World's Greatest Pasta Salad

Submitted by Dave 7

"This macaroni salad is creamy and tangy, anything but bland."

 

• Ready In: 20mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 12-16

ingredients

• 1 lb dry mini penne pasta
• 1⁄2 medium red onion
• 1 red pepper
• 20 ounces sweet & spicy pickles
• 6 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cubes
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1⁄2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons pickle juice
• pepper or garlic powder

directions

1. Cook the pasta, don't overcook. Drain and rinse with cool water. Place in the biggest serving bowl you have.
2. Chop the onion, red peppers, pickles and cheddar into bite-size pieces. Add to the pasta bowl.
3. Combine the mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, pickle juice in a separate bowl. Season to taste.
4. Stir dressing in the pasta bowl. Make sure there are no dry spots.
5. Chill for at least 3 hours. Can be made the night before.

Reviews

[Bobtail]

Love this salad! I reduced the recipe down to about 1/4 of the recipe as I was preparing it only for myself. The only things I changed was the style of pasta and cheese. I used mini shells and shredded cheese as this is what I had on hand. I don't think the pasta made a difference in the taste, but the cheese probably did. Next time I will definitely make sure I have block cheese and cut it into cubes. Block cheese holds the flavor of the cheese better than pre-shredded. I think the pops of cubed cheese with the other flavors would be even more delicious. I used locally canned sweet spicy dill pickles and the spiciness in the pickle gave you a tickle of heat. This is great just by the recipe, but it lends itself to personal options of flavor, such as tomatoes or avocado. Thanks Dave#7!