This gluten free Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is an easy summer side dish! It's made with crunchy pickles, lemon, fresh dill, and creamy dressing.
This Dill Pasta Salad is a flavorful savory side dish to serve alongside burgers, ribs, or anything you'd find at a BBQ all summer long.
In recent years, dill pickles have gained in popularity. Growing up they always seemed like an afterthought - Something that was thrown onto your plate alongside the sandwich or burger you ordered at a restaurant.
The heat of the sandwich or burger inevitably heated those sad little pickle slices and rendered them unappealing. More often than not they were left uneaten on the plate and tossed into the garbage.
It appears that the days of those last-minute pickle slices are over and we as a culture have embraced the dill pickle. This once overlooked condiment has now become the star of so many dishes from dips to soups to pizza.
Now that it's time for the dill pickle to shine and I am embracing it with this pasta salad. It's made with short pasta such as rotini or fusilli that's tossed with crunchy kosher dill pickles, diced white cheddar, fresh dill, lemon zest, and a creamy mayo dressing.
Jump to:
- Ingredients For Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- Which Pasta Is Best Pasta For Gluten Free Pasta Salad?
- How To Keep Gluten Free Pasta From Falling Apart
- How To Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- How To Make The Dressing
- How Much Of The Dressing Should Be Added?
- What To Serve With Dill Pasta Salad
- Can Pasta Salad Be Made The Day Ahead?
- How Long Does Pasta Salad Last In The Fridge?
- Can It Be Frozen?
- Dill Pickle Pasta Salad (Gluten Free)
Ingredients For Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is made with simple ingredients but packs a lot flavor.
It's made with any variety of short pasta, such as rotini, fusilli, farfalle, or penne that's tossed together in a large bowl with kosher dill pickles, white cheddar cheese, fresh dill, lemon zest and juice, and a creamy dressing.
The pickles give it a crunchy texture, the cheese adds richness and depth of flavor, the fresh dill provides earthiness, and the lemon zest helps to brighten up the dish.
Here's what you'll need to make it.
- 1 package Gluten Free Short Pasta (such as rotini, fusilli, farfalle, or penne) (can use any short pasta if not gluten free)
- 1 cup Mayo
- 2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tbsp. White Wine Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. Pickle Juice
- ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp. Onion Powder
- ¼ tsp. each Kosher Salt and Pepper
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh Dill (minced) (plus more for garnish)
- 1 cup Kosher Dill Pickles (diced) (equals 5-6 baby dill pickles)
- 1 cup White Cheddar Cheese (cubed) (or cheese of choice)
- 1 Lemon (zest and juice)
Which Pasta Is Best Pasta For Gluten Free Pasta Salad?
The base of any pasta salad (gluten free or not) is the pasta. If you're familiar with gluten free pasta, you know that not all brands are created equal.
To achieve success when making gluten free pasta salad, it's important to choose a quality brand of pasta and to follow a few extra steps to ensure optimal taste and texture.
The best type of pasta to use for pasta salads (gluten free or otherwise) are short varieties such as Rotini, Fusilli, Farfalle, and Penne. These short pasta varieties are easy to prepare and eat in addition to being effective at soaking up the dressing that is poured over them.
This recipe calls for gluten free short pasta but you can simply substitute regular short pasta if gluten is not an issue for you. It's important to use a quality brand of gluten free pasta that holds up once it's cooked.
I used Jovial Brown Rice Fusilli to make this pasta salad. It holds its shape nicely after it has cooked and is similar in taste and texture to regular pasta.
Some brands of gluten free short pasta are 12 oz. and others are 16 oz. Feel free to use either a 12 oz. or 16 oz. package when preparing this recipe. It makes enough dressing for either amount.
How To Keep Gluten Free Pasta From Falling Apart
As mentioned, one of the most important things you can do to ensure success when making gluten free pasta salad is to choose a quality brand.
