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Home » Pasta » Spaghetti Salad

April 26, 2018 By Sara 38 Comments

Spaghetti Salad

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This recipe for spaghetti salad is a unique pasta salad full of crunchy vegetables and parmesan cheese, all tossed together in a homemade zesty Italian dressing. The perfect dish to feed a crowd when you’re entertaining!

This cold spaghetti salad is my favorite recipe to bring to gatherings. It’s a familiar favorite that’s always the first dish to disappear and people constantly ask me for the recipe.

Spaghetti Salad Recipe | Pasta Salad | Potluck Recipe | Easy Pasta Salad #spaghetti #pasta #salad #dinneratthezoo

This recipe for spaghetti salad is a unique pasta salad full of crunchy vegetables and parmesan cheese, all tossed together in a homemade zesty Italian dressing. The perfect dish to feed a crowd when you're entertaining! #ecover #ad

We have been doing a lot of entertaining lately, nothing fancy, more like simple get-togethers with friends and family. To me, the casual dinner parties are the best kind – everyone always has a great time and I don’t feel pressured to put out an elaborate spread, I just go for easy yet delicious comfort food. This spaghetti salad is a hit at all of our gatherings – it’s fresh, colorful and feeds a crowd!

This recipe for spaghetti salad is a unique pasta salad full of crunchy vegetables and parmesan cheese, all tossed together in a homemade zesty Italian dressing. The perfect dish to feed a crowd when you're entertaining! #ecover #ad

How do you make spaghetti salad?

To make spaghetti salad you’ll need cooked spaghetti, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, bell peppers and red onions. The veggies are all chopped coarsely and tossed with the pasta in Italian dressing.

This salad perfect for entertaining because you can make it earlier in the day, it just gets better as the pasta soaks up all the dressing. Speaking of dressing, I went for homemade Italian dressing here – it’s actually really easy to make, it just takes about 5 minutes!

How do you make Italian dressing?

This Italian dressing is perfect for spaghetti salad, but is also fabulous on a green salad or as a marinade for chicken or fish. The base of the dressing is olive oil and red wine vinegar, which are combined with lots of herbs, spices and parmesan cheese to make a zesty dressing that is SO much better than the store bought variety.

This recipe for spaghetti salad is a unique pasta salad full of crunchy vegetables and parmesan cheese, all tossed together in a homemade zesty Italian dressing. The perfect dish to feed a crowd when you're entertaining! #ecover #ad

This spaghetti salad is a must-try recipe. It’s the perfect side dish to chicken or fish, but hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian entree. While you could use store bought Italian dressing in a pinch, the homemade dressing really makes it special and adds a lot of flavor.

The great thing about this salad is that it’s easy to switch up the vegetables to your liking. Other great options are shredded carrots, steamed broccoli, or sliced celery. You could even add some protein like chicken or shrimp to make it more of a meal. No matter how you serve it, this spaghetti salad will definitely be a hit!

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This recipe for spaghetti salad is a unique pasta salad full of crunchy vegetables and parmesan cheese, all tossed together in a homemade zesty Italian dressing. The perfect dish to feed a crowd when you're entertaining! #ecover #ad
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4.94 from 15 votes

Spaghetti Salad

This recipe for spaghetti salad is a unique pasta salad full of crunchy vegetables and parmesan cheese, all tossed together in a homemade zesty Italian dressing. The perfect dish to feed a crowd when you're entertaining!
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword italian dressing, spaghetti salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 461kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 1 pound spaghetti noodles broken in half
  • 1 cup quartered and sliced cucumber
  • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1/3 cup finely diced red onion
  • 2/3 cup sliced black olives
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/4 cups homemade or store bought Italian dressing dressing recipe follows
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing

  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white wine or red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely minced red bell pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced dried onion or 1 teaspoon fresh minced onion
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • For the dressing:
  • Combine all of the ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously to combine. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  • For the salad:
  • Cook the spaghetti in salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cool water.
  • Place the spaghetti in a large bowl and add the cucumber, red and green bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onion and olives. Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste if desired. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese and parsley over the top right before serving. Salad can be made up to 4 hours in advance.

