Summer Italian Spaghetti Salad Recipe
Light and fresh, enjoy this cold spaghetti salad. Summer Italian Spaghetti Salad Recipe is a spaghetti salad with fresh veggies and Italian dressing. We love how easy this spaghetti salad recipe is to prepare in advance, and chill in the fridge. The longer it sits, it is a hearty, flavorful side dish or entree that’s perfect for a crowd. A must make for summer!
Using your favorite pasta and Parmesan cheese, add either salami or pepperoni for this cold, Summer Italian Spaghetti Salad Recipe. So light, fresh, and made with fresh garden veggies–it’s the best in the summertime.
Summer Italian Spaghetti Salad Recipe
I sometimes use DeLallo’s Italian dressing–the flavor is so amazing. But you can buy your favorite dressing (or make it). You can even add the dressing right before serving.
Read more: Summer Italian Spaghetti Salad Recipe
Why I love this recipe
- This salad is great for any potluck or summer party.
- Make homemade Italian dressing, or optional to buy store-bought, when you’re in a pinch for time!
- It’s full of flavor and everyone loves it.
Gather these ingredients:
- Thin spaghetti pasta
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Salami slices (or pepperoni, or both)
- Green pepper
- Red onion
- Black olives
- Italian salad dressing, OR MAKE YOUR OWN (recipe below)
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Paprika
- Salt & pepper to taste
Homemade Italian Dressing
Optional to make your own Italian dressing. Here are the ingredients:
- Red wine vinegar
- Dried basil and oregano
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
How do you make Summer Spaghetti Salad?
For the best flavor, it’s optional to make this salad the night before!
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions, usually 1 minute less in time (el dente); drain and rinse. Add a drizzle of olive oil so pasta does not stick together. Refrigerate until cool.
- Place in a large bowl; add tomatoes, cucumber, salami, pepper, red onion, and olives.
- Combine remaining ingredients; pour over salad and toss to coat. Add the Parmesan cheese; gently stir together. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours; serve!
How do you serve spaghetti salad?
Pairing well with any barbecue, this cold spaghetti salad is perfect to serve with this pepperoncini steak. Serve also with Best Grilled Chicken Thighs (so good).
Tips and substitutions:
- Here’s what I love about summer cooking: COOK EXTRA. Double the recipe for any party!
- Eating at home on a regular basis doesn’t mean you need to cook every night, too. So leftovers are great!
- Change up the pasta with your favorite (you don’t have to use spaghetti noodles).
- You can make a homemade dressing or buy store bought. What’s your favorite brand?
- Cook in salted water (no oil), and rinse and cool!
- Super yummy served as leftovers!
- If you add the dressing right you mix all the ingredients, the flavor gets better and better each day.
- Optional to add one cup of chunky salami and one of pepperoni.
- Use twice the amount of green olives instead of black – give it a try!
- Add sweet onions instead of red.
- For summer add fresh corn – delish!
- Swap out the Parmesan cheese for a cup of cubed pepper jack for more pizzaz.
- Some readers have used Paul Newman’s Family Italian Dressing.
More summer salads you may want to try:
- Potluck Spaghetti Tuna Salad Recipe
- Easy Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
- Easy Pad Thai Salad
- BEST Potato Salad
- Avocado Pasta Salad
- Cowboy Pasta Salad
Get the Recipe:
Summer Italian Spaghetti Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz pkg thin spaghetti, halved
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1 cup Salami slices (or pepperoni, or both), cut into small pieces
- 1 medium green pepper, diced
- ½ small red onion, diced
- ½ cup black olives, drained, thinly sliced
- 1 bottle Italian salad dressing, OR MAKE YOUR OWN (recipe below)
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Salt & pepper to taste
Homemade Italian Dressing
- 1 ½ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 TBSP red wine vinegar
- 1 TBSP dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon, plus more to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 TBSP Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions, usually 1 minute less in time (el dente); drain and rinse. Add a drizzle of olive oil so pasta does not stick together. Refrigerate until cool.
- Place in a large bowl; add tomatoes, cucumber, salami, pepper, red onion, and olives.
- Combine remaining ingredients; pour over salad and toss to coat. Add the Parmesan cheese; gently stir together. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours; serve!
Notes
We love these clear glass serving / mixing bowls!
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I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
this is great using any pasta shell now tie macroni, due to the size of the you would have to cook extra for smaller pasta. great with gluten pasta as well. i’ve been making this for nearly 28 years. we love it
I am in love! This is absolutely delicious, I made it tonight along with with meatballs on the side, yummy. I was wondering how many people will this feed and what size of a servingAre you thinking of? Thanks.
We found this recipe feeds 8-10. Depends on how hunry your group is :)
Well, I put the dressing on right after we added all the ingredients and it got better and better each day. Today is day 3 and we finally finished it off. I did add one cup of chunky salami and one of pepperoni. I used twice the amount of green olives instead of black and used sweet onions instead of red. Fresh corn was on sale so I added that as well. This will be my go to for pot lucks anywhere and anytime. Used Paul Newman’s Family Italian. This is a keeper and I so appreciate it! Oh I almost forgot. We scratched the Parmesan and put in a cup of cubed pepper jack! Added a touch of pizzazz!
Hello, I am making this delicious sounding recipe a we speak but I am confused. The recipe says put the Italian dressing on and refrigerate for 2 hrs, but you told someone not to put the dressing on until just before serving. Which is correct cause we are excited? Thanks.
You can do either! Personal preference, but either works.
Can you substitute sliced green olives for black? I really dislike black olives.
Yes you can!
For the parmesan cheese, green can or freshly grated?
We use freshly grated. But you can use either.
sounds delic! – what brand of gf pasta did you use when you made for your friend- thank you!
DeLallo Gluten-Free Spaghetti made with corn and rice! It’s the best!
Delicious! I keep coming back to this salad when the weather gets hot. It is such a great one to have in the fridge for an easy meal that doesn’t heat up the kitchen!
It doesn’t get any more delicious than this spaghetti salad. The whole family loves it and it makes the best lunch on a hot summer day.
I made this summer Italian spaghetti salad recipe for a cookout and everyone loved it! The vibrant flavors of the vegetables shine through making this a great summer dish!
Looks like the original recipe I first made in the 80s. I found out I could eat this for lunch too. I made it in the biggest bowl I had. The only thing missing from this recipe is the original had Salad Supreme added. I don’t remember the measurement but it should be easy to add as much as you like. Homegrown Summer Tomatoes are ready, I am using those too. A grilled burger and corn on the cob with this salad and it’s a delicious meal. Thanks for refreshing my memory about this salad. **
Oh my goodness!!!! This was wonderful.
Can I use spaghetti squash in place of noodles
We have never tried this recipe with spaghetti squash. Sorry!
I loved this salad! so pretty to look at yet so delicious! Thanks for recipe.
5 star
I added a can of albacore tuna drained and omitted the salami or sausage. Great!!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Yes, and great as leftovers!
Sounds delicious but I’m confused about cooking the pasta. First it says a minute or less and refrigerate, Then it says cook it according to package directions. Am I cooking the pasta twice or is the 1 minute things typo?
Yes, you only cook the pasta one time :)