Spaghetti Salad is a simple pasta salad that’s full of flavor and fresh, crisp veggies. You’ll love this simple, summery side dish that is a perfect dish to bring to a bbq or potluck!
A Super Easy Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
Looking for a hearty side dish that goes with everything? Try this easy spaghetti salad! It’s a chilled, refreshing pasta salad, that is super simple to make with basic ingredients like Italian dressing and a box of dry spaghetti.
Whether you’re taking this to a potluck, picnic, or just making it as part of a tasty weeknight dinner, you can’t go wrong. Kids and picky eaters will enjoy their veggies a whole lot more when they are paired with tender pasta and zesty dressing. And you might enjoy them more, too!
(For other takes on pasta salad, take a look at this insanely good Dill Pickle Pasta Salad, easy Greek Pasta Salad, and our favorite Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad!)
Why You’ll Love This Healthy Spaghetti Salad
- Healthy: With the garden fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, feta cheese, and more, this is one wholesome dish.
- Easy: There are no complicated techniques here, and no fancy ingredients. Everything is super simple, from cooking the pasta to prepping the produce.
- Flavorful: Salty feta, rich black olives, fragrant red onion, and tangy Italian dressing give this dish loads of mouthwatering flavor.
- Refreshing: Since this dish is served chilled, it’s an excellent choice for hot days or barbecues, when a little something cold is most welcome.
- Travels Well: This dish is easy to make ahead and travels great, making it the perfect side dish to bring to a potluck!
What You’ll Need
Here are the items you need to round up so that you can make spaghetti salad. The list might look a bit long, but I promise this recipe is still really easy!
- Spaghetti Noodles: Dry spaghetti noodles, broken in half.
- Cucumber: Slice the cucumber, and cut the spices into quarters. You can choose to peel the cucumber or not, whichever you like.
- Tomatoes: I like to use cherry tomatoes for this, cut in half.
- Bell Pepper: Red bell pepper and green bell pepper, both chopped into small pieces.
- Feta Cheese: Crumbled. You could also use crumbled goat cheese, but feta is saltier and will hold it’s shape better.
- Red Onion: Finely diced.
- Black Olives: Canned, sliced black olives, rinsed and drained.
- Parmesan Cheese: Grated parmesan adds a nice, salty, umami taste. You could also use asiago.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley, finely chopped.
- Italian Dressing: You will need one bottle of your favorite Italian dressing.
- Salt and Pepper: To taste.
How to Make Spaghetti Salad
Making this dish is so simple that you practically don’t need instructions! Just prep everything, and then mix it all together.
- Make the Pasta: Cook the spaghetti noodles according to the package directions. Once they are done, drain them and rinse them with cool water.
- Mix the Veggies. Grab a large salad bowl and throw all the vegetables in it. Stir them to combine.
- Add the Pasta and Dressing. Add the cooked spaghetti noodles to the bowl and toss. Pour in the Italian dressing, and toss again to coat.
- Season and Chill. Taste the dish, and season it with salt and pepper as needed. Refrigerate the spaghetti salad until you’re ready to serve it.
- Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
I hope you’re inspired to try making this easy, summary salad. But before you get started chopping and prepping, let’s go over a few helpful tips for success.
- Swap Pastas: If you don’t have spaghetti, you can change it up and use linguine instead, for a similar texture that’s super satisfying. You could also use any other shaped noodle you like!
- Add Protein: You can add pepperoni or summer sausage to this salad to make it even heartier.
- Make It Ahead: This can be made a day or two in advance and stored in the refrigerator. If I make it ahead, I like to add half of the salad dressing before putting it in the fridge, and save the second half of the salad dressing to add right before I serve it.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to serve pasta salad is with grilled or barbecued main courses. So good! Here are a few you could try out:
- BBQ Pulled Pork: A hit every summer, these BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders are just the right combination of sweet, tangy, savory, and spicy.
- Chicken Kabobs: For a healthy dinner that brings alll the flavor, these Juicy Grilled Chicken Kabobs are the best!
- Steak: How about a sizzling steak dinner? The Best Carne Asada Recipe is right here.
How Long Will Spaghetti Salad Last in the Refrigerator?
So how long can you keep this on hand? Stored properly, this spaghetti salad should last for about 5 days in your refrigerator, which is great for meal prep. Place it in an airtight container or a large zip-top food storage bag, for best results.
Can I Freeze This?
Since this recipe is full of fresh veggies, it doesn’t freeze well. Sadly, if you freeze fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, and other juicy vegetables, they turn mushy after thawing – not really what you want in a salad!
If you are concerned that you won’t be able to use this whole recipe before it goes bad, I recommend cutting the recipe in half to make a smaller batch.
Spaghetti Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles, broken in half
- 1 cup sliced and quartered cucumber
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
- ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- 1 12 oz can sliced black olives, drained
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1 16 oz bottle Italian dressing
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water.
- Combine all the vegetables in a bowl but do not add the noodles. Toss to combine well.
- Add the noodles and toss. Add the Italian dressing and toss to coat.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Storing: Stored properly, this spaghetti salad should last for about 5 days in your refrigerator. Place it in an airtight container or a large zip-top food storage bag, for best results.
- Swap Pastas: If you don't have spaghetti, you can change it up and use linguine instead, for a similar texture that's super satisfying.
- Add Protein: You can add pepperoni or summer sausage to this salad to make It even heartier.
- Make It Ahead: This can be made a day or two in advance and stored in the refrigerator. If I make it ahead, I like to add half of the salad dressing before putting it in the fridge, and save the second half of the salad dressing to add right before I serve it.
Nutrition
Categories:
More Flavorful Side Dishes
- Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Wedges
- Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
- Pimiento Cheese Deviled Eggs
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
- Best Creamed Spinach
- Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
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