Creamy Dill Pasta Salad
Cool off with the ultimate spring, summer, and fall side dish! This Creamy Dill Pasta Salad is packed with crisp vegetables, tender elbow pasta, and tossed in a tangy homemade sauce with sweet pickle relish. It’s a refreshing, make-ahead classic that gets better with every bite!
For the perfect texture, the elbow pasta is cooked only until al dente, then thoroughly cooled to create a sturdy foundation that stands up to the creamy sauce without becoming soft. This crucial step ensures every mouthful has a satisfying chew that contrasts with the crunchy vegetables.
Serve it immediately for a bright, distinct combination of flavors and textures, or let it rest in the refrigerator where the creamy, herbaceous sauce soaks into the pasta, resulting in a richer dish. Feel free to make it your own by incorporating different crunchy vegetables, add in crispy bacon, or shredded chicken.
Much like my Dill Pickle Pasta Salad, this creamy dill pasta salad is SO good, you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful before it even reaches the table! It’s the ideal cold pasta salad to serve at your next BBQ, potlucks, picnics, or whenever you want a creamy, crunchy, and herb-forward pasta salad. Oh, and it’s so good with the “larger” elbow macaroni!
What is creamy dill pasta salad?
This creamy dill pasta salad is a cool, crunchy, and refreshing side dish, perfect for picnics and summer barbecues. It features al dente pasta (large elbow mac) and crisp vegetables like cucumber, celery, and romaine lettuce, all coated in a delightfully tangy homemade sauce. The creamy dressing, infused with dill, lemon, and sweet pickle relish, is incredibly easy to whip up. Chilling the salad allows the flavors to meld beautifully, making it an ideal make-ahead dish.
Ingredients needed to make this creamy dill pasta salad
- Pasta: This creamy dill pasta salad is best with large elbow, spiral, or shell macaroni noodles. Cook only until al dente to prevent it from becoming overly soft.
- Red onion: Provides a lovely touch of sweetness to this pasta salad. Sweet onions can be used instead.
- Cucumber: Delivers delicious crunch and a refreshing effect.
- Celery ribs: For extra crunch.
- Chives: For fresh and subtle onion flavor.
- Romaine lettuce: Works with the other salad ingredients to add crunchy contrast to the creamy and soft pasta. Iceberg lettuce works well too.
- Homemade sauce: I love to make my own creamy and tangy sauce for this pasta salad by combining mayo, sour cream, red wine vinegar, dried dill, lemon pepper seasoning, sweet pickle relish, white sugar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. It’s incredibly easy to whip up and can be made up to a week ahead.
How do you make this creamy dill pasta salad?
Cook and cool the pasta:
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions until it is al dente.
- Drain the pasta in a colander, then rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process and cool it completely.
- Set the cooled pasta aside.
Prepare the vegetables:
- In a medium bowl, combine the diced onion, cucumber, celery, and chives.
- Chop the Romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces and add it to the bowl with the other vegetables.
Make the sauce:
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, red wine vinegar, dried dill, Lemon Pepper seasoning, sweet pickle relish, and sugar.
- Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the mixture and continue to whisk until the dressing is smooth, creamy, and well-combined.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Assemble the pasta salad:
- Place the cooled, drained pasta in a large mixing bowl. Add the fresh vegetables on top.
- Pour the prepared sauce over the pasta and vegetables. Gently fold and toss everything together until the pasta and vegetables are evenly and thoroughly coated.
- Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if desired.
- Garnish with a light sprinkle of additional dried dill and a generous amount of fresh cracked black pepper before serving.
Serving
Creamy dill pasta salad is great with anything grilled! Try serving it as a tasty side dish to grilled chicken, grilled shrimp skewers, grilled steak, and juicy burgers.
Enjoy this pasta salad as a light meal with a slice of Garlic Cheese Bread or load it with shredded chicken for a complete and wholesome meal.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Store leftover creamy dill pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that the fresh salad ingredients will start to soften and release their natural juices while stored. The homemade sauce can be stored separately in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. Give the creamy pasta sauce a good stir/shake before using again.
- Al dente pasta: Only cook the pasta until al dente. I usually shave 1-2 minutes off the package’s suggested cook time to achieve the perfect texture.
- Cooling the pasta: Placing the pasta in the fridge while preparing the rest of this salad is a great way to cool it quickly. You could also spread the pasta evenly on a tray when refrigerating it (if there’s room in the fridge) which will speed up the process even more!
- Make ahead: Assemble this dill pasta salad the night before to allow all of the flavors to meld together and intensify as it chills in the fridge. It always tastes the best the next day! I recommend only adding the crisp chopped lettuce to the pasta salad just before serving to preserve texture.
- Double the recipe: Double this dill pasta salad if you plan to serve a crowd or want extra for the days to follow. Trust me, you will want more!
- Change the pasta: Use your favorite pasta to make this pasta salad (you don’t have to use elbow pasta).
- Cook in salted water: Always cook your pasta in salted water. It makes a huge difference to the overall flavor of the salad. And don’t forget to rinse the pasta to get rid of excess starch which can make the pasta stick together.
- Gluten-free: Swap regular pasta for a sturdy GF variety like brown rice or chickpea pasta, which holds up well to dressings and sauces.
- Use a large bowl: Choose a large enough bowl to comfortably fold and toss the salad and creamy pasta sauce together.
More creamy pasta salad recipes you may want to try:
- Creamy Caprese Pasta Salad
- Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad
- Cold Carbonara Pasta Salad
- Summer Avocado Pasta Salad
Get the Recipe:
Creamy Dill Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 pound large elbow, spiral, or shell macaroni noodles
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 1 large English cucumber, small bite-size pieces
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- ¼ cup chives, finely chopped
- 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
For the Sauce
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp dried dill
- ½ Tbsp Lemon Pepper seasoning
- 3 Tbsp Sweet Pickle Relish
- ½ Tbsp white sugar
- 1 lemon
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- To a medium bowl, add the diced onion, cucumber, celery, and chives. Chop the Romaine lettuce and add it to the bowl.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, add the mayo, sour cream, red wine vinegar, dried dill, Lemon Pepper seasoning, sweet pickle relish, and sugar. Squeeze 1 lemon (juice) over the mixture. Mix together until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, pour in the cooled rinsed and drained pasta. Pour in the veggie mixture on top of the pasta. Gently toss.
- Pour the sauce over the mixture and gently toss! Season to taste with salt and pepper again.
- Add a light sprinkle of dill and fresh cracked black pepper and serve!
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
