German Noodle Salad

Noodle salad with peas, sour cucumbers, and a creamy dressing. This is one of the most popular potluck German pasta salads in our region.

There is no grill party or any potluck party around here without a typical German salad with noodles, sausage, and peas. Really, I am not kidding!

This pasta salad together with some others like the Napa cabbage noodle salad, the tortellini salad, or the potato salad. And a few more, which I have never gotten the chance to post. Maybe because those others I don't like that much, so I don't bother making them myself. For instance, a ground beef salad with sauce from a jar, tons of cheese and sour cream, and tortilla chips on top... really not good...

But this German pasta salad I like. Very much actually. I make it myself at least once or twice every year for one party or another and I make sure to have some at any potluck party I attend.

It has been THE noodle salad for the last 30 or 40 years around here I suppose, my mother-in-law told me she started making it sometime in the 70's, when her children were still very small and she was still very young.

Ingredients for German Pasta Salad

Pasta:

• The small pasta you can see in the pictures is typical for this German salad. In Germany, they are called Gabelspaghetti = fork spaghetti.
• However, you can use any short cut pasta you happen to have and like.
• Just make sure the pasta is small.

Sausages:

• The typical German Fleischwurst. You can also use frankfurters or wieners to make the German pasta salad.
• You can use leftover frozen sausage if you have it; have a look at How to Cook Frozen Sausages; there is a section there dedicated to this kind of sausage.
• I was told that American baloney, preferably bought from a deli shop, makes a good substitute.
• Funny word baloney. So I know the word, I definitely heard it before, but I haven't heard in more than 20 years probably.
• You see, I started learning English by watching a lot of American films and series on Romanian television as a child. Thank God they don't synchronize the films there. There are only subtitles in Romania, so one can start learning some English without even meaning to at a very early age.
• I will forever associate baloney with policemen eating white bread-baloney sandwiches in some old American series from the '80s. 🙂

Vegetables:

• Not many fresh vegetables, except the scallions and I think that they are not part of the original recipe.
• As mentioned above, this salad became popular in the '70s. And what was also popular in the '70s in Germany? Convenience food!
• It was a time when cooking from scratch was considered out, a waste of time, people were impressed by the commodity of eating frozen meals and canned or packaged food...
• So, there are a lot of recipes from that time using only stuff coming from the freezer or one jar/ can or another. This recipe for noodle salad included.
• But not to worry, despite the many pantry, jarred and frozen ingredients, the salad is still relatively healthy and tastes amazing.

Dressing:

• The major change I have made when putting together this German salad is the dressing.
• The original dressing is made by mixing together 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 smaller jar of Miracle Whip.
• You can do that if you like, but I really don't. I can eat a little of the salad when made with Miracle Whip. It doesn't taste bad, but it is way too heavy and like a stone in your stomach, especially if you eat this as a side dish for a bratwurst or a fatty pork steak, for instance.
• So I make my own version with Greek yogurt and just a little bit of mayonnaise, it is just as tasty but less heavy. So much better, trust me on that!

Can you make it in advance?

• Definitely. I actually prefer to make it in the morning or the evening before serving it. This way, the flavors will have time to develop and mingle.
• Cover it with cling film and keep it refrigerated.
• Make sure to bring the salad to room temperature before serving; fridge-cold pasta salad is not that nice. About half an hour would suffice.
• Make sure to adjust the taste again with salt and pepper and maybe some more gherkins water to make the noodle salad smooth and shiny again.
• If you make the salad with homemade mayonnaise (raw eggs), make sure to keep it refrigerated and don't leave it lying around on the table, especially in summer.
• The salad keeps well for 2 or 3 days in the fridge.

More German potluck recipes

• Napa Cabbage Salad with Ramen Noodles - This is my favorite noodle cabbage salad: instant ramen noodles, napa cabbage, and lots of roasted almonds and sunflower seeds. 
• Potluck Pasta Salad - Greek-Style - A hearty feta pasta salad with green peppers and tomatoes, pasta salad Greek style.
• Deviled Egg Pasta Salad - Simple and creamy deviled egg macaroni or pasta recipe with bacon, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and gherkins.
• Sour Cream Potato Salad with Bacon - My favorite sour cream potato salad with bacon and dill and without mayo.
• Simple White Cabbage Salad - Only a few ingredients and so easy to make, this white cabbage salad is the perfect side dish for almost any kind of meal.