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California spaghetti salad with colorful vegetables and sliced black olives in an ivory bowl

California Spaghetti Salad

Cold spaghetti salad with tomatoes, cucumber, raw zucchini, peppers, red onion, and black olives, tossed in Parmesan Italian dressing. Chill for at least three hours, then toss again before serving.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chilling 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 12 side servings

Equipment

  • Large pot and colander
  • Very large mixing bowl
  • Small bowl and whisk
  • Kitchen tongs

Ingredients
  

For the salad

  • 400-500 g spaghetti about 1 pound
  • 1 ½ cups Cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 large Cucumber diced
  • 2 small Zucchini diced
  • 1 Green bell pepper diced
  • 1 Red bell pepper diced
  • 1 Red onion finely diced
  • 1 2.25-ounce can sliced black olives drained well

For the dressing

  • 1 16-ounce bottle Italian dressing zesty preferred
  • ½ cup Grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon Sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Paprika
  • ½ teaspoon Celery seeds
  • ½ teaspoon Garlic powder

Instructions
 

  • Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions, adding 1-2 extra minutes so the pasta remains tender when chilled.
  • Drain the cooked pasta in a colander and immediately rinse it under cold running water to stop the cooking process and remove excess starch. Set aside.
    Cooled and drained spaghetti in a metal colander
  • While the pasta boils, prepare your vegetables. Add the diced zucchini, halved cherry tomatoes, green and red bell peppers, red onion, cucumber, and drained black olives to a very large mixing bowl.
    Prepared vegetables and black olives in a large mixing bowl
  • In a separate, smaller bowl, combine the bottle of Italian dressing, grated Parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, paprika, celery seeds, and garlic powder. Whisk vigorously until the spices are fully incorporated.
    Seasoned Italian Parmesan dressing whisked together in a small bowl
  • Add the cooled spaghetti to the large bowl with the chopped vegetables. Pour the seasoned dressing mixture over the top. Use kitchen tongs to toss everything together until the pasta and vegetables are evenly coated.
    Spaghetti and vegetables evenly tossed with the Italian Parmesan dressing
  • Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a lid. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 3 hours before serving. Give it a quick toss right before serving to redistribute the dressing. Enjoy!
    A cold serving of California spaghetti salad showing pasta, vegetables, and black olives

Notes

  • Yield is an estimate of 12 generous side servings and depends on portion size.
  • Prep and pasta cooking times are estimates. Follow your spaghetti package directions and check the pasta as it cooks.
  • The total includes the minimum 3-hour chill.
  • Drain the rinsed spaghetti and canned olives thoroughly before mixing.
  • The zucchini goes into the salad raw.
  • Grated Parmesan is whisked into the dressing, and the salad is tossed again before serving.