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A tangy and creamy pasta salad featuring shell pasta soaked in pickle juice, mixed with diced dill pickles, sharp cheddar cubes, and a dressing made from mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, Dijon mustard, and fresh dill.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 lb shell pasta (Barilla recommended)
  • 3/4 cup dill pickles, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 3 tbsp red onion, finely diced
  • 3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/2 cup pickle juice (for soaking pasta)
  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise (Hellmann’s suggested)
  • 1/3 cup full-fat sour cream
  • 4 tbsp pickle juice (for dressing, whisked in slowly)
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  1. Dice 3/4 cup pickles into 1/4-inch pieces, cut cheddar into 1/4-inch cubes, finely dice red onion, and chop fresh dill.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the shell pasta until just tender (al dente) according to package instructions.
  3. Drain the pasta and rinse quickly with cold water to stop cooking; drain well.
  4. While the pasta is still warm, place it in a large bowl, pour in 1/2 cup pickle juice, stir to coat, and let soak for about 5 minutes.
  5. Drain off any excess pickle juice after soaking.
  6. In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and sour cream, then whisk in pickle juice slowly until smooth.
  7. Add Dijon mustard, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper to the dressing and mix until combined.
  8. Combine the soaked pasta with diced pickles, cheddar cubes, red onion, and chopped dill.
  9. Pour the dressing over the pasta mixture and gently toss until evenly coated.
  10. Refrigerate the assembled salad for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes

Use rotini, bow ties, or elbow macaroni as alternative pasta shapes., Swap dill pickles for bread and butter pickles or half-sour pickles adjusting pickle juice to balance sweetness., Try pepper jack, Swiss, or Colby cheese instead of cheddar for varying flavor., Greek yogurt can replace sour cream for a protein boost; or use all mayonnaise if sour cream is unavailable., Use dried dill (2 teaspoons) if fresh is not available, letting dressing sit 10 minutes before mixing., Green onions can be used instead of red onion; or 1 tablespoon onion powder if fresh onion is omitted., The salad tastes better after chilling at least an hour or overnight for flavors to meld., Store in sealed container up to 4 days; refresh with pickle juice or mayo if dry before serving.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://sweetovenstories.com/creamy-pickle-pasta-salad-theamazingfood/