Our spaghetti salad is the most popular, and most requested pasta salad in our recipe collection. It’s loaded with tender spaghetti, crispy veggies, two types of tomatoes, and two types of cheese.
It’s then dressed in an easy-peasy homemade Italian dressing that compliments the salad perfectly! This is my go-to salad for potlucks and big gatherings.
I don’t think anyone can have enough pasta salad recipes! I hope you’ll try our dill pickle pasta salad, tortellini salad, Greek pasta salad, or Mediterranean pasta salad next!
Do I Have To Use Spaghetti?
No! This spaghetti pasta salad will work deliciously with any shaped pasta. Spaghetti is the traditionally used pasta.
Can I Use Prepared Italian Dressing?
Yes, absolutely. I use a quick and easy homemade dressing but if you want to simplify, grab your favorite bottle of Italian dressing from the market.
I personally like Girard’s Old Venice Italian Dressing, Newman’s Own Family Recipe Italian Dressing, or Wish Bone’s Robusto Italian dressing.
Spaghetti Pasta Salad Ingredients
Dressing:
- Olive Oil: I like to use a fruity mild flavor olive oil.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic not the stuff in the jar.
- Shallot: This has a mild onion flavor and tastes great raw.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds great flavor and works as an emulsifying agent.
- Italian Seasoning: I like McCormick Italian Seasoning Perfect Pinch.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Add the perfect acid for this dressing.
- Sugar: Balances the acid in the dressing.
Salad:
- Spaghetti: I use Barilla spaghetti.
- Sun Dried Tomato Oil: Measured straight from the jar.
- Zucchini: Adds some nice nutrition.
- Red Bell Pepper: Great for texture and adds a nice sweetness.
- Cherry Tomatoes: You can use any type of tomato. Romas are also great seeded and chopped.
- Onion: Red onion adds a nice sweet oniony flavor.
- Parsley: Adds a nice herbaceous freshness.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes In Oil: These are powerful flavor powerhouses. Don’t skip these.
- Black Olives: Adds a nice salty, briny flavor.
- Parmesan Cheese: Use grated or shredded. Grate or shred your own or buy it from the deli counter. Skip the stuff in the green canister.
- Ciliegine (fresh mozzarella balls): If you can’t find them in your local supermarket, you can use cubed regular mozzarella.
- Commercial Italian Dressing or 1 Cup From the Recipe Above: I really love the homemade dressing from the recipe and really hope you’ll try it, but feel free to use a commercial dressing.
- Basil: I use about 1/3 cup.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This California spaghetti salad is good in the fridge for 3-4 days if stored properly.
- Can You Freeze This? Unfortunately, you can’t freeze this spaghetti salad. All those crisp summer veggies are lost to the freezing temperatures and turn into a mushy mess upon thawing.
- Make-Ahead Tips: The veggies can be chopped ahead of time for convenience but they should be stored separately in airtight containers or sealed baggies.
- Don’t chop the basil until right before serving because it will blacken.
- Food Safety: For best results keep this spaghetti salad with Italian dressing at or below 40° F (4° C) and observe the FDA-recommended 2-hour serving rule.
Serving Recommendations
This is delicious served alongside barbecued smoked ribs, shish kabob, grilled flank steak, beer brats, grilled cilantro lime chicken, Greek chicken, buttermilk roasted chicken, the best homemade chicken gyros, air fryer chicken, honey glazed salmon, Italian chicken, and even Bisquick zucchini pie.
Honestly, the list could go on forever….this salad is the perfect side dish!!
How to Make Spaghetti Salad
- Make The Dressing: Mix all the dressing ingredients
- Make The Salad: Cook the spaghetti noodles. Drain. Add reserved sun-dried tomato oil and toss until evenly coated; set aside. Let cool.
- To the cooled spaghetti, add zucchini, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onion, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and 3/4s of the dressing. Toss to combine well and evenly coat the salad with dressing. Add more dressing as needed to taste. Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Add the chopped basil just before serving and toss.
***See the full instructions below.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Tuna Pasta Salad
- Shrimp Pasta Salad
- Classic Macaroni Salad
- Macaroni Salad With Egg
- Caesar Pasta Salad (with chicken)
- Italian Pasta Salad (with homemade dressing)
- Southern Macaroni Salad
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spaghetti Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the salad
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles, broken in half
- 1/2 cup reserved sun-dried tomato oil
- 1 cup zucchini, quartered and thinly sliced
- 1 cup red bell pepper chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
- 1/2 cup red onion finely diced
- 1 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 1 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes, oil reserved
- 1 (3.8 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated or shredded
- 2 (8 ounce) containers Ciliegine (fresh mozzarella balls), drained
- 1 cup (plus more as needed) homemade or store-bought Italian dressing (dressing recipe follows)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup fresh basil, julienned
Instructions
Make The Dressing:
- In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, add all the dressing ingredients and shake vigorously until well combined.
Make The Salad:
- Cook the spaghetti noodles (1 pound) in well-salted water until al dente. Drain. When well drained but still warm, transfer cooked spaghetti to a large mixing bowl. Add reserved sun-dried tomato oil and toss until evenly coated; set aside. Let cool. (I chop the veggies while the spaghetti is cooling)
- To the cooled spaghetti, add zucchini (1 cup), red bell pepper (1 cup), cherry tomatoes (1 cup), red onion (1/2 cup), parsley (1 cup), sun-dried tomatoes (1 cup), olives (1 can), Ciliegine/fresh mozzarella balls (2 containers), parmesan cheese (1 cup) and 3/4 of the dressing. Toss to combine well and evenly coat the salad with dressing. Add more dressing as needed to taste. Adjust seasoning if needed. Add the chopped basil (1 cup) just before serving and toss.
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
On your phone? Check the web story here.
In the recipe it doesn’t say when to add mozzarella balls. It doesn’t mention them at all when putting salad together?
Hi, Mike. Thanks for noticing, it’s now corrected. Enjoy!
Delicious!! I made it as directed. It makes a ton too. I can also see using this dressing and pasta with whatever veggies are in the fridge. Great way to use up veggies and proteins! Thank you for sharing!
That’s a great idea, Callie! I’m happy you like this salad 🙂
Thank you for your positive feedback
Me and my friends liked this so much! There were no leftovers.
That’s awesome! Thanks Tony 🙂
Didn’t have the homemade Italian
Dressing recipe as promised! Really wanted to try it!
Hi Jean the dressing recipe is just above the salad recipe on the recipe card.
Loved this salad for this hot day. Only heat is boiling
the noodles. Made your Italian dressing and was
delicious. Will have to get mozzarella balls.
Yaaay! I’m happy you like this 🙂 Thanks for the positive feedback 🙂
It looks delicious. I am curious, in the picture of the bowl with all the ingredients, what is between the red bell peppers and red onion? It looks like a ball? Thanks.
Hi Susie. They’re Ciliegine: These are fresh mozzarella balls, about 1/2 inch in diameter. If you can’t find them in your local supermarket, you can use cubed regular mozzarella.