Dill Pickle Pasta Salad (Gluten Free)

No ratings yet

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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Cooling Time:30

Total Time1

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: dill pickle salad, pickle pasta salad, pasta salad with dill, gluten free pasta salad

Servings:

Calories: 456kcal

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.

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.

Be sure to use kosher dill pickles and not a sweeter variety.

Feel free to substitute 2 tsp. of dried dill in place of fresh if needed. Keep in mind that this may affect the flavor slightly.

You can use any flavorful variety of cheese in place of white cheddar. Alternately, you can omit the cheese entirely if you prefer.