Spaghetti Pasta Salad — 🍝🥗😋 If you need a FAST and EASY hit for your next potluck, summer picnic, or barbecue, look no further than this spaghetti pasta salad recipe! Served chilled, it’s full of juicy cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, salty olives, plenty of Parmesan and feta cheese, and coated with tangy Italian dressing so it’s bursting with FLAVOR!
Table of contents
Easy Spaghetti Salad Recipe
Pasta salad with spaghetti noodles? Yes!
This no-mayo pasta salad boasts al dente spaghetti noodles, crisp and crunchy fresh veggies, two types of cheese, and that tangy Italian dressing which coats every bite. It’s a family favorite!
This summer pasta salad is so simple to make, fast, customizable, and is just as perfect for a great side dish at your next event.
When you’re entertaining, you can never go wrong with serving a large bowl of cold pasta salad at any summer holiday or warm weather event like Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, or Labor Day!
Ingredients in Spaghetti Pasta Salad
As with all my classic pasta salad recipes, all you need are a handful of simple pantry ingredients and then some fresh vegetables and cheese.
For this cold spaghetti salad, here is what you will need:
- Spaghetti
- Olives
- Cucumber
- Cherry tomatoes
- Green bell pepper
- Red bell pepper
- Feta cheese
- Onion
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley
- Salt
- Pepper
- Italian dressing
- Lemon juice, optional
- Balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar), optional
Note: All ingredients amounts are listed in the recipe card section when you keep scrolling down.
How to Make Spaghetti Pasta Salad
This spaghetti salad with Italian dressing comes together easily with minimal prep time! Simply chop the veggies, combine them with the spaghetti noodles, and toss it all with the dressing.
- Cook the spaghetti noodles in salted water then drain and rinse with cool water.
- Chop vegetables and add them to a large bowl with the olives and cheese.
- Add spaghetti noodles to the bowl and toss to combine.
- Pour the Italian dressing over the ingredients in the bowl and gently toss to coat.
- Taste and season the spaghetti pasta salad. Decide if you would like the bite of a bit of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. The bit of acid really adds to the overall flavor!
Recipe Variations
While I love this easy pasta salad recipe as is, one of the best things about pasta salad is that the ingredients are flexible. Here are some ideas:
- Meat: Add chopped pepperoni, salami, or summer sausage. You can also use leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken.
- Dressing amount: I like to use a full 16 oz bottle of Italian dressing. You may like to use more or less depending on your taste.
- Cheese: Cubed cheddar cheese, gouda, or mozzarella would also be delicious.
- Seasonings: 1 to 2 tablespoons of McCormick’s Salad Supreme Seasoning will add another layer of flavor to the cold Italian spaghetti salad. You can also add garlic powder, onion powder, a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can also use smaller pasta shapes including rotini, ditali, bowties, ziti, penne, or another favorite.
Yes! The beauty of this cold pasta salad is that you can switch it up based on what you have on hand or if you are accommodating picky eaters.
For an easy cold spaghetti salad, I love to use the Olive Garden Italian dressing but it’s really up to personal taste. You can use your favorite store-bought dressing whether it is Wishbone, another brand, a generic store brand, including zesty Italian dressing.
Many times I do not advise using lite or reduced fat products in recipes because the taste and texture can suffer. However, if you want to shave some fat and calories from the dish, use a lite or reduced calorie Italian dressing.
Yes, and I actually recommend that you do it (to a point) – chill it for at least 45 minutes and up to overnight before you serve it.
Storage Instructions
In the fridge: When stored properly in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this pasta salad should last up to 4-5 days. Feel free to rehydrate it with additional dressing if needed. Pasta has a way of absorbing any and all liquid as it sits in the fridge so you may need to drizzle in a bit more dressing. Olive oil also works.
In the freezer: I do not recommend freezing this spaghetti noodle salad. The fresh veggies will not hold up to freezing and thawing and will greatly impact texture.
What to Serve with Spaghetti Salad
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Spaghetti Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles, broken in half; cooked al dente
- 12 ounce can sliced black olives, drained
- 1 cup cucumber, sliced and quartered (if using English cucumber you don’t need to peel it; for regular cucumbers I recommend peeling)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup red bell pepper, diced small
- ½ cup green bell pepper, diced small
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, Italian flat leaf recommended rather than regular parsley, finely diced
- 16 ounce bottle Italian dressing, lite or reduced fat may be used
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Lemon juice and or balsamic vinegar, optional and to taste
Instructions
- To a large stockpot with salted water, add the spaghetti noodles and cook according to package directions for al dente. When finished, drain, rinse with cold water, shake well to remove excess water, and then transfer to the bowl with the vegetables. Tip – While the pasta is boiling, make sure to work on dicing all the vegetables.
- To a very large bowl*, add all the ingredients (except the Italian dressing) and stir to combine.
- After the noodles have been drained and rinsed with cold water, add them to the bowl with the vegetables, and stir and toss to combine.
- Add the Italian dressing and stir and toss again to coat.
- Taste the salad and add salt and pepper, to taste. Tip – Because you're flavoring a huge bowl of food including a pound of pasta and another pound of vegetables, in my opinion it's better to not be shy when adding salt and pepper. I probably add nearly 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper but I season my food very well. Season to your own personal taste, but if it tastes at all bland, boring, or dull, it likely needs salt and you shouldn't be afraid to add it.
- If desired, add the juice from half of a lemon, and/or 1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar; or to taste, and stir and toss well to combine.
- Cover the bowl well and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes to chill before serving, or up to overnight. Serving chilled is my preference although it holds fine at room temp if you're serving it at an event or in warm weather. Leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for 4-5 days. Tip – If the leftovers seem a bit dry, add additional Italian dressing and/or a spritz of olive oil to rehydrate. I do not recommend freezing leftovers because the fresh veggies will not do well upon thawing and will become very mushy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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i was skeptical of how i would like this recipe – mainly because i am not a fan of vinaigrette type dressings, i can’t stand raw onions, and because there was no mention of meat in the ingredients list. but averie promised it was fast and easy, and i do like most of the ingredients.
i had to pare it down because i was only trying to make enough for my sister and myself. instead of onion, i used about 1/4 of a small shallot. i put everything together and left it alone for the flavors to do their thing. when i finally tasted this salad, i didn’t care that there was no meat. it was perfect. 45 minutes after finishing it, my mouth still waters from the memory of it. i’m glad i have some left, i can’t wait to have more later tonight or tomorrow. i look forward to trying several of these other pasta recipes.
i was skeptical of how i would like this recipe – mainly because i am not a fan of vinaigrette type dressings, i can’t stand raw onions, and because there was no mention of meat in the ingredients list. but averie promised it was fast and easy, and i do like most of the ingredients.
i had to pare it down because i was only trying to make enough for my sister and myself. instead of onion, i used about 1/4 of a small shallot. i put everything together and left it alone for the flavors to do their thing. when i finally tasted this salad, i didn’t care that there was no meat. it was perfect. 45 minutes after finishing it, my mouth still waters from the memory of it. i’m glad i have some left, i can’t wait to have more later tonight or tomorrow. i look forward to trying several of these other pasta recipes.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad this was a winner for you even though you were skeptical at first! I hope you enjoy the other pasta recipes, too.