If you need a FAST and EASY hit for your next potluck, summer picnic, or barbecue, look no further than this spaghetti pasta salad recipe! 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!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Chill Time45 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr10 minutesmins
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: cold pasta spaghetti salad, cold spaghetti salad, Italian spaghetti salad, pasta salad with spaghetti noodles, spaghetti pasta salad, spaghetti salad, spaghetti salad with Italian dressing
Servings: 8
Calories: 322kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
1poundspaghetti noodlesbroken in half; cooked al dente
12ouncecan sliced black olivesdrained
1cupcucumbersliced and quartered (if using English cucumber you don't need to peel it; for regular cucumbers I recommend peeling)
1cupcherry tomatoeshalved
½cupred bell pepperdiced small
½cupgreen bell pepperdiced small
½cupcrumbled feta cheese
¼cupfinely diced red onion
¼cupgrated parmesan cheese
3tablespoonsfresh parsleyItalian flat leaf recommended rather than regular parsley, finely diced
16ouncebottle Italian dressinglite or reduced fat may be used
Salt and freshly ground black pepperto taste
Lemon juice and or balsamic vinegaroptional 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.
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. Leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for 4-5 days. Tip - If the leftovers seem a bit dry, add additional Italian dressing and/or a spritz of olive oil to rehydrate. I do not recommend freezing leftovers because the fresh veggies will not do well upon thawing and will become very mushy.
Notes
I like using a large glass bowl with a lid for this recipe. The recipe makes a bit quantity of food (1 pound of pasta plus 1 pound and then some of veggies) and without a large enough bowl, it's hard to stir and toss everything properly. Additionally, I like to use bowls with lids because it makes it easier to store without having to cover with plastic wrap or foil. Plus you can stack other items on top of a bowl + lid in your fridge when space is at a premium in your fridge.