California Spaghetti Salad Recipe
A refreshing and colorful California Spaghetti Salad perfect for picnics and potlucks. This cold pasta salad is packed with cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, and Parmesan cheese, all tossed in a zesty Italian dressing.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes (plus chilling time)
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Spaghetti:
- 12 ounces spaghetti (broken into thirds)
Salad:
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1 cucumber (diced)
- 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
- 1 green bell pepper (chopped)
- 1/2 red onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives (drained)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Dressing:
- 1 bottle (16 oz) Italian dressing
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti: Boil the spaghetti until al dente, then drain and rinse under cold water.
- Prepare the salad: In a large bowl, combine spaghetti, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, onion, olives, and Parmesan cheese.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together Italian dressing, sesame seeds, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Toss and chill: Pour the dressing over the salad, toss to coat, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Serve: Before serving, toss the salad again and garnish with parsley.
Notes
- This salad is ideal for making ahead and is even better the next day.
- Consider using gluten-free spaghetti for a gluten-free version.
- For added flavor, try adding diced avocado or crumbled feta cheese.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 480mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 6mg
