Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad with Creamy Dressing

Creamy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad is a fresh, flavorful side dish made with tender spaghetti, crisp vegetables, savory salami, and a creamy Italian dressing. This easy spaghetti pasta salad recipe is perfect for BBQs, potlucks, and summer dinners.

For more delicious pasta salad recipes, check out my popular posts for Pesto Pasta Salad, Greek Pasta Salad, and Strawberry Avocado Chicken Pasta Salad.

Why This Creamy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad Works

The perfect combo of ingredients — This easy cold spaghetti salad is a twist on one that my family has served at summer get-togethers for years. I swapped out the usual penne or rotini noodles for spaghetti, and traded cubed ham for sliced salami. Oh and the cheese! We usually throw cubed cheddar in with our pasta salads but this time I went with parmesan because I’m sort of having a moment with parmesan. 

Fast — You can whip up this spaghetti salad with zesty Italian dressing in 15 minutes right before a party BUT if you can think that far ahead I highly recommend making it 2-3 hours beforehand. If you get all of that pasta goodness covered in a bowl and can let it hang out in the fridge for a while before you’re going to serve it, the flavors really get kicked up a notch!

Great for leftovers — Sure, pasta salad is great the day of, but there’s just something about cold spaghetti salad the next day that’s just so much better. I’ve even been known to eat this for breakfast. I mean, it’s all the ingredients I’d want in an omelet but with spaghetti! 

Perfect picnic dish — As I mentioned before, this is a twist on an old family favorite. But now that I’ve…ahem…improved on the old dish, it’s all anyone wants me to bring to any potluck or picnic or get-together. It’s especially great in the summer but also is heartily eaten in the winter too!

Ingredients 

Spaghetti noodles — I think spaghetti is the perfect pasta for this dish, although I recognize that it is out of the ordinary to add spaghetti to a pasta salad. You can always break up the spaghetti before you cook it to make it a little more manageable or you can sub another pasta if you like. 

Cherry tomatoes — Half a few cherry tomatoes to put in this pasta salad to give it some color and texture.

Whole black olives — Whole (pitted) black olives are also a must, but if you insist, you could half them or buy sliced black olives. 

Hard salami — I do quarter the salami as that makes it easier to mix into the pasta salad. You could also use a pizza cutter to cut it into strips.

Cucumber — Slice the cucumber into thin rounds. Alternatively, you can dice them. I leave the skin on for color but you can remove it if you don’t like it.

Shredded parmesan cheese — Shredded is the way to go. I like to see and taste the parm rather than use the powdered stuff that basically disintegrates into the dressing or pasta salad or sometimes gets clumpy. You don’t have to grate fresh; you can purchase pre-shredded parm. 

White wine vinegar — White wine vinegar adds a nice acidity and tartness to the Italian dressing, but you can also use red wine if you don’t have red.

Italian seasoning — Either use the Italian seasoning you get in the spice aisle or sometimes I’ve been known to use the packet of dry Italian dressing spices that you get in the dressing aisle. 

Red pepper flakes — Just a touch of heat is added by red pepper flakes, if you don’t like any heat, you can skip them.

Mayo — Mayo helps make this dressing creamy. If you prefer it to not be creamy, you can substitute olive oil or reduced fat mayo or even plain greek yogurt.

How to Make Creamy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad

Ready to make this recipe for the best cold spaghetti salad? Follow the simple directions below: 

1. First, add the spaghetti noodles to a large pot of water (not too much, just enough to cover it). Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat and then continue to let it boil for another 7-9 minutes or until the spaghetti is tender but still has some bite. 
2. Drain the spaghetti and set aside.
3. Make the dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor, pulsing till it’s smooth.

4. Put the noodles in a bowl and combine them with the tomatoes, olives, salami, and cucumbers. Pour the dressing over the top and toss to combine. 
5. Sprinkle the salad with the parmesan cheese and serve the dish immediately OR cover and let it chill for 1-3 hours, letting the ingredients absorb the dressing for an enhanced flavor.

Tips for the Best Spaghetti Pasta Salad

• This spaghetti salad will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Give it a stir before eating.
• I use about 8 to 12 ounces of dried spaghetti noodles. 8 ounces will serve about 6-8 people, while 12 ounces will serve about 10-12. 
• Additionally, you may want to add more mayo. I use about ⅓ to 2/3 cup mayo, depending on how much spaghetti I’ve cooked. Also keep in mind the more mayo you use, the creamier it will be.

Variations and Add-Ins

The great thing about this spaghetti salad is that it’s so versatile. I love to make up a batch and then customize it depending on what’s in my fridge or what I’m feeling for the day: 

Add in veggies like bell peppers, onions, blanched or cooked broccoli or cauliflower (or raw if you prefer), peas…you get the idea.

Switch up the cheeses. Instead of parmesan, try feta, mozzarella balls, or even goat cheese. 

Add more than just the black olives, or a different olive. I love green olives, castelvetrano, kalamata, and more. You could also try another briney condiment like capers, roasted red peppers, banana peppers, or sun dried tomatoes. 

Try tossing in greens like baby spinach or cooked kale.

Add protein! I’ve sliced up a grilled chicken breast and added it to my serving of spaghetti salad before. I’ve also added steak, shrimp, and sometimes albacore tuna.

No time for a homemade dressing? Any store-bought Italian dressing will be delicious, as will garlic expressions, or a red wine vinegar vinaigrette. 

And finally, if you’re a texture person like myself, you may want to add some pine nuts, pistachios, or chopped walnuts or pepitas to this salad for a little crunch with every bite.

Make Ahead and Storage Tips

If you want to make this spaghetti salad ahead of time, I recommend keeping the spaghetti salad separate from the dressing and then adding the dressing and tossing just before serving. 

This salad will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days, although if it’s dressed, it will become soggier by the day. 

What to Serve with Spaghetti Pasta Salad

If you’d like to round out this pasta salad, some of my favorite ways are to add grilled chicken or steak (on the side or cut up and mixed in); add a roasted vegetable like roasted broccoli, roasted asparagus, parmesan green beans, or oven roasted brussels sprouts; a simple green salad; a tex-mex turkey or beef chipotle barbecue burger; or some delicious grilled garlic bread or garlic knots.

FAQs

More Recipes to Try

• Copycat Olive Garden Salad and Dressing Recipe – crisp, zesty, and totally crave worthy.
• Mediterranean Salad with Greek Salad Dressing – fresh, vibrant, and bursting with bold flavor in every bite.
• Best Easy Italian Green Salad – the kind of salad you’ll want everyday!