Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

I'm obsessed with dill. I'm not ashamed to admit it! In my opinion, it is a wildly underrated and underutilized herb. It's subtle in flavor; a bit anise-y like fennel and a bit grassy like parsley. I use it a fair bit in my Hungarian dishes, and more often than not it makes its way into my tuna, chicken and potato salads.

I also love a good pickled vegetable. It's not quite an obsession of mine, but it comes close. Something about that briny, salty quality is often just the right foil in a sandwich or salad. I often cook with pickled peppers and pickled onions. And of course, there's the Dill Pickle.

So why not take two of my loves and bring them together in a bowl of goodness? So this, this recipe is my ode to a few of my favorite humble ingredients. I give you: Dill Pickle Pasta Salad.

Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Ingredients

· 12oz rotini

· ½ cup mayo

· ½ cup Greek yogurt

· ½ cup dill pickle juice

· 2 tbsp white vinegar

· ¼ cup milk

· ¼ tsp celery seed

· ½ tsp black pepper

· 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

· 1/3 cup red onion, diced fine

· ½ cup dill pickles, roughly chopped

· 3oz smoked gouda, diced

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt liberally. Drop in the rotini and cook per package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.

While the pasta cooks prepare the dressing. In the bottom of a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, yogurt, pickle juice, vinegar, milk, celery seed, pepper, and fresh dill until smooth. Stir in the red onion and chopped pickle.

Fold the warm pasta into the dressing. Taste and season with a sprinkle of salt if needed. Depending on the saltiness of your pickles, you may not need any salt at all.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge.

After chilled and before serving, stir in the smoked gouda. If the pasta salad has become to dry, stir in another dollop of mayo.

Serve chilled.

Serves 6 to 8

GF Friendly

Gluten Free Friendly!

Swap the rotini for GF Barilla rotini.