Spaghetti Salad
Spaghetti salad is the kind of recipe that you can prepare earlier in the day or even the night before because the flavors meld as it sits in the refrigerator. Featuring cold noodles and crunchy vegetables, spaghetti salad is a great dish for outdoor celebrations — just pair it with whatever you’re serving from the grill. Plus, it’s served at room temperature and feeds a crowd.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried spaghetti
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1/2 medium green bell pepper
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper
- 1/2 small red onion
- 1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced black olives
- 1 1/4 cups Italian vinaigrette salad dressing, such as Ken’s or Newman’s Own
- 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 1 pound dried spaghetti and cook according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, prepare the following, adding each to the same large bowl as you complete it: Halve 1 pint cherry tomatoes; halve 1 medium cucumber lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and dice (about 1 heaped cup); dice 1 medium green bell pepper and 1 medium red bell pepper (about 1 cup each); dice 1/2 small red onion (about 1/3 cup); drain 1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced black olives.
- When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the bowl. Drizzle with 1 1/4 cups Italian vinaigrette and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- When ready to serve, toss the spaghetti again. Taste and season with kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Finely shred 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese on the smaller holes of a box grater (about 1/2 cup). Pick and coarsely chop the leaves from 1 small bunch fresh parsley until you have 1/4 cup. Sprinkle onto the salad.