Calling all pickle lovers! This one’s for you.
I knew when I was developing this recipe that it would be a polarizing one.
In my experience, people either love or HATE pickles. There doesn’t seem to be a ton of lukewarm feelings on the topic.
I personally LOVE pickles. Anything briny and salty, and I’m in. Pickles are the best.
So this Dill Pickle Mac & Cheese was bound to happen. If it’s not for you, skip on by. I’ll have some non-pickle-related recipes coming your way soon.
This Dill Pickle Mac & Cheese is everything I was hoping it would be.
Creamy, cheesy, and comforting – like all mac’s should be – with a distinct briny, pickle flavor. The dill flavor is abundant here. It is absolutely delicious.
Not only do we have dill pickles swimming throughout, but there is pickle brine in the sauce AND the topping is made up of a mix of breadcrumbs and these crispy pickle bites.
I buy them at Costco, but I’ve also seen them at my local grocery store in the same spot as the French fried onions. If you love pickles, you MUST try them! They are crispy and crunchy (aka, addicting) with lots of dill pickle flavor. So, so good.
They make for the perfect crispy topping on this creamy mac and cheese!
Ingredients You Need for This Dill Pickle Mac & Cheese:
- Elbow macaroni pasta (or other short pasta shape)
- Butter
- Diced onion
- All-purpose flour
- Diced dill pickles
- Dill pickle brine (from the jar of pickles)
- Whole milk
- Heavy cream
- Grated sharp cheddar cheese
- Fresh dill
- Crispy Dillies
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
How to Make This Dill Pickle Mac & Cheese:
For the Pasta:
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until el dente, according to the package directions. Drain when the pasta is done.
- While the pasta cooks, preheat the oven to 350°F and set a large oven-safe skillet or casserole dish on the stove over medium heat (this style of braising/casserole dish is my favorite to use for this type of baked pasta).
- Melt the butter in the pan and then add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Sprinkle over the flour and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute to get rid of the raw flour flavor. Pour in the pickle brine and stir to combine – it will mostly evaporate.
- Slowly stream in the milk, whisking constantly to incorporate. Cook until the milk is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cream and add the shredded cheese into the white sauce in batches, stirring well to melt and incorporate.
- Stir in the fresh dill, chopped pickles, and drained pasta. Stir until everything is well combined. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed (keeping in mind that the cheese and pickles will add quite a bit of salt). Remove the pan from the heat.
For the Topping:
- Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave.
- Add in the Crispy Dillies and panko, along with a pinch of salt, and stir to combine.
To Assemble & Serve:
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the macaroni and transfer the pan to the oven.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are bubbling and the topping is golden brown and crisp.
- Serve while hot, garnished with additional dill.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy:
- Dill Pickle White Pizza
- Everything Deviled Eggs with Scallion-Dill Cream Cheese
- Pickle-Brined (Oven) Fried Chicken with Spicy Sesame Honey
- Korean Chicken Burgers with Pickle Slaw & Garlic Mayo
- Mac & Cheese With Prosciutto Sage Breadcrumbs
As I said, if you love the flavor of pickles or dill, this recipe is for you!
The pasta is perfectly creamy, delectably cheesy, with tons of salty dill pickle flavor.
And that topping! OMG. It’s hard to not pick it off the top in its entirety. Such a great crunch!
Fellow pickle lovers, please make this! I think your pickle-loving hearts will flutter. I know mine did!
Print
Dill Pickle Mac & Cheese
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
This Dill Pickle Mac & Cheese is a pickle lovers dream! Creamy, incredibly cheesy mac gets the pickle treatment in the form of actual dill pickles, pickle brine, fresh dill, and crispy pickle crunchies on top. It is a salty, briny, cheesy masterpiece of carbs.
Ingredients
For the Pasta:
- 1 lb elbow macaroni pasta (or other short pasta shape)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup pickle brine from jar
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 16 oz freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped dill pickles
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Topping:
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 cup Crispy Dillies
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Pasta:
- Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water liberally and then add the pasta, cooking until el dente, according to the package directions. Drain when the pasta is done.
- While the pasta cooks, preheat the oven to 350°F and set a large oven-safe skillet or casserole dish on the stove over medium heat (this style of braising/casserole dish is my favorite to use for this type of baked pasta).
- Melt the butter in the pan and then add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Sprinkle over the flour and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute to get rid of the raw flour flavor. Pour in the pickle brine and stir to combine – it will mostly evaporate.
- Slowly stream in the milk, whisking constantly to incorporate. Cook until the milk is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cream. Add the shredded cheese into the white sauce in batches, stirring well to melt and incorporate.
- Stir in the fresh dill, chopped pickles, and drained pasta. Stir until everything is well combined. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed (keeping in mind that the cheese and pickles will add quite a bit of salt). Remove the pan from the heat.
For the Topping:
Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave. Add in the Crispy Dillies and panko, along with a pinch of salt, and stir to combine.
To Assemble:
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the macaroni and transfer the pan to the oven.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are bubbling and the topping is golden brown and crisp.
- Serve while hot, garnished with additional dill.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: mac and cheese
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Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
I made this over the weekend after seeing it on How Sweet Eats page and OMG it’s crazy good. As you say, you definitely need to be a pickle fan but my whole family is into pickles and we so enjoyed this!
Great pickle/dill flavor here! My family loved this one!
Fantastic recipe! I made this for my family and we loved it. I plan to make this at a football tailgate this weekend and will report back after more people try it. Love pickles!