Nutrition

Calories: 461kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 816mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g

This post was originally sponsored by eCover. This post was originally published on August 2, 2016 and was updated on April 26, 2018 with new content.

Filed Under: Eat Your Veggies, Pasta, Salads, Side Dishes Tagged With: Cucumbers, Olives, Peppers, Spaghetti, Tomatoes

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Comments

  1. Skye MacAllister says

    April 8, 2020 at 12:22 pm

    5 stars
    Outstanding recipe, but seeing spaghetti “noodles” makes me cringe. Spaghetti is just that, it is not a noodle.

    Reply
  2. Deb says

    November 30, 2019 at 9:04 pm

    5 stars
    I brought this to a potluck and everyone loved it! I loved how quick it was to make!

    Reply
  3. Sali Keller says

    August 9, 2019 at 3:05 pm

    This was a great base for me to start with for my spaghetti marinating! I just wanted to point out that considering there are 120 calories in one tablespoon of olive oil, and you advise 3/4 cup of oil for the dressing that there are 12 tablespoons in 3/4 cup so that’s like 1440 calories! I did little less than half a cup, so .4? Ish. Since it’s just me and the hubs but he counts as 2 people lol.

    Reply
  4. Salli says

    July 16, 2019 at 5:31 pm

    Easy to make & very Delish…I made the Angel hair spaghetti
    Noodles in the Instant Pot (steam for 2 minutes) They turned out very light, than refrigerated…A nice light salad for those warm summer days…Actually wonderful. Instead of sugar I replaced with honey. Also fresh minced garlic instead of the powder. A great salad for an outdoor picnic or barbecue😎One everyone will remember

    Reply
  5. Chcacat says

    July 7, 2019 at 9:09 am

    5 stars
    Made it per the directions—only way to rate it fairly—and just added a bit more sugar to soften the vinegar. Absolutely delicious!

    Reply
  6. Patricia Calloway says

    June 9, 2019 at 12:02 pm

    5 stars
    Every time I bring this salad to a party, BBQ, or where ever, I get the best compliments and I’m always asked for recipe.

    Reply
  7. Pattey says

    May 3, 2019 at 11:20 am

    Could this be made with spaghetti squash or summer squash or zucchini noodles for those trying to stay away from pasta? Hmm, sounds and looks really good, I might have to give it a try with the veggie noodles instead of spaghetti.

    Reply
    • Sara says

      May 3, 2019 at 12:13 pm

      I think it would work best with zucchini noodles!

      Reply
  8. Heather says

    April 29, 2018 at 7:56 pm

    I haven’t had a good pasta salad in a while. This sounds and looks really delicious!

    Reply
  9. Debra Hawkins says

    April 29, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    I need to make this for my older daughter! She is a veggie and spaghetti machine! She loves it all!

    Reply
  10. Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh says

    April 29, 2018 at 1:41 pm

    That is so fresh looking! I never thought of spaghetti as in a light dish, but this totally looks like it is. I also like your blend of flavors.

    Reply
  11. Jesnine says

    April 29, 2018 at 1:20 pm

    I may have to surprise P with this for lunch one day. This recipe looks so good and it’s right up hiss tastebud alley

    Reply
  12. Hannah Mitchell says

    April 29, 2018 at 7:43 am

    5 stars
    This looks so yummy and tasteful. My son LOVES spaghetti so this will definitely be made and soon at my house. This would be good for lunch or supper, which is really convenient! Thanks for sharing

    Reply
  13. Ricci says

    April 29, 2018 at 6:16 am

    Now this looks like a pasta salad I could even get my nieces and nephews to eat! It looks so good!! Thanks!

    Reply
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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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