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California Spaghetti Salad Recipe | The Recipe Critic


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California Spaghetti Salad is a scrumptious pasta salad full of recent veggies and lined in a zesty Italian dressing.  With all these flavors and colours making one lovely and attractive facet dish, there isn’t a doubt this would be the hit of your subsequent gathering!

I like scrumptious, cool salads in Spring and Summer time like Creamy Pea, Cauliflower Broccoli, and Cucumber Tomato Salad. Take pleasure in your salad at your subsequent BBQ!

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

Simple California Spaghetti Salad

Because the climate begins to vary and heat up right now of 12 months, I discover myself searching for recipes with a brisker and lighter really feel.  I particularly love fast and simple chilly pasta salads! This California spaghetti salad solely took quarter-hour to make, and it was a success with my friends.  It’s vegan-friendly, so it’s nice to convey to a potluck.

This recipe is nice to make forward of time as a result of it tastes higher because it sits. It’s coated in a zesty Italian dressing (made out of scratch) and the entire substances actually take in that taste. All the superb veggies packed inside add a lot texture, taste, and coloration to the pasta. It’s the good completion to this pasta salad.

The Finest California Spaghetti Salad Substances

These substances are easy and simple, and also you most likely have already got most of them available. This recipe is nice to make forward of time in order that the flavors can all mix collectively. Take a look at the recipe card on the backside of the put up for the entire actual measurements.

  • Spaghetti: Use skinny linguine and break it into 1-inch items to make it simpler to eat.
  • Cherry tomatoes: Chopped them in half to make them extra bite-sized.
  • Cucumber: The cucumber provides this salad the recent style I like.
  • Bell pepper: I used purple, however swap for any coloration of pepper you like. Make this recipe your individual!
  • Purple onion: For those who don’t like biting into the uncooked onion, marinate them within the dressing first to reduce their sturdy taste.
  • Olives: The olives are very salty and scrumptious!

Salad Dressing Substances

  • Italian salad dressing: Use any Italian dressing you like as a result of you’re going to amp it up with all the opposite seasonings to create your individual model of this staple dressing. I like utilizing this do-it-yourself model.
  • Parmesan cheese: Grated and mixed with the dressing to cowl every a part of the salad with its nice nutty taste.
  • Sesame seeds: Add a wealthy, nutty taste to the dressing.
  • Paprika: Provides nice coloration to this dressing and is the right addition to this California spaghetti salad.
  • Celery seed: These little seeds pack all of the highly effective flavors of celery- earthy, grassy, and barely bitter- that stability out this dressing.
  • Garlic powder: The additional garlic powder helps the flavour keep sturdy even when chilled.

Let’s Make a Pasta Salad!

This California spaghetti salad comes collectively in lower than quarter-hour, after which all you must do is let it sit and take in the entire flavors. As soon as your noodles are cooked and able to go, you must throw every thing in and blend all of it up!

  1. Prepare dinner the pasta: Make based on package deal instructions. Drain and rinse in chilly water.
  2. Mix all substances: Add cherry tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, inexperienced and purple bell pepper, purple onion and olives to the pasta in a big bowl.
  3. Make the dressing:  Whisk collectively 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 till coated. Cowl and refrigerate for 3 hours or in a single day.
A collage of 4 photos showing how to combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.

Ideas and Variations

Listed below are just a few other ways you can change up this California spaghetti salad and make it distinctive each time!

  • Greens: Get artistic with this versatile dish and swap out greens. For instance, strive favorites like broccoli or yellow and orange bell peppers.
  • Pasta: Use different pasta shapes.  A few of my favorites, like Rotini or Farfalle, would work implausible!
  • Cooling Pasta: This pasta salad is greatest when it’s recent out of the fridge. So, preserve it cooling till proper earlier than serving.
  • Make it Forward: This can be a nice make-ahead recipe! It’s even higher the subsequent day, so I normally make it the day earlier than and retailer it within the fridge in a single day. This actually provides all of the flavors time to mix and soak into the pasta!
  • Pasta Tip: After draining the salad, dunk the pasta in an ice tub (equal components water and ice in a big bowl) to shock them.  Then, your noodles is not going to take in an excessive amount of of the dressing and change into gummy.

A close up of a bowl of California spaghetti salad.

Storing Leftovers

This California spaghetti salad tastes simply nearly as good (if not higher!) the subsequent day! So long as you retailer it correctly, this makes the right lunch all week lengthy.

  • Within the Fridge: Retailer your salad in an hermetic container in your fridge, which ought to last as long as 5 days. As a result of the noodles take in all of the dressing, I prefer to preserve some extra dressing available and add it to the salad simply earlier than serving. This makes it style such as you simply made it!

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


  • Prepare dinner the pasta based on package deal instructions. Drain utilizing a colander and rinse in chilly water.
  • Add the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, purple bell pepper, purple onion, and olives in a massive bowl.

To make the dressing:

  • Whisk collectively italian salad dressing, parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, paprika, celery seed, and garlic powder. Pour over salad and toss till coated. Cowl and refrigerate for 3 hours or in a single day.

Up to date on April 30, 2021
Initially Posted on Could 29, 2015

Serves: 12

Serving1cupEnergy260kcal (13%)Carbohydrates35g (12%)Protein7g (14%)Fats11g (17%)Saturated Fats2g (10%)Polyunsaturated Fats3gMonounsaturated Fats5gTrans Fats0.01gLdl cholesterol1mgSodium735mg (31%)Potassium272mg (8%)Fiber3g (12%)Sugar5g (6%)Vitamin A754IU (15%)Vitamin C23mg (28%)Calcium70mg (7%)Iron1mg (6%)

All dietary data is predicated on third social gathering calculations and is barely an estimate. Every recipe and dietary worth will range relying on the manufacturers you employ, measuring strategies and portion sizes per family.

Course Salad

Delicacies Italian American

Key phrase california spaghetti salad, spaghetti salad

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California Spaghetti Salad



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