There are also a few other tips and tricks to employ that help to prevent the gluten free pasta from becoming mushy after it has cooked.
- Cook the gluten free pasta until just under al dente. It's very important not to overcook gluten free pasta, or it will become mushy and fall apart. This is especially true when making pasta salad.
- Once the pasta is cooked until just under al dente, place it in a strainer in the sink and run it under cold water. This will stop the cooking process.
- Allow the pasta to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. This helps the pasta to retain it's springy texture. (This step isn't absolutely necessary, but it is helpful).
- When adding the dressing and the rest of the ingredients, fold them into the pasta carefully using a large spoon and mix only until combined. The less gluten free pasta is disturbed, the better it stays together.
Follow these same steps if using regular pasta (with the exception of allowing the pasta to sit for 30 minutes after rinsing). Cook the pasta until al dente, place into a strainer to drain, rinse under cold water, and add the rest of the ingredients without resting for 30 minutes.
How To Make Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
All that's needed to make this dish is to cook the pasta, drain and rinse it, and allow the cooked noodles to rest for 30 minutes.
While the noodles are resting, feel free to prepare the dressing, dice the kosher dill pickles and cheese, and mince the dill.
All of the ingredients are then added to a large mixing bowl and tossed until combined.
- Start by preparing 1 package of gluten free short pasta (or regular short pasta if not gluten free) according to package instructions, cooking the pasta just until al dente.
- Once the pasta is al dente, pour it into a strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold water.
- Allow the pasta to sit in the strainer for 30 minutes at room temperature. This helps the pasta to retain its springy texture and prevents it from becoming mushy. (This step is not necessary if making regular pasta).
- Dice 1 cup of baby kosher dill pickles (yields 5-6 pickles).
- Dice 1 cup of white cheddar cheese (or cheese of choice).
- Mince 2 Tbsp. of fresh dill plus more for garnish.
- Place the drained, rinsed, and cooled pasta into a large bowl. Add the diced pickles and cheese along with the minced dill.
You can sub any variety of cheese you like for the white cheddar. Make sure to choose a cheese with a good amount of flavor. Alternately, you can leave it out altogether if you prefer.
Here are some cheeses that are a great substitute for white cheddar:
- Sharp Cheddar
- Gruyere
- Swiss
- Havarti
- Gouda
- Fontina
How To Make The Dressing
The dressing for this Dill Pickle Pasta Salad couldn't be easier to make. I love this dressing because it's creamy and super savory. Its flavor works nicely against the brininess of the pickles.
- To make the dressing, add 1 cup mayo, 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp. pickle juice, ½ tsp. each garlic and onion powder, and ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper.
- Stir all of these ingredients until completely combined using a small whisk or a fork.
A Few Things
- You can use any kind of vinegar you have on hand. I love white wine vinegar because the flavor is mild but you can use distilled white vinegar, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar (with the exception of balsamic vinegar). Avoid malt vinegar if gluten is an issue for you.
- Dried dill may be substituted for fresh dill if needed. Substitute 2 tsp. dried dill for fresh. I do recommend fresh dill if you can find it because it adds a great fresh flavor to this pasta salad.
- The dressing may be prepared a few hours ahead and stored in the fridge if needed.
Love dill? Check out these recipes!
How Much Of The Dressing Should Be Added?
After the dressing is ready, it's time to add it to the pasta salad.
- Add the dressing to the pasta salad slowly and toss all of the ingredients together gently with a large spoon.
- Continue to add more dressing until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Using a Microplane zester, add the zest of 1 lemon to the pasta salad.
- Cut the lemon in half and add the juice of the lemon as well (making sure not to add the seeds).
- Carefully toss the salad once again until all of the ingredients are completely combined.
- Garnish with extra minced dill.
You may end up with a bit of extra dressing. Feel free to use the extra dressing as a dip for veggies, as a sandwich or burger spread, or as a dressing for any green salad.
