This Spaghetti Pasta Salad is a light, refreshing meal or side dish. It is that perfect salad for potlucks, picnics, or a quick weeknight dinner.
It is bright, with seasonal ingredients bursting with flavor, tossed with a light and tangy dressing that complements every bite.
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Why this Spaghetti Pasta Salad Recipe is a Keeper
With a little creativity, you can turn this summer spaghetti salad into a crowd-pleasing dish that everyone will love. So ditch the boring salads and embrace the flavors of summer with this light, refreshing, and satisfying pasta dish!
- 20 Minute Meal: Make ahead and it just gets better and better.
- Easy Ingredients: All found in pantry, garden or farmers market.
- Family Friendly: It is a wonderful way to sneak vegetables into your kids meals.
- Adaptable: Can make it low-carb, dairy free and use the veggies you have.
If you’re looking for more salad recipes, try these Broccoli Bacon Salad, Grilled Panzanella Salad and Grilled Corn Salad.
Why is Pasta salad better the next day?
The pasta absorbs all the flavors and makes it so much more flavorful. It is always a good idea to add more dressing before serving which will also enhance your salad.
Ingredient Notes for Spaghetti Salad
Salad Ingredients:
- Spaghetti : Any brand of spaghetti noodles, broken in half.
- Vegetables: You can use any fresh vegetables you like. For this recipe, roma tomatoes, broccoli florets, cucumber, red bell peppers and onion.
Dressing:
- Italian salad dressing: Make your own homemade Italian dressing or use any store bought variety of zesty italian dressing.
- Cheese: Parmesan cheese
- Seasoning: Sesame seeds, All Purpose Seasoning, Paprika and celery seeds are what we use for this dressing.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions to Make Spaghetti Salad Recipe
You can make this macaroni salad with many fun and delectable variations. I have made this recipe many different ways and everyone loves this recipe. I’ve even used a homemade dressing, like this Zesty Italian Dressing.
- Vegetables: Try chopped cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, frozen, thawed sweet peas or mushrooms. Make with any fresh veggies you enjoy.
- Protein: Mini Pepperoni, chicken or ham just to name a few will add flavor and protein.
- Different Peppers: Such as : pepperoncini or banana peppers.
Italian Pasta Salad Pro Tip
Toss in your dressing while pasta is still warm. This helps the pasta absorb the flavor more evenly throughout.
How to Make this Classic Spaghetti Salad
These are the basic steps to make this salad. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Cook Spaghetti
First, cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Combine
Then in a large bowl, add tomatoes, broccoli, English cucumber, bell peppers, red onion and black olives.
3. In a Small Bowl Mix
Next, whisk together Italian salad dressing, parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, All Purpose seasoning, paprika and celery seed. Pour over spaghetti salad and toss until coated.
4. Cover the Spaghetti Salad
Finally, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Recipe FAQs for Easy Spaghetti Salad
The most common culprit is not enough dressing. Pasta salad relies on a good amount of dressing to keep everything moist and flavorful.
Pasta salad will typically last for 3-5 days in the fridge, provided you store it correctly.
Rinsing with cold water immediately halts the cooking process. This is especially important for cold pasta salad since it will be served cold and you don’t want it to continue cooking and becoming mushy.
Air is the enemy. Make sure you store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Expert Tips for Making The Best Spaghetti Salad Potluck Recipe
Here are some other tips and suggestions for making this cookout spaghetti pasta salad recipe.
- McCormick Salad Supreme seasoning: it’s perfect for adding a savory punch to all your salads. Or try an Italian seasoning for this easy pasta salad.
- Protein Pasta: Add even more protein with a nice protein spaghetti.
- Shapes: You can use other types of pasta such as angel hair, ziti or other fun shapes.
- Cheese: Try using feta cheese, cheddar cheese or shred a zesty cheese for more spicy flavor. Use your favorite.
What to Serve with this Salad
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Spaghetti Pasta Salad
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Ingredients
SALAD
- 1 pound Spaghetti, broken in half
- 3 Rroma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 2 cups Broccoli florets
- 1 Cucumber, diced
- 1 Green bell pepper, diced
- 1 Red bell pepper, diced
- 1 Red onion, diced
- 2 Black olives, 2 1/4 ounces each, drained
DRESSING:
- 16 ounces Italian salad dressing
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon Sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon All Purpose Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Celery seed
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a large bowl, add tomatoes, broccoli, cucumber, bell peppers, onion and olives.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together Italian salad dressing, parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, House Seasoning Blend, paprika and celery seed.
- Pour over salad and toss until coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Christina’s Notes
- McCormick Salad Supreme seasoning: it’s perfect for adding a savory punch to all your salads. Or try an italian seasoning for this easy pasta salad.
- Protein Pasta: Add even more protein with a nice protein spaghetti.
- Shapes: You can use other types of pasta such as angel hair, ziti or other fun shapes.
- Cheese: Try using feta cheese, cheddar cheese or shred a zesty cheese for more spicy flavor. Use your favorite.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.