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This vibrant Spaghetti Salad options tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, inexperienced olives, pink onion, and feta cheese. The pasta and veggies are tossed with do-it-yourself Italian dressing made with pantry staples. It is a crowd-pleasing chilly pasta salad excellent for making forward and sharing together with your family and friends as a aspect dish at Spring and Summer season picnics, potlucks, BBQs, or events.
Fast and simple 20-minute Spaghetti Salad
This crowd-pleasing chilly spaghetti salad comes collectively in simply 20 minutes! It is easy sufficient to function an on a regular basis aspect dish together with your weeknight dinner or for a special day when entertaining friends or having firm. The spaghetti is blended with contemporary tomatoes, cucumber, olives, pink onion, and feta cheese. The do-it-yourself Italian-inspired dressing combines olive oil, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. It is an ideal chilly pasta salad that may be made prematurely to deliver and share at Summer season festivities, potlucks, barbecues, picnics, and cookouts! Serve it as is, or add protein to show it into an entire meal. For extra pasta salad inspiration, take a look at this scrumptious Mexican Road Corn Pasta Salad or family-favorite Broccoli Ranch Pasta Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes, Candy Peas, and Cheddar Cheese.
Why this recipe works
- This versatile recipe is definitely adjustable to what you will have accessible. You need to use any form of pasta (not simply spaghetti), varied greens, and cheese. You can also make dressing from scratch or use store-bought Italian or Greek.
- It may be made beforehand and solely will get higher after being refrigerated. Nice for making forward!
- This chilly spaghetti salad is ideal for sharing. Convey it to picnics, potlucks, yard barbecues, block events, cookouts, and different festivities. It is an ideal pasta salad for Spring, Summer season, or year-round.
- Good for entertaining: it really works as an appetizer, aspect salad, or lunch. You may love how vibrant and colourful it’s – an awesome dish to impress your friends.
The elements
- Pasta. You need to use any form you want, together with spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine, bucatini, or angel hair pasta. It’s also possible to use short-cut pasta, comparable to bow-tie, penne, rigatoni, fusilli, or orecchiette.
- Tomatoes. I used grape (or cherry) tomatoes in two colours. They make a fantastic presentation, however you need to use common tomatoes, too.
- Cucumber. Use two medium cucumbers or one massive one.
- Olives. Use pitted black and inexperienced olives.
- Feta cheese has a mushy texture and briny taste. Good for mixing in with the spaghetti salad.
- Purple onion supplies a zesty chew. You do not want a lot – solely about ¼ cup of chopped onions.
Do-it-yourself Italian dressing
- Salad dressing elements embody additional virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. I like to recommend utilizing freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice (not bottled) and further virgin olive oil. I additionally like including one tablespoon of honey to steadiness the flavors.
- Mix all of the dressing elements in a mason jar and whisk with the fork (or shut the jar with the lid and shake it vigorously to mix the flavors).
The way to make spaghetti salad
This chilly spaghetti salad solely takes 20 minutes to make. You may serve it instantly or refrigerate it for as much as 4 days. Under is the overview. The detailed recipe (with quantities) is on the backside of this submit (on the recipe card).
- Prepare dinner the pasta in boiling water in response to the bundle directions. Drain, rinse with chilly water, and drain once more. Within the meantime, proceed with the remainder of the recipe.
- Make salad dressing in a big bowl by combining additional virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, honey, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Put together the veggies. Add sliced tomatoes, cucumber, pink onion, and olives into the identical massive bowl with the dressing. Toss to mix.
- Meeting. Add drained cooked pasta and feta cheese to the bowl with veggies. Toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper.
Are you able to make it forward?
Chilly spaghetti salad solely will get higher because it sits (refrigerated) so the flavors can mix. You can also make it as much as a day prematurely. Or, make it within the morning, refrigerate it in an hermetic container, and serve it for lunch or dinner the identical day.
Variations and substitutions
- Pasta. Despite the fact that it is a spaghetti salad, you need to use any form of pasta you want (or have accessible!). This contains linguine, fettuccine, angel hair pasta, or bucatini. It’s also possible to use short-cut pasta: small shells, fusilli (spiral pasta), bow-tie pasta (farfalle), penne, rigatoni, or rotini.
- Veggies. My favorites are asparagus, bell peppers, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, and zucchini.
- Add leafy greens, comparable to arugula, backyard greens, or lettuce.
- Cheese. This recipe makes use of feta cheese. It’s also possible to add small Mozzarella balls (pearls), sliced Mozzarella, or cubed Parmesan. Or, add grated Parmesan.
- Salad Dressing. Make a dressing from scratch or use store-bought Italian or Greek dressing.
- Don’t love pink onions? Attempt chopped inexperienced onions.
- Lime or lemon will work nice. Freshly squeezed juice is all the time the very best!
Scrumptious add-ins
- Add prosciutto, bacon, or pepperoni. You may briefly crispy up the prosciutto within the preheated oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes.
- Add a protein, comparable to leftover rooster, rotisserie rooster, sauteed or grilled shrimp, or salmon, to show spaghetti salad into a fast and simple weeknight dinner!
- Add pine nuts as a topping. I prefer to toast pine nuts briefly (and punctiliously!) within the oven for a fair richer taste.
- Add capers as a substitute of olives, or add them as well as.
- Add different toppings, comparable to contemporary herbs (basil, thyme, or oregano), chopped inexperienced onions, or chopped chives.
- Make it spicy by including pink pepper flakes.
