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Easy Spaghetti Pasta Salad combines spaghetti noodles, vegetables, mozzarella cheese and Italian dressing for the perfect easy summer pasta salad! It’s a super simple cold pasta salad recipe for summer gatherings or a light meal!
When it comes to pasta salad, I have yet to find a combination of noodles, vegetables, cheeses and dressings that I haven’t liked. If you’ve browsed around here, you will know that I have an entire collection of easy pasta salad recipes that I love!
This easy spaghetti pasta salad combines tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber, purple onion, pepperoni, and mozzarella pearls with spaghetti noodles and Italian dressing to create the most delightfully delicious pasta salad. It’s served cold and is so perfect for those hot summer days. I hope you like it as much as I do. Enjoy!
❤️Ashley
Spaghetti Pasta Salad Ingredients
This easy spaghetti pasta salad is served cold and requires only a few simple ingredients. Specific ingredient amounts are found below in the recipe card. To make this recipe, you will need:
- Spaghetti noodles – the base of the recipe. I prefer thin spaghetti. You can use any pasta that you have on hand.
- Vegetables – red onion, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, cucumber and black olives
- Cheese – I like to use mozzarella pearls — small bite-sized balls of fresh mozzarella cheese typically the size of marbles. You can also use feta or parmesan cheese
- Dressing – Italian dressing coats the vegetables. To keep things easy I use a bottle of pre-made Italian dressing. You can make your own Italian dressing if you wish.
- Pepperoni – good alternatives are grilled chicken or even shrimp
How to Make Spaghetti Salad
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions – it is best to cook the spaghetti to al dente. I recommend salting the pasta water – it helps season the pasta itself while it cooks.
- Prep the ingredients: cut cherry tomatoes in half, dice the red pepper and cucumber, and thinly slice purple onion. Drain the olive, and cut the pepperoni into halves or quarters.
- Drain the pasta. Do not rinse. Place the pasta in the refrigerator to cool for about 30 minutes.
- Combine the ingredients: combine the cooled spaghetti noodles with the additional ingredients then toss with Italian dressing.
- Chill and serve: chill for at least one hour before serving.
More Summer Pasta Salads to try…
Here are five delicious cold pasta salad recipes to try!
- Easy Tuna Macaroni Salad – made with peas and cheddar cheese.
- Caprese Pasta Salad – with juicy tomatoes, creamy fresh mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad – loaded with chicken, bacon and a creamy ranch dressing!
- Creamy Cheddar Pasta Salad
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
If you try this recipe for Easy Spaghetti Pasta Salad, or any of my recipes, please let me know what you think. I love to hear from you!
Easy Spaghetti Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 6 ounces black olives, sliced
- 8 ounces mozzarella pearls
- 6 ounces pepperoni, cut into halves
- 16 ounces Italian dressing
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain well but do not rinse. Place the cooked spaghetti in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool.
- Prepare ingredients: dice the red bell pepper and cucumber, thinly slice the red onion, halve the cherry or grape tomatoes, halve the pepperoni slices, and drain the olives.
- Combine the chilled spaghetti noodles with the red onion, tomatoes, red bell pepper, cucumbers, black olives, mozzarella pearls, and pepperoni, then toss with Italian dressing.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.
