Spaghetti salad is a family favorite in our home, especially on warm days when we’re craving something quick, fresh, and satisfying.
We toss al dente spaghetti with crunchy veggies, fragrant herbs, and our Italian dressing for a simple, wholesome meal that’s perfect for meal prep, and family dinners.
Our readers love summer salads, so we took inspiration from our Greek chickpea salad, Horiatiki and rice salad for this recipe.
To keep it vegan, just skip the cheese or try your favorite plant-based alternative. For a gluten-free version, swap in your go-to gluten-free spaghetti.
Ingredients
- Spaghetti: Make this recipe with any other pasta type, long or short. For example, linguine or bavette would be a suitable replacement for spaghetti.
- VEGGIES:
- Tomatoes: you can use any ripe tomatoes such as vine, Roma, cherry, grape tomatoes, etc.
- Cucumber: substitute with radishes or thinly sliced zucchini.
- Bell pepper: red bell pepper, yellow, or green bell pepper.
- Olives: Use Kalamata olives or Gaeta olives for an upgrade. Substitute chopped sun-dried tomatoes or marinated artichoke hearts.
- Shallot: substitute green onion or red onion for shallot.
- Parsley: Flat-leaf parsley. Substitute basil, dill, mint, chives, and coriander, for parsley.
- DRESSING:
- Lemon juice: freshly squeezed. Substitute apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar.
- Grated lemon zest: best if from an organic lemon.
- Maple syrup: substitute honey or agave syrup.
- Dried oregano: substitute dried thyme.
- Dried basil: substitute dried mint.
- Garlic powder: substitute a fresh garlic clove, grated.
- Feta: substitute with non-dairy feta or mozzarella balls.
How to make spaghetti salad
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water per package instructions. When cooked, drain it, and cool it under cold water so that it stays al dente.
Transfer it to a large bowl, and if you don’t use it immediately, toss it with two teaspoons of olive oil to prevent it from sticking.
In a small bowl, make the dressing by whisking together extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, grated lemon zest, maple syrup, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
Chop bell pepper, tomatoes, and cucumber into small dice; cut the olives in half, and finely chop parsley and shallot, then add them to the bowl with the pasta.
Pour the dressing, then toss to combine. Taste and adjust for salt. Add feta cubes and a pinch of dried oregano.
Serving suggestions
Tips
- Cool down the pasta: After cooking, rinse the spaghetti under cold water to cool it quickly and stop the cooking process. This keeps it firm and perfect for salads.
- Let it chill: For the best flavor, refrigerate the salad for 30 minutes before serving. It gives the dressing time to infuse every bite.
- Balance the textures: Mix soft ingredients like olives and feta with crunchy ones like cucumber and bell pepper to create the perfect bite.
Storage
Make ahead: you can make spaghetti salad up to 3 days ahead. However, the pasta absorbs the dressing, so you might want to add more if your salad dries.
Refrigerator: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: this recipe is not suitable for freezing.
More pasta salad recipes
Spaghetti Salad
Spaghetti salad is an easy summer pasta salad with fresh veggies, al dente spaghetti, Italian dressing, and feta cubes.
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 25 minutes mins
Servings: –+ – 6 people
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Video
Spaghetti Salad (lunch & dinner idea)
Instructions
- Cook 12 ounces spaghetti in a large pot with salted boiling water per package instructions.When cooked, drain it, and cool it under cold water to prevent it from overcooking.Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl, and if you don’t use it immediately, toss it with two teaspoons of olive oil to prevent it from sticking.
- In a small bowl, make the dressing by whisking together ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Chop 2 cups cherry tomatoes, 1 cup cucumber, and 1 cup yellow bell pepper into small dice; cut ⅓ cup pitted olives in half, and finely chop 1 small shallot and 2 tablespoons parsley then add them to the bowl with the pasta.
- Drizzle with the dressing, then toss to combine.Optionally, you can add 2 ounces feta in cubes or crumbled, and a pinch of dried oregano.
Notes
Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 serving of spaghetti salad out of 5 servings.
SUBSTITUTIONS
– Pasta: you can use any pasta.
– Tomatoes: you can use any fresh tomatoes as long as they are ripe.
– Cucumber: substitute radishes or zucchini.
– Bell pepper: you can use red, green, orange, or yellow bell pepper.
– Olives: substitute sun-dried tomatoes or marinated artichoke hearts.
– Shallot: substitute red onion or green onion.
– Parsley: substitute mint, basil, chives, coriander, dill, and purslane.
– Italian dressing: substitute honey mustard dressing or tahini sauce.
ADD-INS
– Feta or non-dairy feta: crumbed or in cubes.
– Sun-dried tomatoes: chopped
– Marinated artichoke hearts: in quarters
– Mozzarella balls
– Shaved parmesan cheese
PASTA COOKING TIPS
You’ll need a large pot of salted water as follows:
– 8 ounces of pasta (230 grams): cook pasta in 2 quarts of boiling water (8 cups or 2 Liters) with 1 tablespoon of salt (15 grams). Serves 2 – 3 people.
– 12 ounces of pasta (340 grams): cook pasta in 3 quarts of boiling water (12 cups or 3 Liters) with 1 ½ tablespoons of salt (21 grams). Serves 4 people.
– 1 pound of pasta (450 grams): cook pasta in 1 gallon of boiling water (16 cups or 4 Liters) with 2 tablespoons of salt (30 grams). Serves 5-6 people.
HOW MUCH PASTA PER PERSON?
– 3.5 ounces (100 grams) per person if the main meal;
– 2.8/3 ounces (80/90 grams) per person if part of a 2 – 3 course meal;
– 2/2.5 ounces (60/70 grams) per person if part of a 3+ course meal.
STORAGE
– Make ahead: you can make spaghetti salad up to 3 days ahead. However, the pasta absorbs the dressing, so you might want to add more if your salad dries.
– Refrigerator: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
– Freezer: this recipe is not suitable for freezing.
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