool completely.
- Next, cook the bacon according to your preferred method on the package. Set aside to cool completely.
- While the pasta and bacon cook, make the dressing. Combine the mayo, sour cream, garlic cloves, ¼ cup of dill, 1 pickle spear, and the salt. Blend with an immersion blender or in the blender. Set aside.
- Next, prepare the mix-ins. Chop the remaining ¼ cup dill, the remaining 5 pickle spears, the cheese (if using cubed), and the cooled bacon.
- Finally, mix everything together! Combine the pasta, the dressing, and all of the mix-ins. Enjoy!
Notes
- For a lighter version, use some turkey bacon instead of pork!
- For less fat, try some low fat sour cream or low fat mayo to cut down on the calories.
- Up your protein by using some protein pasta! Just note to read your labels as this may make this recipe no longer gluten free.
Tabitha says
I am obsessed with how good this sauce is! It has such a vibrant dill flavor and the bacon adds a really nice touch to the salad too!
Rachel Rivera says
Me too! I absolutely love the sauce, I'm glad you did too 🙂