Any leftover dressing may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Feel free to add any leftover dressing if the salad has dried out at all.
What To Serve With Dill Pasta Salad
I love this recipe because it's truly a versatile dish. It goes with anything that tastes great with dill pickles.
It's perfect served alongside grilled burgers like these grilled blue cheese burgers, jalapeno sauce burgers, Juicy Lucy burgers, BBQ ribs, grilled chuck steak, or grilled chicken wings.
You can keep it vegetarian and serve it with something like BBQ sweet potatoes as well.
Pasta salads are always nice with summer veggie dishes like grilled corn salad, zucchini, asparagus, or kohlrabi slaw.
A pasta salad pairs nicely with coleslaw or potato salad.
The tangy and vibrant flavors pair well with shredded BBQ chicken or pulled pork.
Can Pasta Salad Be Made The Day Ahead?
The great thing about pasta salad is that it can be made the day ahead. There are no veggies in there that are going to get soggy so feel free to prepare it a day early.
Be sure to store in an airtight container or cover it with plastic wrap and store in the fridge if making it the day before so that it doesn't dry out.
Keep in mind that gluten free pasta dries out a bit the longer it sits in the refrigerator. It's often made with rice or brown rice, which has a higher starch content and causes the rice to dry out more quickly than regular pasta.
How Long Does Pasta Salad Last In The Fridge?
If you've got leftovers this dish can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Can It Be Frozen?
I would not recommend freezing this pasta salad. It's best enjoyed fresh, or within a few days.
Looking for more pasta salads? Don't miss these!
Love summer salads? Check out these recipes!
- Marinated Tomato Salad
- Spanish Style Potato Salad
- Pickled Beet Salad
- Southwest Chipotle Coleslaw
- Mediterranean Potato Salad
- Grilled Vegetable Salad
- Italian Green Bean Salad
Love Dill Pickles? Don't Miss These Awesome Recipes!
Fried Pickles
Crispy Spicy Pickle Chicken Sandwich
Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
Dill Pickle Bread
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
For The Pasta:
- 1 package gluten free short pasta such as rotini, farfalle, or penne
- 1 cup kosher dill pickles yields 5-6 diced baby kosher dill pickles
- 1 cup white cheddar cheese diced, or cheese of choice
- 1 lemon zest and juice
For The Dressing:
- 1 cup mayo
- 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. pickle juice
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 2 Tbsp. fresh dill plus more for garnish
Instructions
For The Pasta:
- Prepare 1 package of gluten free short pasta (or regular short pasta if not gluten free) according to package instructions, cooking the pasta just until al dente.Be careful not to overcook the pasta or it may become mushy.
- Once the pasta is al dente, pour it into a strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold water.
- Allow the pasta to sit in the strainer for 30 minutes at room temperature. This helps the pasta to retain its springy texture and prevents it from becoming mushy. (This step is not necessary if making regular pasta).
- Dice 1 cup of baby kosher dill pickles (yields 5-6 pickles).
- Dice 1 cup of white cheddar cheese (or cheese of choice).
- Mince 2 Tbsp. of fresh dill plus more for garnish.
- Place the drained, rinsed, and cooled pasta into a large bowl. Add the diced pickles and cheese along with the minced dill.
For The Dressing:
- Add 1 cup mayo, 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp. pickle juice, ½ tsp. each garlic powder and onion powder, and ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper.
- Stir all of these ingredients until completely combined using a small whisk or a fork.
- Add the dressing to the pasta salad slowly and toss all of the ingredients together gently with a large spoon (don't stir any more than necessary so that the pasta doesn't break apart).Continue to add more dressing until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Using a Microplane zester, add the zest of 1 lemon to the pasta salad. Cut the lemon in half and add the juice of the lemon as well (making sure not to add the seeds).
- Carefully toss the salad once again until all of the ingredients are completely combined.
- To Serve: Garnish with extra minced fresh dill.
Leave a Reply