Cooking suggestions
- Prepare dinner pasta al dente for the very best texture. This texture works greatest with the spaghetti salad, particularly if you wish to make it forward. To cook dinner pasta al dente, you often need to boil it 2 minutes shorter than regular. For instance, if the bundle directions inform you to boil pasta for 10 minutes – cook dinner the pasta in boiling water for 8 minutes as a substitute.
- Rinse cooked pasta below chilly water earlier than including to the salad. This step is vital. You need spaghetti to retain its texture and never get mushy. Additionally, because you’re mixing the spaghetti with feta cheese, you do not need the pasta to maintain releasing the starch that may combine with the feta – that will even lead to a mushy and creamy texture.
- Make it gluten-free. Use the gluten-free pasta of your selection. Lentil or chickpea gluten-free pasta will style nice right here.
- Make it dairy-free. Use dairy-free, vegan feta cheese as a substitute of standard feta.
- The way to serve it? Serve it heat, at room temperature, or chilly.
Storage Ideas
This chilly spaghetti salad will get solely higher higher because it sits within the fridge. It is best to serve it inside 2 days, however you’ll be able to hold it refrigerated in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days.
Are you able to make it forward?
That is a kind of recipes that tastes even higher the subsequent day as soon as all of the flavors mix. It is an ideal aspect dish to deliver to potlucks or to make for the vacations. Listed here are some tips about easy methods to make this forward.
- Assemble the entire salad elements in a big, hermetic container. Refrigerate for as much as 4 days. After all, it is best to serve it inside 24 hours.
- Add additional salad dressing earlier than serving. The spaghetti salad tends to absorb the dressing because it sits within the fridge. You may rapidly make the identical dressing from scratch or use store-bought Italian or Greek dressing. Add this additional dressing instantly earlier than serving to clean up the salad.
Different pasta salads you would possibly like
- Corn Pasta Salad with Bacon and Creamy Pesto Dressing
- Mexican Road Corn Pasta Salad
- Summer season Pasta Salad with Peaches, Spinach, Tomatoes, Prosciutto, and Mozzarella Cheese
- Broccoli Ranch Pasta Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes, Candy Peas, and Cheddar Cheese
- Greek Tortellini Salad with Tomatoes, Avocados, Cucumbers, and Feta Cheese
- Hen Pasta Salad with Apricots, Spinach, Bacon, and Feta
Spaghetti Salad
This vibrant Spaghetti Salad options tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, inexperienced olives, pink onion, and feta cheese. The pasta and veggies are tossed with Italian dressing made with pantry staples. It is a crowd-pleasing chilly pasta salad excellent for making forward and sharing together with your family and friends as a aspect dish at Spring and Summer season picnics, potlucks, BBQs, or events.
Directions
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Convey a big pot of water to a boil. Prepare dinner pasta in response to bundle directions.
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As soon as the pasta is cooked, drain it and instantly rinse it with chilly water. Drain once more.
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Whereas the pasta is cooking, proceed with the remainder of the recipe.
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In a big bowl, mix the salad dressing elements: olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and Italian seasoning. Combine. Season generously with salt and pepper.
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Add sliced cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, chopped pink onion, and olives to the bowl with the dressing, mixing the dressing completely with the veggies. Allow them to marinate whereas the pasta is cooking. The tomatoes ought to launch juices.
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Add drained and rinsed spaghetti and crumbled feta cheese to the bowl with marinated veggies. Toss to mix.
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Season with salt and pepper. Add extra lemon juice, if desired.
Notes
Useful suggestions
- Use any form of pasta you want, together with spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine, bucatini, or angel hair pasta. It’s also possible to use short-cut pasta, comparable to bow-tie, penne, rigatoni, fusilli, or orecchiette.
- Rinse cooked pasta below chilly water earlier than including to the salad. This step is vital. You need spaghetti to retain its texture and never get mushy.
- Salad dressing choices. Make a dressing from scratch or use store-bought Italian or Greek.
- Veggies. Add bell peppers, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, and zucchini.
- Add leafy greens, comparable to spinach or arugula.
- Cheese. Different choices moreover feta are small Mozzarella balls (pearls), sliced Mozzarella, and cubed or grated Parmesan.
- To make it gluten-free, use the gluten-free pasta of your selection. As soon as cooked, rinse the pasta with chilly water to stop it from getting mushy.
- Make it dairy-free. Use dairy-free, vegan feta cheese as a substitute of standard.
- The way to serve it? Serve it heat, at room temperature, or chilly.
Ideas for making it forward and meal-prep
- That is a kind of recipes that tastes even higher the subsequent day as soon as all of the flavors mix.
- Assemble the entire salad elements in a big, hermetic container. Refrigerate for as much as 4 days. After all, it is best to serve it inside 24 hours.
- Add additional salad dressing earlier than serving. The spaghetti salad tends to absorb the dressing because it rests within the fridge. You may rapidly make additional dressing from scratch or use store-bought Italian or Greek. Add this additional dressing instantly earlier than serving to clean up the salad.
Diet
Diet Info
Spaghetti Salad
Quantity per Serving
% Day by day Worth*
* P.c Day by day Values are based mostly on a 2000 calorie weight-reduction plan.
Diet Disclaimer:
The dietary data on this web site is simply an estimate and is supplied for comfort and as a courtesy solely. The accuracy of the dietary data for any recipe on this web site is just not assured. It shouldn’t be used as an alternative choice to knowledgeable nutritionist’s recommendation.
