Description
California Spaghetti Salad is a zesty, colorful pasta dish with crisp fresh veggies—perfect for potlucks, cookouts, or quick summer meals.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta & Vegetables
- 12 oz spaghetti, broken into thirds
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives, drained
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Dressing
- 1 bottle (16 oz) Italian dressing
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broken spaghetti and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse thoroughly under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the noodles. Set aside.
- Prepare the Vegetables: While the pasta cooks, halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumber, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper, and finely chop the red onion. Drain the sliced black olives if you haven’t already.
- Mix Salad Base: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled spaghetti, halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, diced green and red bell pepper, chopped red onion, drained black olives, and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Make the Dressing: In a separate small bowl or jar, whisk together the Italian dressing, sesame seeds, paprika, celery seed, and garlic powder until well blended.
- Toss with Dressing: Pour the prepared dressing over the pasta and veggie mixture. Toss thoroughly to ensure all the ingredients are evenly coated and incorporated.
- Chill and Marinate: Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (longer if possible) to let the flavors meld and develop.
- Serve: Before serving, give the salad a good toss. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve chilled, and enjoy!
Notes
- Feel free to add extra herbs like fresh parsley or basil for more flavor.
- This salad tastes even better the next day as the flavors continue to meld.
- For a lighter version, use a reduced-fat Italian dressing.
- You can substitute feta cheese or mozzarella pearls for Parmesan if desired.
- This recipe is easily doubled for larger gatherings.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side-dishes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: about 1 cup
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 670mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 8mg