High-Protein Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Name: High-Protein Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: ¾ cup full-fat greek yogurt; 2 tbsp dill pickle juice; 2 tbsp whole-grain mustard; 2 garlic cloves (finely grated); 1 tbsp lemon juice; ¼ cup fresh dill (chopped); ½ tsp salt (or to taste); 12 oz pasta, rotini, or shells (normal, protein, or whole wheat); 1 cup finely chopped dill pickles (about 4 medium); ½ cup finely diced red onion; 6 oz dill havarti (cubed small)

In this post:

Why You’ll Love This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Key Ingredients
How To Make It
Variations
Victoria’s Tips
Storage & Meal Prep
FAQ
More High-Protein Pasta Salad Recipes
The Recipe
More Recipes To Try

I have to admit that before developing this recipe, I had never actually tried dill pickle pasta salad. But it just kept coming up everywhere, and I felt like I was meant to make my own version.

I approached this as a high-protein, elevated version of dill pickle pasta salad that you can easily make for meal prep and enjoy all week long. It keeps the parts you love, crunchy dill pickles and a creamy dressing, but adds a lot of balance and brightness with finely chopped veggies, fresh herbs, and cubed dill havarti.

It’s easy to make, has under 500 calories and over 30g of protein per serving, and comes together in under 30 minutes. Which are all the ingredients of my ideal meal-prep recipe.

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Healthy dill pickle pasta salad in a bowl with a spoon, loaded with red onion and havarti

Why You’ll Love This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Everything you love about the original, with a protein upgrade. High-protein or whole-wheat pasta, a creamy greek yogurt dressing, and cubed dill havarti, all adding up to 32g of protein per serving.
Super filling. Between the protein-packed dressing, satisfying pasta, and creamy dill havarti this pasta salad is basically guaranteed to keep you full for hours.
Meal-prep friendly. Takes less than 30 minutes to make and tastes even better on day 2. I promise you, you won’t get bored of it any time soon.
Simple, everyday ingredients. Nothing requires a quest to track down. Everything is available at your local supermarket.

If you love pasta salads, I’ve rounded up 7 of The Best High-Protein Pasta Salads that are perfect for meal prep.

Creamy dill pickle pasta salad in a white bowl loaded with cheese cubes and fresh dill

Key Ingredients

Nothing fancy or complicated but it all comes together to form something great.

Pasta. Use normal, whole-wheat, or high-protein pasta. All of them work and add that delicious pasta chew that nothing else can replicate.
Dill pickles. Obviously, you can’t make a dill pickle pasta salad without pickles, so choose wisely here. I recommend a high-quality refrigerated dill pickle, or make your own with my Lacto-Fermented Dill Pickle Recipe. Sounds complicated, but I promise it’s really easy.
Dill Havarti. Small cubes, because they’re super tasty and make the pasta salad that much more satisfying.
Fresh dill. To complement the dill flavors in the pickles and bring brightness in both flavor and color.
Greek yogurt. The creamy base of the dressing. You can also swap for dairy-free yogurt or mayo if you’re dairy-free.

Are you a dill pickle addict? Then you need to try my Dill Pickle Chicken Salad. It’s one of the most popular recipes on my site for a reason.

How To Make It

Pasta salad is one of the best meal-prep options because it’s super quick to make, only gets better in the fridge, and is relatively budget-friendly.

Cooked pasta shells draining in a colander for high-protein dill pickle pasta salad

Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook your pasta one minute under the package time. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and drain really well so you don’t dilute the dressing.

Creamy greek yogurt dressing being whisked with fresh dill and whole-grain mustard in a white bowl

Whisk the dressing
In a large bowl, combine the greek yogurt, pickle juice, whole-grain mustard, grated garlic, lemon juice, and fresh dill. Whisk till smooth, then salt to taste.

Pasta shells, diced pickles, cubed dill havarti, and red onion in a bowl before tossing

Add everything and toss
To the same bowl, add your cooled and well-drained pasta, chopped dill pickles, finely diced red onion, and cubed dill havarti. Toss well to make sure every piece of pasta is evenly coated in dressing.

Dill pickle pasta salad with greek yogurt dressing in a white bowl with a spoon and fresh dill

Chill before serving
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. Give it a stir before serving.

Want more pasta salads? My Kale Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is so DAMN good and another great meal prep option.

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Variations

One of my favorite things about this recipe is how easy it is to customize. Here are a few variations you can try out depending on your mood.

Add chicken. If you want to turn this into a super high-protein meal, add some finely diced or shredded rotisserie chicken breast.
Swap the cheese. Dill havarti can sometimes be hard to find. Regular havarti works great, or even crumbled feta.
Add some beans. For extra plant-based protein without the chicken, stir in a rinsed can of chickpeas or white beans.
Make it spicy. If you like a little bit of heat, add some finely diced pickled jalapeno or red pepper flakes.
Dairy-free. To make it dairy-free, swap the greek yogurt for dairy-free yogurt or use mayo instead. You’ll also have to skip the dill havarti, which can be replaced with a drained can of white beans.

Victoria’s Tips

Rinse the pasta under cold water after cooking. This stops the cooking process so you’re not left with mushy pasta by day two.
Season the dressing well. Pasta salads need more salt than you think. Keep tasting and adjusting until it’s where you want it.
Portion into individual containers. This pasta salad is just that good. If you want it to last all week without going back for “just one more bite,” portion it into single-serving containers right away.

Storage & Meal Prep

This pasta salad keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container, and it’s honestly best on day 2 or day 3.

Make sure you stir before serving, and if the pasta absorbs too much of the dressing, add a splash of pickle juice or a squeeze of lemon to loosen it back up.

Store it in individual containers so lunch is ready to grab all week.

My High-Protein Tuna Pasta Salad is one I often go back to. So simple, 50 grams of protein per serving and I never get sick of it.

FAQ

How can I add more protein?

The easiest way is by adding chopped or shredded rotisserie chicken breast, although you can also add a can of rinsed and drained white beans. Also check your high-protein pasta. Some brands are much higher in protein than others.

What makes this pasta salad high-protein?

The combination of high-protein pasta, the greek yogurt dressing, and dill havarti stacks up to over 30g of protein per serving. For comparison, a regular mayo-based pasta salad usually comes in around 12g per serving.

Can I use regular pasta?

100%. Whole wheat is the best swap if you want to keep the protein count up. Regular white pasta works too, but the protein per serving will drop. The high-protein pasta is doing a lot of work in this recipe, so if macros matter to you, it’s worth using.

What kind of pickles should I use?

Use a high-quality refrigerated dill pickle or make your own lacto-fermented pickles. Since they’re the star of the show, it’s important to pick a brand you love.