Dill and Egg Pasta Salad

The simplicity of a Dill and Egg Pasta Salad is what makes it so delicious and appealing to the masses. You can buy ready-made pasta salads from any grocer, but why would you when you can make them so much better at home? Plus, you get to control the amount of preservatives too!

I’m all about pasta salads. I can eat pasta salad every day. There are just a few caveats. First and foremost, they have to be delicious. Texture is an absolute must. And, they have to be easy to make, inexpensive, and they must be still just as tasty the next day! This Dill and Egg Pasta Salad meets and exceeds all of those caveats!

The best thing about pasta salads is that they can be made ahead of time. You can easily adapt them to your liking too, because they’re very forgiving. And, it seems that everyone loves them! That’s probably why they are such a popular side dish at many restaurants, and certainly at every summer picnic or backyard bbq!

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DON’T LIKE DILL! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!?

Here’s the dill pickle debate again. I think there are only two classes of dill pickle people in the world. We have those that love them and then there are those that hate them. There is no middle ground. In our home, dill pickles are treated with the utmost respect. I love them, but both John.e and McKenna LOVE them! If we were asked to name a new Greek God, his name would be something stupid like Pickleonia.

I’m not an extremely creative person when it comes to words, so I’ll leave the name-calling to John, since he’s so good at it! I’ll stick to my four C’s – cats, cooking, crocheting, and cross stitch!

Oftentimes, I will get a message asking for substitutions because of dietary restrictions or a dislike for a certain ingredient. And, in most cases, I can offer a suggestion or two, however, please do not ask me for a substitution for dill, because there isn’t one! Dill is delicious and cannot be copied or substitution. Period. Full stop. If you are among that small group of people out there that do not care for the taste of dill, simply put, Dear Reader, this recipe is not for you. But, don’t fret because I have so many pasta salad recipes that do not require dill. Click here to see those recipes!

DRIED DILL IS NOT THE SAME AS FRESH DILL

If you don’t have any fresh dill on hand, but still want to make this Dill and Egg Pasta Salad, you can. Let me go on record right here and right now. Substituting dried dill will give you dill flavour, but it’s just not quite as good as fresh dill. The fresh dill, along with some dried dill, is what makes this sauce so extraordinary.

So, if you need to substitute fresh dill for dried dill, it’s easy to do. For this particular recipe, you need to use 1/2 cup of chopped fresh dill. That would be equal to eight teaspoons.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Pasta – You can use any short pasta, like macaroni, rotini, penne, etc.
• Eggs – Hard boiled eggs are so good in a pasta salad!
• Fresh Dill
• Parsley – For freshness and garnish.
• Mayonnaise – You can use any mayonnaise, even the fat-free stuff!
• Dill Pickles – Use your favourite dill pickle. Chop them very finely.
• Dill Pickle Juice – Adding some of the juice to the dressing for this salad will not only add more dilly flavour but will also loosen up the consistency of the mayo.
• Sugar – For just a little bit of sweetness.
• Seasonings – You will need onion powder, ground black pepper, celery salt, and salt.

HOW TO MAKE THIS DILL AND EGG PASTA SALAD

Placed the cooked, cooled pasta into a large mixing bowl along with the chopped hard boiled eggs, fresh dill, and chopped parsley. Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, dill pickles, dill pickle juice, sugar, onioin powder, ground black pepper, celery salt, and salt. Pour the sauce mixture into the bowl with the pasta and eggs. Toss until well mixed and combined.

Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.

THE BEST DILL PICKLE FOR THIS SALAD

Well, Dear Reader, the best type of dill pickle for this Dill and Egg Pasta Salad recipe is quite simply the dill pickle that you buy each time you buy pickles. I find some dills too salty, but if that’s the type you like, buy those.

Some dills are too dilly, but if that floats your boat, get that kind! For us, there’s only one brand of dills that we buy and we have never bought any other brand for the past 10 years. They’re the Bick’s Polskie Ogorki. They have just the right amount of dill-salt-garlic ratio and they’re always crunchy.

STORING AND REFRIGERATION

It’s important to let the salad chill in the fridge for at least two hours. This will allow the ingredients time to hang out and get to know each other! The pasta will absorb some of the sauce and its flavour. After the two hours, the salad is ready to serve. Toss it again before plating just to freshen everything up. Most salads tend to settle a little bit. You can safely store this salad in your fridge for up to three days. Be sure to keep the salad covered at all times.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!