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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, 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.
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.
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!
More Pasta Salad Recipes to Try!
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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.
How is this California? California typically means avocado is in it which there is NONE. You might want to fix the name just sayin
What brand of Italian dressing do you use?
Do you have any nutrition analysis for the recipe AS you make it? Please post SOON! Thanks!! 🙂
Nutritional Facts
3/4 cup: 257 calories, 13g fat (2g saturated fat), 1mg cholesterol, 567mg sodium, 30g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 2g fiber), 6g protein.
Not really all that healthy with the pasta and dressing.
This is the second time I have made this salad. The first I left the noodles whole, the second I broke them up. Definitely better broken.
I Love this salad. I did customize with yellow squash and no peppers. Still just as delicious!
Hi, this salad looks great and so colorful too? I like red onion but it has a really strong aftertaste and I don’t want my breath tasting or smelling like onion. How can I make the onion less string before adding in the salad or what can I add to the salad to make it less strong? Thanks.
Soak the diced red onion in iced water for 5 to 10 minutes and then drain..it will not be as strong or have that aftertaste.
Onions are usually “strong” when they are older. You can take some of the sting out of them by soaking them in cold water for about 15 minutes or so before you add them to the salad. Also try shallots, scallions, or Vidalia onions instead.
I’d like to know how to tone down the red onion in salads too! I usually just mince them extra small and use less than called for. Would not leave it out altogether because the flavor is important to the overall dish 🙂 I might try making my own Italian dressing for this!
Use green onions (scallions) instead.
Also now that it’s summer you can get delicious Vidalia onions. Grown in South Georgia, these super sweet onions give you all of the healthy, delicious benefits of regular onions but they have a sweet, mild flavor. It’s said you can eat them like an apple they are so sweet. Look for Vidalias that are more flat (think ufo saucer shape) than round for best flavor. Enjoy!
Chop the onions, then soak in water for about ten minutes or while preparing the rest of the veggies. Drain and put in salad, they won’t be strong!
Soak the red onion in lemon juice. It is great for onions used in a salad.
Soak your thinly sliced onion, any onion, in milk for about an hour in the fridge.
Chives
Soak the onion in ice water after chopping and soak for 10-15 minutes. Drain and add to salad . Keeps the taste but eliminates the sting.
I hate Italian dressing in anything. Can I use Miracle Whip or Mayo maybe? Anybody tried that? A lot of salads have Mayo in them.
Caesar salad dressing is a great alternative.
I LOVE Caesar! I need to try that!
Hi, this recipe looks colourful, tasty and healthy☺ I love pasta so to eat more of it without feeling guilty and in a more healthy way is great! The only thing is I have always cooked zucchini and never eaten it raw…maybe I can slice it, saute it in some olive oil, salt and pepper and put in salad or I could substitute it with cucumber?
Yep. You can definitely customize it to your taste. 🙂
This is very good. I love the use of the celery seed which I have not tried before. Thanks! : )
The veggie possibilities are endless, the others I add additional to yours are
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
I also add pepperoni either the small ones or cut the other ones in quarters
What about adding cilantro?
If you like cilantro you can definitely customize this to your taste. 🙂
I added some pepperoni to mine. This is a very good recipe. My mom made one in the late 80’s about the same. cucumber, onion, tomato and Italian dressing. This is much better! I noticed the added ingredients of the sesame seeds, garlic, parmesan cheese and paprika are about the same ingredients in McCormick’s Salad Supreme. So glad I can make it “homemade”. My only complaint is I find it a bit salty. Might just be me. Wonderful recipe!
I make one similar to this. but it does not have as many vegetables. Just has: spaghetti, green bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion. Dressing is: 16 oz Italian (I use Zesty Italian) and 1 bottle of McCormick’s Salad Supreme. Really good. I will have to try yours also.
I make Janice’s with tri-colored curly noodles, zucchini, mushrooms, tom, red onion, and bell pepper. Same dressing.
I have made the same salad as you mentioned. It is our summer staple. I have used 3 colors of peppers and an entire bunch of celery. I use garden chives and also add some garden oregano. Yummy!
Forgot to mention that I cut the thin spagetti to approximately 1 inch pieces (by breaking it between the thumb and first knuckle) and storing it until ready to make the salad. It taste better if the entire salad is stored in the fridge the night before and turned a couple of times. The old very large Tupperware bowl and lid makes a perfect fit.
Hi Janice. Look at the back of your Salad Supreme bottle at ingredients. Nearly the same as added ones in Alyssa’s recipe 🙂 ( I also love a shake of that in my pasta salads)
I’ve been making the McCormick Salad Supreme pasta salad recipe for years. It’s nice to know what you can substitute in case you don’t have that particular spice available. Everyone always loves this salad.
Yours sounds good to. I make one similar. I put mushrooms, olives, bell pepper, red onion & broccoli. Then i to use the same dressing as you use.
How long does this keep for? Interested in making it to take for lunches for the week!
I would guess maybe 3 days at most… ??
IT LOOK SOOOO GOOD
Love these recipes.
I made this last night, let it set in the fridge overnight, I had it for lunch & it was so good. A light pasta salad with the fresh crunchy veggies. I also used whole wheat pasta, love it! Already have 3 friends sharing the recipe. Thank you for an awesome recipe!
I wouldn’t let me rate 5 stars 🙁
Why only one star if you love it?
Probably shouldn’t have voted at all, it brings the whole rating down. Not fair to the author.
Awesome salad!!
Made this salad for years–mine called for pieces of imitation
crab meat—love it
That sounds like a great addition. Or maybe shrimp, I think I’ll try that!