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!
![Spaghetti Salad is a simple pasta salad that’s full of flavor and fresh, crisp veggies. You'll love this simple, summery side dish! Overhead shot of three white salad bowls full of pasta and vegetables.](https://thenovicechefblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Spaghetti-Salad-12.png)
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!
![Spaghetti Salad is a simple pasta salad that’s full of flavor and fresh, crisp veggies. You'll love this simple, summery side dish! Ingredients for spaghetti salad arranged on a work surface.](https://thenovicechefblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Spaghetti-Salad-2.png)
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.
![Spaghetti Salad is a simple pasta salad that’s full of flavor and fresh, crisp veggies. You'll love this simple, summery side dish! Three bowls of pasta salad, with one larger serving dish.](https://thenovicechefblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Spaghetti-Salad-1.png)
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.
![Spaghetti Salad is a simple pasta salad that’s full of flavor and fresh, crisp veggies. You'll love this simple, summery side dish! Vegetables combined in a salad bowl.](https://thenovicechefblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Spaghetti-Salad-3-600x900.png)
![Spaghetti Salad is a simple pasta salad that’s full of flavor and fresh, crisp veggies. You'll love this simple, summery side dish! Adding cooked spaghetti to a salad bowl.](https://thenovicechefblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Spaghetti-Salad-4-600x900.png)
- 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.
![Spaghetti Salad is a simple pasta salad that’s full of flavor and fresh, crisp veggies. You'll love this simple, summery side dish! Adding parmesan to a pasta salad.](https://thenovicechefblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Spaghetti-Salad-5-600x900.png)
![Spaghetti Salad is a simple pasta salad that’s full of flavor and fresh, crisp veggies. You'll love this simple, summery side dish! Spaghetti salad in a salad bowl.](https://thenovicechefblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Spaghetti-Salad-7-600x900.png)
- 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!Â
![Spaghetti Salad is a simple pasta salad that’s full of flavor and fresh, crisp veggies. You'll love this simple, summery side dish! A large bowl of pasta salad with olives, tomatoes, and more.](https://thenovicechefblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Spaghetti-Salad-8.png)
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.
![Spaghetti Salad is a simple pasta salad that’s full of flavor and fresh, crisp veggies. You'll love this simple, summery side dish! Close-up shot of cold spaghetti noodles with salad dressing and veggies.](https://thenovicechefblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Spaghetti-Salad-9.png)
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:
![Spaghetti Salad is a simple pasta salad that’s full of flavor and fresh, crisp veggies. You'll love this simple, summery side dish! Overhead shot of a table with a large bowl of pasta salad, several smaller bowls, and other items like fresh tomatoes, cloth napkins, herbs, etc.](https://thenovicechefblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Spaghetti-Salad-11.png)
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.Â
![Spaghetti Salad is a simple pasta salad that’s full of flavor and fresh, crisp veggies. You'll love this simple, summery side dish! Swirling pasta around a fork.](https://thenovicechefblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Spaghetti-Salad-13.png)
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!Â
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.Â
Yield: 8 Servings
Spaghetti Salad
Spaghetti Salad is a simple pasta salad that’s full of flavor and fresh, crisp veggies. You’ll love this simple, summery side dish!
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
InstructionsÂ
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Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water.
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Combine all the vegetables in a bowl but do not add the noodles. Toss to combine well.
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Add the noodles and toss. Add the Italian dressing and toss to coat.
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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
Serving: 1, Calories: 142kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 206mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g
More Flavorful Side Dishes
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