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California Spaghetti Salad is a guaranteed hit for the summer vegetable lover in your life! This amped up pasta salad is exploding with peak-freshness produce and an irresistible Parmesan dressing.
California Spaghetti Salad
I know pasta salads don’t always sound exciting, but I promise this one is very much so. In fact, it’s “Main event” level special. It’s special and filling enough to eat by itself for a vegetarian meal, but it’s versatile enough to accompany just about any grilled meat with style.
Whether you’re talking about using this spaghetti salad as a base for grilled, air-fried, or Mojo marinated salmon, with crispy roasted chicken, as a pairing with garlic butter steak bites, or next to balsamic pork chops, this is one side dish that won’t be eclipsed by the main dish.
Spaghetti Salad Recipe
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this salad:
Ingredients
- thin spaghetti
- grape tomatoes
- zucchini
- English cucumber
- green bell pepper
- yellow bell pepper
- red onion
- black olives
- fresh parsley
- fresh basil OPTIONAL
Dressing Ingredients:
- Italian salad dressing
- Parmesan cheese
- sesame seeds
- smoked or plain paprika
- celery seeds
California Pasta Salad
Break the pasta into 2-inch pieces and cook according to package instructions until al dente, taking care not to overcook.
Rinse well under cold water, to halt the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pasta salad dressing ingredients: Italian salad dressing, Parmesan, sesame seeds, paprika, and celery seeds. Add the cooled pasta and toss well to coat.
Add the tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, bell peppers, onion, and olives to the bowl with the pasta. Toss well to mix throughout. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Vegetable Pasta Salad
This recipe for California Spaghetti Salad is far from my only vegetable laden pasta salad here on Vegetable Recipes. I almost always add a ton of vegetables to my pasta salads, so this “California” version thrills me.
Don’t stop with this California spaghetti salad recipe, though.
Tender noodles and lightly roasted vegetables come alive with a zesty dressing in this Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad. So good, you’ll make it AT LEAST twice.
Broccoli cheddar pasta salad with tiny broccoli florets, diced red pepper, red onion, and cheddar cheese in every bite is a perfect combination of flavors and textures. I LOVE the crunch in this salad.
Garlicky vinaigrette dressing brings a zesty kick to this spinach tomato pasta salad. It’s a terrific meal on its own and it also makes a great side dish with grilled chicken or salmon.
Tangy Vegetable Pasta Salad made with fresh vegetables from the garden, farmers’ market or grocery store is light and refreshing any time of the year.
California Spaghetti Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces thin spaghetti roughly broken into quarters (about 2 inches long)
- 2 cups grape tomatoes halved
- 1 small zucchini diced into ½-inch pieces, about 1 cup
- 1 small English cucumber diced into ½-inch pieces, about 1½ cups
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced into ½-inch pieces, about 1 cup
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper diced into ½-inch pieces, about 1 cup
- 1 medium red onion sliced very thin and roughly chopped, about 1 cup
- 2.5 ounces sliced black olives drained
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley chopped small
- 12 fresh basil leaves thinly sliced OPTIONAL
Pasta Salad Dressing:
- 16 ounces Italian salad dressing OR 2 cups homemade salad dressing
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon smoked or plain paprika
- ½ teaspoon celery seeds
- kosher salt ONLY as needed
- freshly ground black pepper ONLY as needed
Instructions
- Break the pasta into 2-inch pieces and cook according to package instructions until al dente, taking care not to overcook. Rinse well under cold water, to halt the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pasta salad dressing ingredients: Italian salad dressing, Parmesan, sesame seeds, paprika, and celery seeds. Add the cooled pasta and toss well to coat.
- Add the tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, bell peppers, onion, olives, parsley, and basil to the bowl with the pasta. Toss well to mix throughout. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
