Cold Spaghetti Salad Recipe
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This Cold Spaghetti Salad recipe is a creamy blend of spaghetti, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, pesto, and cheese. It's a spaghetti pasta salad you'll crave when garden veggies are at their peak. Perfect vegetarian dish for picnics, cookouts and easy dinners!
Light and Easy!
- comes together quickly so you can make it at the last minute
- can add protein such as chicken or pepperoni if desired
- feeds a big crowd and stores well in the fridge
Cold Spaghetti Salad began as an experiment, and ended up being one of my favorite pasta salads ever. It's fresh, loaded with veggies, and absolutely delicious. It's also easy and quick, taking less than 30 minutes from start to finish, and can be served for lunch or dinner.
As soon as summer arrives, I make refrigerator bread & butter pickles, chow-chow, canned tomato sauce, and pickled red onions with fresh veggies from our local produce stand. This summer spaghetti salad is one of my favorite ways to use garden veggies that are bursting at the seams, and it's loaded with flavor!
If you love fresh veggies, you'll also enjoy this recipe for spaghetti stir fry.
How to Make Cold Spaghetti Salad
1 - Start by breaking a pound of spaghetti in half, then boil it until it's al dente. Rinse in cold water, drain, and place in a large bowl.
2 - Cut cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, and cheddar cheese into small pieces. Add to bowl. Add pitted kalamata olives, minced garlic and shredded parmesan. Give it a stir.
3 - In a separate bowl, whisk the bottle of Italian dressing with a tablespoon of mayonnaise. Add pesto with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
4 - Pour dressing on top of cold spaghetti with veggies and mix together with tongs. Place pasta in a large serving bowl and garnish with fresh mint or parsley. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make It Your Own!
This is a cold pasta salad you can empty your refrigerator into and it will still be delicious. If you have a favorite condiment or herb you'd like to add, feel free to be as creative as you like.
If you have an abundance of zucchini, green bell pepper or red pepper in your garden, throw it in the mix. Try using English cucumbers or fresh broccoli florets as a hearty addition.
You could also add green onions, red onion or celery seed. This spaghetti salad tastes great with sesame seed, poppy seeds and fresh mozzarella. I also like adding romano cheese and a sprinkling of fresh parsley to the mix.
Recipe FAQ
Absolutely! If you'd like to change the type of pasta, consider using penne, rotini or cavatappi for an entirely different shape and taste.
No worries! If you have a farmer's market in your town, that is a great place to find fresh vegetables. Many grocery stores or supermarkets have local produce as well.
Any type of bottled dressing will work in this recipe such as Greek dressing, poppyseed, or even ranch! Use your favorite Italian salad dressing from Olive Garden or make your own! You could also try a little oil and red wine vinegar if you prefer a lighter version.
Serving Suggestions
This easy pasta salad recipe can also be served as a tasty side dish to most entrees like chicken or salmon. It's one of those great recipes you can take to a summer potluck or serve at special celebrations such as the 4th of July.
I like to serve cold spaghetti salad with other vegetarian recipes like strawberry pecan salad or heirloom tomato salad. Together, these dishes fill you up, and provide a meatless entree your family will love.
If you're looking for the perfect protein to serve alongside this creamy pasta salad, try my tasty Cilantro Lime Chicken or summer-loving Grilled Lemon Garlic Shrimp.
Storage Guide
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 3 days. I don't recommend freezing this recipe because it could be mushy when it thaws.
Be sure to keep this recipe cold, especially if serving outside. It should be kept on ice at all times and not allowed to sit in the sun or it could spoil.
More Salads to Love
If you're a cold salad lover like me, these recipes will provide a lot of options...
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Recipe Card
Cold Spaghetti Salad
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti broken in half
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 cucumbers diced
- ½ small onion diced
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 cup kalamata olives pitted
- 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese diced
- 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 bottle (16 oz) Italian Salad Dressing
- 2 Tbsp. basil pesto
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh mint or parsley to garnish optional
Instructions
- Break the spaghetti in half, then boil until al dente.
- Rinse spaghetti in cold water, drain, and place in a large bowl.
- Cut tomatoes in half. Dice cucumbers, onion and cheddar cheese into small pieces. Add veggies to spaghetti in bowl and stir.
- Add garlic, olives and parmesan cheese. Mix with tongs.
- In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, Italian Dressing and pesto together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
- Pour dressing over spaghetti with veggies in bowl. Mix well with tongs or spoon. Place pasta in a large serving bowl and garnish with fresh mint or parsley if desired.
- Refrigerate pasta until ready to serve.
Notes
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 3 days. I don't recommend freezing this recipe because it could be mushy when it thaws.
- Be sure to keep this recipe cold, especially if serving outside. It should be kept on ice at all times and not allowed to sit in the sun or it could spoil.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
I made this today for the first time and I love it! Next time,I'll probably omit the garlic because I used Ken's Zesty Italian dressing.
Thank you for sharing, Becky! So excited you loved my spaghetti salad!
Looks like a perfect recipe for this hot weather!
It's a great recipe to use up those garden veggies! 🙂
This looks like it will taste like summer!
Yay! That's exactly what I was hoping when I made it! 🙂