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This Italian Spaghetti Salad is a fresh, simple twist on classic pasta salad. Tender spaghetti is tossed with crunchy veggies, briny olives, Parmesan, and zesty Italian dressing for a side dish that’s perfect for cookouts, potlucks, and easy summer dinners.
More easy pasta salads: Simple Pasta Salad | Zesty Italian Pasta Salad | Antipasto Pasta Salad
3 Things That Really Matter for This Recipe
A few small things make a big difference with cold pasta salads. Keep these in mind before you start cooking.
- Salt the pasta water generously. This is your only chance to season the noodles themselves, and unseasoned pasta tastes flat once it’s tossed with dressing.
- Slightly undercook the pasta. Pull it just shy of al dente. The noodles will soften as they sit in the dressing, and starting firm keeps them from going mushy.
- Rinse the pasta after draining. Cold pasta salads are the one time rinsing is the right move. It stops the cooking and chills the noodles so you can build the salad right away.
recipe walk-through
How to Make Italian Spaghetti Salad
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
This salad comes together in about 25 minutes, and most of that is hands-off. Here’s the full walkthrough.
Step 1: Cook and rinse the pasta
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti just shy of al dente, following the package timing but pulling it about 1 minute early.
- Pasta Options: Linguine, fettuccini, or angel hair all work well here too, just stick with a longer noodle that twirls up with the veggies on your fork.
Drain, then rinse under cold water until the noodles feel cool to the touch. This stops the cooking and gets the pasta ready to absorb dressing without going limp.
Step 2: Prep the veggies
While the pasta cools, halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumber (English cucumber is great here since you can skip seeding and peeling), slice the olives in half, and finely chop the red onion.
Mince the parsley. Cutting everything to a similar bite-size makes it easy to grab pasta and veggies on the same forkful.
If you want to switch up the veggies, diced bell pepper, banana peppers, or marinated artichoke hearts are all great adds.
Step 3: Combine and dress
In a large bowl, add the cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onion, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, then add the spaghetti.
Pour about 1 cup of zesty Italian dressing over the top and toss until everything is evenly coated. Kraft Zesty Italian is my go-to, but any good bottled Italian works.
Taste and add more dressing as needed.
- If you want to turn this into a light meal, this is the spot to fold in cubed salami, pepperoni, or rotisserie chicken. A sprinkle of McCormick Salad Supreme seasoning is also a classic spaghetti salad add-on that gives it an extra tangy bite.
Step 4: Chill, then finish
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. This is what takes a good pasta salad to great. The pasta absorbs the dressing and the flavors meld together.
Just before serving, top with freshly grated Parmesan and a little more parsley. Freshly grated tastes best, but the canned shaker version works in a pinch. Crumbled feta or small mozzarella pearls are also great in place of (or alongside) the Parmesan.
Serving Suggestions
Spaghetti salad is one of those sides that goes with just about anything off the grill. I love it alongside Hamburgers, Grilled BBQ Chicken, or Grilled Chicken Kabobs for an easy summer meal.
Find more easy sides for your next cookout or potluck in my collection of Best Summer Side Dishes.
Storage Tips
Make Ahead and Storage
Make ahead: This salad can be made up to 24 hours in advance. In fact, it actually tastes better after a few hours in the fridge because the flavors have time to meld.
Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. If the salad looks dry, add a splash more dressing or a drizzle of olive oil and toss to refresh.
Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this one. The veggies lose their crunch and the pasta gets mushy after thawing. It’s best made fresh or up to a day ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best pasta for spaghetti salad?
Spaghetti is the classic choice, but linguine, fettuccini, or angel hair all work well. You want a long noodle that twirls up with the veggies on your fork. Just avoid anything too short, like elbow macaroni, which changes the feel of the salad entirely.
Should spaghetti salad be served cold or at room temperature?
Cold is the way to go. Chilling for at least 4 hours lets the noodles absorb the dressing and the flavors come together. Pulling it straight from the fridge to the table is exactly right.
Why is my spaghetti salad dry?
Pasta keeps absorbing dressing as it sits, so a salad that looked perfectly coated yesterday can feel dry today. Just add a splash more Italian dressing or a drizzle of olive oil and toss to refresh before serving.
What’s the secret to keeping the noodles from getting mushy?
Two things. Slightly undercook your pasta so it has room to soften as it sits in the dressing, and rinse it under cold water right after draining to stop the cooking entirely.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
- Easy Vegetable Pasta Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Tuna Pasta Salad
- Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad
- Strawberry Pasta Salad
- Creamy Taco Pasta Salad
Italian Spaghetti Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 2 medium sized cucumbers seeded and diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes quarted
- 1 (12 ounce) can black olives drained and sliced in half
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 1/2 cups zesty Italian dressing more or less, to taste
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti to just shy of al dente according to package directions, in generously salted water. Drain, then rinse under cold water until cool. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, red onion, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, then add the cooled spaghetti and toss gently to combine.
- Pour 1 cup of Italian dressing over the pasta and vegetables. Toss to coat, taste, and add more dressing as desired.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Just before serving, top with freshly grated Parmesan and additional minced parsley.
Notes
- Salt the pasta water generously. Unseasoned pasta tastes flat once tossed with dressing.
- Slightly undercook the pasta. Pulling it just shy of al dente keeps the noodles from going mushy as they sit.
- Rinse the pasta. Cold pasta salads are the one time rinsing is right. It stops the cooking and chills the noodles fast.
- Make ahead up to 24 hours. Flavors meld and improve as it sits.
- Storage. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- If it seems dry, add a splash more dressing or a drizzle of olive oil and toss to refresh.
- Add protein like salami, pepperoni, or rotisserie chicken to make it a light meal.
- Try a sprinkle of McCormick Salad Supreme for an extra tangy bite, a classic spaghetti salad add-on.
- Pasta swaps. Linguine, fettuccini, or angel hair all work well in place of spaghetti.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Needs more oomph. You should try “Salad Supreme” by McCormick – marinate it with a good dash of that with the Italian dressing overnight. Perfection!
Awesome feedback Terry! Thank you so much for stopping by.
Not a fan of Italian dressing can I use something else
Thank you
Italian dressing is the base of flavor for this recipe. Maybe a balsamic vinaigrette would work?
One of my favorite go to meals. I don’t use the same kind of dressing or parsley. I use Ken’s Italian with garlic and asiago cheese. I also top it with feta cheese. I’m always requested to bring to all pot lucks…
Love the feedback Sandra! Thanks for stopping by.
Sounds great!
Thank you Amelia!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was fabulous! I used angel hair pasta because it’s my preferred pasta, and I used the store bought Olive Garden dressing. I also had pepperoni as an optional add in for protein.
Thank you!
With store-bought spaghetti salad, it always seems too oily. It’s definitely a side dish I prefer homemade. Nonetheless, the salami is a great addition. Its also so quick!
Thank you Pam for your feedback.
Can I leave out the wine
There is no wine in this recipe. It calls for red wine vinegar which is where a lot of the flavor in the dressing comes from. But it’s a vinegar, not alcohol.