Made with chopped pickles, pickle juice, and dill,
Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad is a pickle lover's dream. Loaded with
fabulous pickle flavor, it's a perfect side dish for most any meal --
especially with those grilled burgers and dogs.
Where are my fellow pickle lovers? Because let me tell you, Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad is the perfect side dish for you!
That fabulously salty-briny flavor of Kosher dill pickles takes center stage in this tasty salad. Made with chopped pickles, pickle juice, and dried dill, great pickle flavor is infused throughout every bite.
A key step in developing the salad's layers of pickle flavor is to toss the cooked macaroni together with pickle juice, immediately after draining the macaroni while it's still hot-- The hot macaroni will absorb the pickle juice, in turn seasoning the macaroni itself with pickle flavor.
And where do you get pickle juice, you ask? -- Just spoon the pickle juice straight out of the jar of Kosher dill pickles also called for in this recipe. It's as easy as that!
Serve Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad up with just about any meal. But with its wonderful pickle flavor, we think it's especially perfect as a summer cook-out side -- Mmmmm, right alongside those grilled burgers and dogs.
Made with chopped pickles, pickle juice, and dried dill, great pickle flavor is infused throughout every bite.
What's to Love About This Recipe?
- Great pickle flavor - Made with chopped kosher dill pickles, pickle juice, and dried dill, this salad's just loaded with fabulous pickle flavor.
- Easy to make - It's truly easy to mix up a bowlful of Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad. Cooking the macaroni, a little chopping, and some stirring is about all it takes.
- Especially great as a cook-out side - While this tasty macaroni salad is great to enjoy all year round, it's especially perfect as a summer cook-out side. Oh, definitely pair it with those burgers and dogs!
Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad Ingredients:
There are two components to making Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad -- the macaroni mixture itself, and the dressing.
For the macaroni mixture, you'll need:
- Elbow macaroni - It wouldn't be macaroni salad without elbow macaroni, right? Fully cook the macaroni (rather than leaving it al dente) so it best absorbs flavor from the recipe's pickle juice.
- Kosher dill pickles - The backbone of Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad! Kosher dills are key to the salad's flavor. Either chopped whole pickles or pickle slices work just fine, as long as they're Kosher dills.
- Pickle juice - To layer in pickle flavor, the still-hot macaroni is tossed with pickle juice -- which then gets absorbed into the macaroni itself. Just spoon the pickle juice straight out of the jar of Kosher dill pickles also called for in this recipe.
- Onion - Finely chopped onion nicely seasons the salad. Use a common yellow onion, or choose white onion or a sweet Vidalia for a milder onion flavor.
- Medium cheddar cheese - Cubed cheese adds a nice flavor and texture element to the macaroni salad. We prefer and recommend medium cheddar cheese, but mild or sharp cheddar also work nicely, as well.
For the dressing, you'll need:
- Mayonnaise - Forms the base of the salad's creamy dressing.
- Pickle juice - Gives the dressing a slight pickle flavor, adding another pickle component to the salad. Simply spoon the pickle juice straight out of the jar of Kosher dill pickles also called for in this recipe.
- Dill weed - Dried dill weed nicely complements and adds to the dill pickle flavor of the salad. We have tried dried dill, fresh dill, and a combination of both in this salad, and find dried dill works best in bringing flavor. Look for dried dill weed in the spices section of the grocery store.
- Onion powder - Seasons the dressing. Look for onion powder in the spices section of the grocery store.
- Salt & pepper - As always, a bit of salt and pepper enhance the salad's flavors.
How to Make Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad:
A bowlful of Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad is truly easy to mix up. Cooking the macaroni, a little chopping, and some stirring is about all it takes.
To get the process started, first cook the macaroni in salted water. Fully cook the macaroni, rather than leaving it al dente, so it best absorbs flavor from the recipe's pickle juice.
Immediately after draining while the macaroni is still hot, toss it together with pickle juice, finely chopped onion, and diced pickles. Then set this macaroni mixture aside to cool for about 10-15 minutes. This step is key in developing the macaroni salad's layers of pickle flavor. -- The hot macaroni will absorb the pickle juice, in turn seasoning the macaroni itself with pickle flavor.
While the macaroni mixture cools a bit, stir together the salad's dressing ingredients. Combine the macaroni mixture and dressing, folding them together until the macaroni is well coated. Then stir in cheddar cheese cubes to finish the salad off.
Cover and refrigerate the macaroni salad for at least 2 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to meld before serving.
Then you're ready to dig in to the dill pickle deliciousness! And believe me, with all that pickle juice, dried dill, and chopped pickles, this Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad is just loaded with fabulous pickle flavor. Truly, it's a pickle lover's dream.
Check out these other tasty macaroni salad recipes:
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Yield: about 8-10 servings
Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad
Made with chopped pickles, pickle juice, and dill, Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad is a pickle lover's dream. Loaded with fabulous pickle flavor, it's a perfect side dish for most any meal -- especially with those grilled burgers and dogs!
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 20 MinInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 40 M
Ingredients
For the Macaroni Mixture:
- 3 c. elbow macaroni
- 1/4 c. dill pickle juice
- 1/4 c. finely chopped onion
- 2 c. diced Kosher dill pickles
- 1 (8 oz.) block medium cheddar cheese, cubed
For the Dressing:
- 1 c. mayonnaise
- 2 T. dill pickle juice
- 1 T. dried dill weed
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
Instructions
- Cook elbow macaroni in salted water, according to the package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl.
- Immediately while macaroni is hot, add the 1/4 cup pickle juice, onion, and diced pickles; toss to combine. Set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- While macaroni mixture is cooling, whisk together mayonnaise, the 2 tablespoons of pickle juice, dill weed, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Combine mayonnaise mixture with the macaroni mixture and fold together until macaroni is well coated. Stir in cheddar cheese cubes.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight to allow flavors to meld before serving. Stir macaroni salad before serving.
TRACEY'S NOTES:
- For the pickle juice in this recipe, just spoon out pickle juice straight from the jar of Kosher dill pickles also called for in the recipe.
- If the macaroni salad seems at all dry at serving time, stir in a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise to "refresh" it.
This post is linked with Weekend Potluck.
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