Description
California Spaghetti Salad is a refreshing and colorful pasta salad featuring al dente spaghetti tossed with a medley of fresh vegetables like cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis, and peppers. It’s dressed with a flavorful Italian dressing enhanced by Parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, paprika, celery seeds, and garlic powder, making it a perfect chilled dish for picnics, potlucks, or a light summer meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Spaghetti
- 400-500 grams of spaghetti
Vegetables
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 2 zucchinis, cubed
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 can of sliced black olives, drained
Dressing and Toppings
- 1 bottle of Italian dressing (approximately 1¼ cups)
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon celery seeds
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Cook Spaghetti: Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool the pasta and stop the cooking process, then set aside.
- Prepare Vegetables: In a large mixing bowl, combine halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, cubed zucchinis, diced green and red peppers, diced red onion, and drained sliced black olives.
- Make Dressing: In a separate bowl, whisk together the Italian dressing, grated Parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, paprika, celery seeds, and garlic powder until well combined.
- Combine Pasta and Vegetables: Add the cooled spaghetti to the bowl with the vegetable mixture, gently tossing to combine.
- Add Dressing: Pour the prepared dressing over the spaghetti and vegetable mixture, tossing gently to coat everything evenly.
- Chill Salad: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the salad for at least 3 hours to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Serve: Give the salad a final gentle toss before serving chilled.
Notes
- For best flavor, allow the salad to chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- You can customize the vegetables according to preference or seasonal availability.
- If you prefer a creamier dressing, consider adding a tablespoon of mayonnaise or Greek yogurt.
- To make this dish vegetarian, ensure the Italian dressing used is vegetarian-friendly and omit any non-vegetarian ingredients if added.
- This salad keeps well refrigerated for up to 3 days.
