Creamy Pickle Pasta Salad (Nudelsalat mit Dillgurken)

by: Lydia Fulson  /  Writer, Artist, Traveler, Granddaughter & Ever-Learning German Cook

Dig into this creamy pickle pasta salad with peas and a mayo-based dressing. It's light, tangy, refreshing, and perfect for picnics or quick meals. Yeah, it's a pretty big 'dill'. Get it?

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Creamy pickle pasta salad - Gurken-Nudelsalat

This recipe takes only a handful of ingredients, making it super quick to whip together.

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German Roots?

This type of recipe is not "old-school traditional" like the classic potato salads straight from Mutti's cookbooks. Pasta salads weren't overly popular among German cuisine until the modern 20th century.

When you picture 'German salads' you don't think of pasta forward recipes. Potatoes, and hearty meats speak to the German soul. But so do pickles! The famous rouladen is made with pickles, of course, and let's not forget that dill pickle soup.

What makes this salad recipe stand out as German? Aside from the pickles, its northern-inspired dressing takes the cake. Northern German salad recipes are made creamier, and many are mayonnaise-forward. To give it an even more German kick, mix in some diced ham pieces or bratwurst.

Let's Make Pickle Pasta Salad

Step #1: Organize and prep ingredients.

The more pickles, the merrier!

Step #2: Boil the pasta.

In my case, my favorites are the bow ties (farfalle). They're fun, and the dressing sticks to those ribbed edges so well.

Boil the bows.

Step #3: Mix in pickles and peas, and get ready to add the star of the show.

Now that's an irresistible medley.

Step #4: Make said star of the show (dressing).

Mix mayonnaise, pickle juice, mustard, and seasonings for creamy, pickle-packed goodness, ready to go in our salad! This dressing is the pièce de résistance, as the fancy folk say. We just say, well, it's the best part.

Dill, dill, and more dill!

Step 5: Guten Appetit!

Mix it all together, and there we have it. A refreshing side salad, or meal, fit for every pickle-lover.

Refreshing, creamy, lecker!

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Creamy Pickle Pasta Salad (Nudelsalat mit Dillgurken)

Dig into this creamy pickle pasta salad with peas and a mayo-based dressing. It's light, tangy, refreshing, and perfect for picnics or quick meals.

Prep Time:

20 minutes

Chill Time:

1 hour

Total Time:

1 hour 20 minutes

Servings:

10 servings

Ingredients:

For The Salad:

• 1 box (410 grams) pasta (fusilli, farfalle, macaroni) 
• 10-12 baby dill pickles
• 1 ¼ cup (200 grams) green peas, fresh or frozen

For The Dressing:

• 1 ½ cup (360 milliliters) mayonnaise
• ½ cup (120 milliliters) pickle juice
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) mustard
• 2 teaspoons (1 grams) dried parsley flakes
• 2 tablespoons (3-4 grams) dried dill weed
• salt, pepper to taste

Instructions:

For the Salad:

1. Boil pasta to al dente following package instructions.
2. Once cooked, set aside and cool to room temperature.
3. Prepare pickles, dicing them into small bite-sized pieces.
4. Mix pickles and peas into the pasta.

For the Dressing:

1. Start by mixing mayonnaise, pickle juice, and mustard until smooth.
2. Stir in parsley, dill weed, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until well incorporated.
3. Pour over pasta mix, and stir well. 
4. Let the salad chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes/Hints:

• When choosing pasta, I recommend varieties that allow the dressing to stick well, such as fusilli (the spiral one). But it's all up to preference!
• Before you serve, be sure to mix the salad well, as the dressing will settle at the bottom of the bowl.
• Use fresh dill or dill weed. Don't forget to rub the dill weed between your fingers to 'wake it up'. This really activates the flavor and potency.

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

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to your table

Complete your set today - order now!

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.