Looking for a quick and delicious side dish? This easy spaghetti salad, packed with fresh veggies, cheese, and tossed in zesty Italian dressing, is perfect for any family gathering or summer cookout!
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If you’re looking for even more pasta salad recipes, don’t miss this Hawaiian pasta salad, this classic pasta salad, and our popular Southern macaroni salad, too!
Spaghetti Pasta Salad is an Easy Summer Side Dish
This easy spaghetti salad is the ultimate summer side dish, perfect for everything from pool parties to backyard cookouts and beachside picnics. It’s a twist on my friend Jackie’s classic pasta salad, which has been a family favorite for years. Packed with fresh veggies and tossed in a zesty dressing, it’s light, flavorful, and always a crowd-pleaser. Best of all, it comes together quickly, making it a go-to recipe for busy, sun-soaked days.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- It’s all about the Italian dressing! Our favorite (by far) is Wishbone Italian salad dressing or Wishbone Zesty Robusto Italian salad dressing. This brand has a lot of rich, bold flavor, but it also has a hint of sweetness that pairs nicely with the savory vegetables. Of course, any similar variety will work. You can even use a homemade Italian dressing if time allows.
- This recipe calls for a box of regular spaghetti. If you prefer, you can sub with other pasta shapes like rotini, penne, elbow macaroni, or shells.
- We love a combination of cherry or grape tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and red onion; however, just about any veggies will work. Pick your favorites, or use this as an opportunity to clean out your fridge’s vegetable drawer. Other good options include bite-size broccoli florets, cauliflower, corn, and zucchini.
- Make it heartier with meat. Try salami, mini pepperoni, diced ham, or bacon.
- Olives are optional, so leave them out if you don’t care for them.
- Just about any cheese works nicely. My kids love sharp cheddar, so that’s what I’ve shown here. Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, feta cheese, and Parmesan cheese are also delicious in the mix!
How to Make Spaghetti Salad
Whether you offer this spaghetti salad recipe for an easy side dish or a satisfying meatless entree, it’s one of those quick, flavorful options that always wins rave reviews. You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Step 1: Boil the spaghetti until al dente, then rinse the pasta under cold water. This stops the cooking process, and also prevents the noodles from sticking together.
- Step 2: Combine the cool spaghetti noodles, veggies, cheese, and olives in a large bowl.
- Step 3: Add most of the Italian dressing, reserving about 1/4 of the bottle for later. Toss the dressing with the other ingredients until completely coated. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours (or up to overnight).
- Step 4: Just before serving, add the remaining dressing to the salad to loosen it up. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Serving Suggestions
Pair this cold spaghetti salad with other summertime favorites like grilled burgers, bbq chicken breast, a bbq chicken wrap, this New England style shrimp roll recipe, blackened shrimp, grilled New York strip steak, shish kabobs, cilantro lime chicken, cornflake chicken, cast iron chicken breast, peach chicken, slow cooker pulled pork, fried catfish, and marinated grilled shrimp. Then, add a side of homemade garlic bread, and finish your meal with peanut butter rice krispie treats!
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make the salad at least 2 hours in advance of when you serve it so that it has enough time to “marinate” and the flavors come together. Overnight is fine, too!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. The veggies tend to get soft and release extra liquid after the first day or so, though.
- I do not recommend freezing leftover spaghetti salad, as the vegetables and noodles will have a mushy, undesirable texture when thawed.
Did you make this recipe?
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Spaghetti Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. spaghetti
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 English cucumber, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium bell pepper (any color), seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup (4 ounces) cubed cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, or Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
- 1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained (about ½ cup)
- 1 (15-16 ounce) bottle Italian dressing (we like Wishbone Italian or Wishbone Zesty Italian)
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Cook the Spaghetti
- Cook spaghetti in a large pot of well-salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
Mix the Salad
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled spaghetti with the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, cheese, red onion, and olives.
Add the Dressing
- Pour about ¾ of the bottle (12 ounces) of Italian dressing over the mixture. Toss everything until well coated. Save the extra dressing in the fridge for later.
Chill
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight) to let the flavors come together. Just before serving, give everything a good stir. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Add the reserved dressing if the salad seems a little bit dry. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Nutrition
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You forgot mushrooms and for those watching there weight use fat free dressing. I always do been making this for 30 years
Yes, mushrooms would be a delicious addition! I love that this recipe is so flexible. It’s a great way to use up any veggies in the produce drawer, and to feature those that you enjoy most. Great tip about the fat-free dressing, too!