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5.0 from 15 votes

Spaghetti Pasta Salad

🍝🥗😋 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 Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Chill Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 322 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

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

    Cup of Yum
  1. 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.
  2. To a very large bowl*, add all the ingredients (except the Italian dressing) and stir to combine.
  3. 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.
  4. Add the Italian dressing and stir and toss again to coat.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Calories 322kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 31g (10%) Protein 6g (12%) Fat 20g (31%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 14g Cholesterol 11mg (4%) Sodium 1060mg (44%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 9g (18%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 322

% Daily Value*

Serving 1
Calories 322kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 31g 10%
Protein 6g 12%
Fat 20g 31%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Polyunsaturated Fat 14g 82%
Cholesterol 11mg 4%
Sodium 1060mg 44%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 9g 18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.