Name: Cold Spaghetti Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 pound thin spaghetti; 1 6-ounce can black olives, sliced; 12 ounces grape tomatoes, sliced in half; 1 large zucchini, sliced and cut into quarters; 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced; 1 large green bell pepper, chopped; 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped or minced; 1 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for garnishing); 1 + 1/2 cups store-bought or homemade Italian dressing, cold (refrigerated); Sea salt, to taste; Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Description

Cold spaghetti salad is a quick easy dish you can make in a flash! This yummy pasta salad is perfect for feeding a crowd. Its crisp colorful veggies make it super festive! This spaghetti salad recipe is the ideal choice for picnics, potlucks and parties.

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound thin spaghetti
1 6-ounce can black olives, sliced
12 ounces grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 large zucchini, sliced and cut into quarters
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped or minced
1 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for garnishing)
1 + 1/2 cups store-bought or homemade Italian dressing, cold (refrigerated)
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

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Instructions

Boil the pasta in heavily salted water until it’s al dente. Drain the spaghetti in a colander. Do not rinse it under cold water. Instead, drizzle olive oil over the noodles. Toss the spaghetti, and then spread it in an even layer on a cookie sheet to cool. This is a food styling trick that keeps your pasta looking picture perfect!
Transfer the cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add the veggies and parsley and mix well. Add the Parmesan cheese and the cold Italian dressing and fold them in. Do a taste test and add salt and pepper as needed. If your salad needs just a touch of brightening, you can sprinkle a bit of red wine vinegar on top and mix it in.
Garnish your spaghetti salad with a couple more twists of freshly-ground black pepper, more grated Parmesan cheese, and a lovely fresh sprig of Parsley. Your delicious summer salad is ready to enjoy!

Notes

EXPERT TIPS FOR ITALIAN PASTA SALAD

Boil spaghetti for pasta salad in heavily salted water. The water should taste like the ocean! Cold pasta recipes taste much different than hot pasta dishes. Salt gives cold spaghetti salad a fabulous boost of flavor!
When prepping pasta salad in advance, boil the pasta just beyond al dente. This will help the noodles stay soft and keep their great texture. Cover and refrigerate pasta salad until serving time.
Add Italian dressing to spaghetti salad while it’s still warm. The noodles will absorb more of the beautiful flavor!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Category: Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Potluck
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian, American

Keywords: spaghetti salad, cold spaghetti salad, spaghetti salad recipe