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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!

The top view of spaghetti pasta salad in a bowl with a wooden spoon.

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!

  1. Cook the pasta: Make according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water.
  2. Combine all ingredients: Add cherry tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, green and red bell pepper, red onion and olives to the pasta in a large bowl.
  3. Make the dressing:  Whisk together Italian salad dressing, Parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, paprika, celery seed, and garlic powder.
  4. Toss the salad in dressing: Pour dressing over the salad and toss until coated. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
A collage of 4 photos showing how to combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.

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.
A close up of a bowl of California spaghetti salad.

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!
A side view of the bowl of spaghetti salad with a wooden spoon scooping some out.

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California Spaghetti Salad

4.93 from 13 votes
By: Alyssa Rivers
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!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Refrigerate Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 12 Servings

Ingredients 

DRESSING:

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

Updated on April 30, 2021
Originally Posted on May 29, 2015

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 260kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 7gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 735mgPotassium: 272mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 754IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad
Cuisine: Italian American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

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California Spaghetti Salad
California Spaghetti Salad
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About Alyssa Rivers

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Alyssa Rivers and the food blogger behind The Recipe Critic. The blog launched in 2012 as a place to share my passion for cooking. I love trying new things and testing them out with my family. Each recipe is tried and true, family-tested and approved.

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143 Comments

  1. I’ve made this (or one VERY similar) before and added cooked and chilled shrimp to turn it into a complete meal. Brought it to a potluck and it was a big hit! Everybody loved it.

  2. Just made it and it tastes great even before marinating. I had about 3/4 bottle Zesty Italian and about 1/4 bottle roasted tomato dressing so I combined them and it is fabulous.

  3. I can’t wait to try this!
    I was all jazzed when I finished making this only only to be totally bummed when I read the last line…refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight, say what??? Lol…now we wait.

  4. This is a wonderful summer salad. Do as Kayren Evers; leave in in the fridge overnight!
    I added a bit of decarboxylated cannabis.

      1. I used MyFitnessPal to get the calories, which is 328 calories per serving, but what is the serving size? I know you said it makes 10-12 servings. I’m thinking the serving size is a cup?

        Thanks!

  5. I’m on a low carb program per my doctor. What are the nutritional values of this salad. Especially carbs.

  6. No…you had me right up to the Italian dressing. Boring. I’d try a small jar of oil-packed sundried tomatoes as a base, run through a blender with either raw garlic or roasted garlic and whipped with Balsamic, fresh basil and oregano, Parmesan, and chili flakes. Dash of sea salt and toss. Or avocado puree with sea salt, EVO, cumin, sesame oil, and lemon zest. Any recipe that includes Italian dressing from a bottle strikes me as laziness.

    1. You can defiantly make your own. But sometimes I am SO busy in the summer that it is nice to throw something together really quick! Most of my dressings on my site are homemade but this one comes together quickly and it delicious.