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California Spaghetti Salad is a delicious pasta salad filled with fresh veggies and covered in a zesty Italian dressing. With all those flavors and colors making one beautiful and tasty side dish, there is no doubt this will be the hit of your next gathering!
I love delicious, cool salads in Spring and Summer like Creamy Pea, Antipasto, Cauliflower Broccoli, and Cucumber Tomato Salad. Enjoy your salad at your next BBQ!
Easy California Spaghetti Salad
As the weather begins to change and warm up at this time of year, I find myself looking for recipes with a fresher and lighter feel. I especially love quick and easy cold pasta salads! This California spaghetti salad only took 15 minutes to make, and it was a hit with my guests. It is vegan-friendly, so it is great to bring to a potluck.
This recipe is great to make ahead of time because it tastes better as it sits. It’s coated in a zesty Italian dressing (made from scratch) and all of the ingredients really soak up that flavor. All of the amazing veggies packed inside add so much texture, flavor, and color to the pasta. It is the perfect finishing touch to this pasta salad. If you love these flavors, try my grinder salad next.
The Best California Spaghetti Salad Ingredients
These ingredients are simple and easy, and you probably already have most of them on hand. This recipe is great to make ahead of time so that the flavors can all blend together. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all of the exact measurements.
- Spaghetti: Use thin linguine and break it into 1-inch pieces to make it easier to eat.
- Cherry tomatoes: Chopped them in half to make them more bite-sized.
- Cucumber: The cucumber gives this salad the fresh taste I love.
- Bell pepper: I used red, but swap for any color of pepper you prefer. Make this recipe your own!
- Red onion: If you don’t like biting into the raw onion, marinate them in the dressing first to lessen their strong flavor.
- Olives: The olives are very salty and delicious!
Salad Dressing Ingredients
- Italian salad dressing: Use any Italian dressing you love because you are going to amp it up with all the other seasonings to create your own version of this staple dressing. I love using this homemade version.
- Parmesan cheese: Grated and combined with the dressing to cover each part of the salad with its great nutty flavor.
- Sesame seeds: Add a rich, nutty flavor to the dressing.
- Paprika: Adds great color to this dressing and is the perfect addition to this California spaghetti salad.
- Celery seed: These little seeds pack all the powerful flavors of celery- earthy, grassy, and slightly bitter- that balance out this dressing.
- Garlic powder: The extra garlic powder helps the flavor stay strong even when chilled.
Let’s Make a Pasta Salad!
This California spaghetti salad comes together in less than 15 minutes, and then all you have to do is let it sit and soak up all of the flavors. Once your noodles are cooked and ready to go, you have to throw everything in and mix it all up!
- Cook the pasta: Make according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water.
- Combine all ingredients: Add cherry tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, green and red bell pepper, red onion and olives to the pasta in a large bowl.
- Make the dressing: Whisk together Italian salad dressing, Parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, paprika, celery seed, and garlic powder.
- Toss the salad in dressing: Pour dressing over the salad and toss until coated. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
Tips and Variations
Here are a few different ways that you can change up this California spaghetti salad and make it unique every time!
- Vegetables: Get creative with this versatile dish and swap out vegetables. For example, try favorites like broccoli or yellow and orange bell peppers.
- Pasta: Use other pasta shapes. Some of my favorites, like Rotini or Farfalle, would work fantastic!
- Cooling Pasta: This pasta salad is best when it’s fresh out of the fridge. So, keep it cooling until right before serving.
- Make it Ahead: This is a great make-ahead recipe! It’s even better the next day, so I usually make it the day before and store it in the refrigerator overnight. This really gives all the flavors time to combine and soak into the pasta!
- Pasta Tip: After draining the salad, dunk the pasta in an ice bath (equal parts water and ice in a large bowl) to shock them. Then, your noodles will not soak up too much of the dressing and become gummy.
More Delicious Summer Recipes
California spaghetti salad is the perfect make-ahead side for BBQs, potlucks, and summer dinners. You can also make my corn on the cob, potato salad, cowboy beans, pickle dip, and a sweet berry salad to round out the table.
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California Spaghetti Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound thin spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 can black olives, drained and sliced
DRESSING:
- 1 bottle Italian salad dressing 16 ounces
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain using a colander and rinse in cold water.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, and olives in a large bowl.
To make the dressing:
- Whisk together italian salad dressing, parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, paprika, celery seed, and garlic powder. Pour over salad and toss until coated. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Storing Leftovers
This California spaghetti salad tastes just as good (if not better!) the next day! As long as you store it properly, this makes the perfect lunch all week long.
- In the Refrigerator: Store your salad in an airtight container in your fridge, which should last up to 5 days. Because the noodles soak up all the dressing, I like to keep some additional dressing on hand and add it to the salad just before serving. This makes it taste like you just made it!
We loved the salad but I always wonder “how to get all the veggies, etc., to “Stick” together. All the cut-ups seem to not come up with a helping of spaghetti when eating…..perhaps not run cool water over the spaghetti? I don’t know but that’s just my one beef on salads where the ingredients don’t “stick” to the pasta so when you start to eat and take a bite, you don’t get everything stuck together. Silly, I know, but still…….
I totally know what you mean, and it’s not silly at all! Pasta salads can be tricky that way. A couple things that help are chopping the veggies pretty small, tossing the pasta with a little dressing while it’s still slightly warm so it can absorb more flavor, and then letting the whole salad chill together before serving. You can also give it a really good toss right before eating. It won’t ever “stick” quite like a creamy pasta salad, but those little tricks help you get more of everything in each bite!
I was born and raised in CA…this is not a “thing” anywhere out there. We don’t claim this monstrosity😬
Hahaha fair enough! I think “California” in the recipe world sometimes just means fresh veggies and pasta salad energy. Either way, I grew up calling it California Spaghetti and it’s always a hit at our house!
I like your recipes so much. Thank you for all.
I’ll bet it would be great if you use Pesto sauce instead of Italian dressing. Also, add marinated artichoke hearts.