Description
Dill Pickle Bacon Pasta Salad is creamy, tangy, and packed with crispy bacon, crunchy pickles, fresh dill, and tender pasta. It’s the ultimate crowd-pleasing side dish for potlucks, BBQs, meal prep, and easy family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup pickle brine (from the jar)
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (adjust to taste)
- 1–2 teaspoons sugar
For the Salad:
- 12 ounces short pasta (rotini, shells, or penne)
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup dill pickles, chopped
- 1 cup mini cucumbers, sliced
- 1 cup mild cheese (cheddar or Colby Jack), cubed
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain well and let cool completely.
- In a skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Transfer to paper towels and crumble once cooled.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle brine, yellow mustard, salt, and sugar until smooth. Reserve half of the dressing in the refrigerator.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled pasta, pickles, cucumbers, cheese, red onion, fresh dill, and bacon.
- Pour half of the dressing over the salad and gently toss to coat evenly.
- Chill for 30–60 minutes. Before serving, stir in the reserved dressing and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
Serve cold or slightly chilled.
Notes
- For extra crunch, add bacon just before serving.
- If red onion is too strong, soak it in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain.
- Salad can be made up to 24 hours ahead.
- Add extra pickle brine or a spoonful of mayo before serving if it thickens in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: Boiling + Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 720 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
