🍝🥗 This Cold Spaghetti Pasta Salad recipe is the perfect option if you need a FAST and EASY hit for your next potluck, summer picnic, or barbecue! 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!
Easy Cold Spaghetti Salad Recipe
You’ve probably had lots of different pasta salads, like Amish pasta salad, shrimp pasta salad, and deviled egg pasta salad. But have you ever had pasta salad with spaghetti noodles? Here’s why it’ll be an instant favorite!
- 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 pasta salad is so simple to make, fast, customizable, and is just as perfect for a great summer 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 You’ll Need
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: You can also use smaller pasta shapes, including rotini, ditali, bowties, ziti, penne, or another favorite
- Olives
- Veggies: Cucumber, cherry tomatoes, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and red onion (or white onion). Feel free to add any produce you have on hand
- Feta cheese and Parmesan cheese: Cubed cheddar cheese, Gouda, or mozzarella would also be delicious
- Herbs and spices: I keep it simple with salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Want more flavor? 1 to 2 tablespoons of McCormick’s Salad Supreme Seasoning will add another layer of flavor. You can also add garlic powder, onion powder, a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat
- Italian dressing: I like to use a full 16-oz bottle of store-bought Italian dressing. You may like to use more or less, depending on your taste
- 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 Cold Spaghetti Pasta Salad
This easy spaghetti salad with Italian dressing comes together easily with minimal prep time! Simply chop the veggies, combine them with the spaghetti noodles, and toss them 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 the pasta 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!
What to Serve with Cold Spaghetti Salad
Spaghetti Pasta Salad
Equipment
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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Pasta Salad Recipes:
ALL OF MY PASTA SALAD RECIPES!
The Best Pasta Salad Recipes – There’s something for everyone in this collection of FAST and EASY pasta salad recipes! Whether you need something to bring to a potluck or picnic, or are in need of a no-fuss weeknight meal the whole family will enjoy, these recipes have you covered!
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad — 🥓🎉🙌🏻 This CREAMY pasta salad is ready in just 20 minutes! It’s made with rotini pasta that’s coated in a creamy ranch dressing and tossed with bacon, peas, cheddar cheese, and more!
Quick and Easy Tuna Pasta Salad — 👏🏻🧑🏻🍳 Jazz up a can of tuna with this FAST and EASY pasta salad that’s creamy, satisfying, and chock full of flavor! Perfect for lunch or as a great side dish for dinner!
Italian Chicken Pasta Salad – Easy, ready in 20 minutes, and healthy! Bursting with fresh flavors from juicy tomatoes, cucumber, basil, parmesan, and tender chicken tossed in a tangy lemon vinaigrette!
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad — The BEST version of a chicken Caesar salad because there’s tender pasta, too! EASY, ready in 20 minutes, makes a big batch, and a guaranteed family FAVORITE!
Basil Lemon Pasta Salad with Chicken — This chicken pasta salad is loaded with flavor, ready in minutes, and showcases Mediterranean-inspired ingredients! It’s perfect for summer potlucks and barbecues (no mayo!) and feeds a crowd. Or make it as an EASY family dinner with planned leftovers!
BLT Pasta Salad — EASY, ready in 15 minutes, feeds a crowd, and PERFECT for potlucks and parties! Creamy ranch dressing perfectly coats the pasta and BACON! Guaranteed family FAVORITE!
Shrimp Pasta Salad — 🍤🌿 Tender pasta, juicy shrimp, crunchy celery, bell peppers, and peas are tossed in a creamy and tangy homemade dressing for zesty perfection!
Amish Pasta Salad — A family-favorite classic pasta salad recipe with al dente pasta, bell peppers, celery, red onions, and hard-boiled eggs tossed in a creamy tangy-sweet dressing!
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.