Include a creamy element: Just before serving, stir in some crumbled feta, fresh or marinated mozzarella, a few dollops of creamy goat cheese or diced avocado.
How to Store California Spaghetti Salad
Store leftover California spaghetti pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. After a day or two, the salad may look a little dry as the pasta absorbs the dressing. Just before serving the leftovers, revive the salad’s original consistency by tossing it with extra Italian dressing (or a splash of olive oil or water if you don’t have extra dressing on hand).
Can you make California spaghetti salad ahead of time?
As with most cold pasta salad recipes, we recommend making this pasta salad a day ahead of time. Chilling the salad in the fridge overnight allows the veggies time to marinate and gives the noodles time to soak in the dressing. The salad will taste more seasoned and cohesive if made in advance.
California Spaghetti Salad Tips
What other types of pasta would work in this California spaghetti pasta salad?
Instead of spaghetti, use another type of long pasta like angel hair, linguine or bucatini. Make sure to break the pasta into 1-inch pieces before cooking it so it’s easy to eat. Although it won’t have quite the same look and feel, you could swap in a short-shaped pasta like elbow macaroni, farfalle, spiral-shaped rotelli or twisty cavatappi. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time and cook the pasta to al dente to prevent it from soaking in too much of the dressing.
Do you eat California spaghetti salad warm or cold?
This California spaghetti salad recipe is intended to be enjoyed cold. The spaghetti will have the firmest texture straight out of the fridge, so try to keep it chilled until the very last minute.
Watch How to Make California Spaghetti Salad
Ingredients
1 pound thin spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
3 large tomatoes, diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 large cucumber, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 sweet red pepper, diced
1 large red onion, diced
2 cans (2-1/4 ounces each) sliced ripe olives, drained
dressing:
1 bottle (16 ounces) Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
1
Cook pasta according to package directions; Drain and rinse in cold water. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the vegetables and olives.
2
In a large bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Drizzle over spaghetti mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with a slotted spoon.
Nutrition Facts
3/4 cup: 257 calories, 13g fat (2g saturated fat), 1mg cholesterol, 567mg sodium, 30g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 2g fiber), 6g protein.
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