• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Foodie Crush

foodiecrush

real good real food for real people

  • All Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Desserts
    • Family Friendly
    • Healthy
    • Splurges
    • Seasonal
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
  • Dinner
    • Chicken & Turkey
    • Meat & Seafood
    • Noodles, Rice, & Grains
    • Salads & Sides
    • Soups & Stews
  • Healthier Options
  • Friday Faves
  • About Me
    • FAQ
    • Work With Me
    • Contact

Easy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad

August 1, 2016

Classic Italian flavors make this super easy spaghetti pasta salad with pepperoni, veggies and dressing a potluck favorite everyone will love.

Easy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad | #withpepperoni #easy #recipes #dressing foodiecrush.com

Picky eaters. Just like dust bunnies and crumbs dropped and forgotten (or ignored?) in the corners of the kitchen, there’s always a few in the room.

This salad is made for picky eaters. Minus the onions, maybe. Because who doesn’t love spaghetti? And pepperoni? And olives doused with a tangy Italian dressing?

MY LATEST VIDEOS

I made this pasta salad along with this Broccoli Salad for a potluck dinner a few weeks ago. I knew there were picky eaters in the crowd, and I knew there was a very slim chance those eaters were going to be partaking of broccoli, especially in a salad.

This was my offering for them. A crowd pleaser was in the house.

Easy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad | foodiecrush.com

About the Recipe

This salad has all the flavors of a classic Italian pizza, but with the crunch of cucumbers red bell pepper and slither of spaghetti topped with tangy Parmesan cheese.

The key to good pasta is to cook it in water that has been heavily seasoned with salt. That’s where the flavor starts.

Easy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad | foodiecrush.com

This salad comes together quickly and easily and is a snap to make for even the most novice of home cooks.

Sure, there’s a bit of chopping to be done, but once you’ve wielded your way through the cucumbers, onion, red bell pepper and halved a few tomatoes, all that’s left is shaking your groove thing. For the dressing that is.

Easy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad | foodiecrush.com

Using a jar to make salad dressing might be the easiest shortcut you’ll make this week.

You could easily double this dressing and keep it on hand for green salads throughout the week if you’re looking for the second easiest shortcut of the week.

And the third shortcut? Forget making this salad for the masses and make it for yourself to eat for lunch for the week. With this ingredient list it will hold up well for several days on end.

Easy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad | foodiecrush.com

If you’re having a hard time finding mini pepperoni, you can always use the larger pieces and simply chop in half. Or use salami or chunks of chicken instead.

And if you’re feeling like switching things up even more, feel free to use green, yellow or orange bell peppers or add marinated artichoke hearts to the mix.

This is one of those salads that totally works with what you have on hand. Or for pleasing those picky little eaters.

Easy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad | foodiecrush.com

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

4.67 from 3 votes
Print

Easy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad

Classic Italian flavors make this super easy spaghetti pasta salad a potluck favorite everyone will love.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound thin spaghetti
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 2 cucumbers quartered and sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
  • 10 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
  • 8 ounces mini pepperoni
  • 1 4- ounce can sliced black olives drained
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese or pecorino romano
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 garlic clove pressed or finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions in boiling water seasoned with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Drain, rinse and cool. Add the spaghetti to a large bowl with the cucumbers, red bell pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, mini pepperoni, black olives and parmesan cheese. In a pint jar with a lid, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, sugar, garlic clove, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Shake well and pour over the spaghetti mixture and toss to coat. Add more parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Chill for 30 minutes up to overnight.

Easy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad | #withpepperoni #easy #recipes #dressing foodiecrush.com

Hey, thanks for stopping by, make it a great day and make something good.

As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.  

Are you following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest? 

Thanks for reading and subscribe to FoodieCrush to have each post delivered straight to your e-mail box.


Subscribe and have every FoodieCrush post delivered straight to your e-mail inbox

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

Related posts:

Coconut Snowball Cookies and Friday Faves
Stovetop Pesto Macaroni and Cheese with Corn and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
31 Days of Sheet Pan Dinners to Make in May
Pin
Share
Tweet
+1
Yum
Email

Categories: family friendly, healthy, lunch, noodles, rice and grains, recipes, salads and sides, seasonal : summer, vegetables and fruits Tags: cucumbers, italian, olives, pasta salad, pepperoni, spaghetti, tomato

About Heidi

Hi! I’m Heidi and I cook real good, real food I hope you’ll love to make, too.

Contact | Start Here! | Subscribe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christine @ WRY TOAST says

    August 1, 2016 at 5:27 am

    my husband dave HATES olives, have you ever heard of such a thing?! pick eaters man…. lol

    this looks so perfect for a quick meal or side – pinning!! xo

    Reply
  2. Kate Tracton says

    August 1, 2016 at 3:28 pm

    I made this for dinner tonight as it is HOT outside. What a delicious, easy recipe. Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Alma @ Vorrei says

    August 3, 2016 at 2:01 am

    I’ve used a similar recipe for years. I usually mix the Italian dressing in with the cooked pasta the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight before adding the vegetables.

    Reply
  4. best essay writing service says

    August 4, 2016 at 8:22 am

    Hey..This looks awesome..Just one question – can pappardelle be added in stead of spaghetti??

    Reply
    • Ellen says

      June 24, 2017 at 11:13 am

      I’m going to use penne or shells just because I think it would be easier to handle. If it’s pasta anything works I would think!

      Reply
  5. max says

    August 5, 2016 at 12:06 pm

    What a gorgeous, colorful,Already got print of this page.

    Reply
  6. Mandy says

    September 5, 2016 at 11:41 am

    I made this today to take to a Labor Day cookout. I realized too late that I only had white wine vinegar but it still tastes delicious! I also used baby red and orange bell peppers and used turkey pepperoni. I can totally see this as a meal!

    Reply
    • heidi says

      September 18, 2016 at 8:15 am

      Thanks for the suggestions Mandy, happy to see you made it work with what you had on hand.

      Reply
  7. Joyce says

    September 21, 2016 at 4:36 am

    Italian spaghetti pasta salad . I was eat it some days ago very testy .

    Reply
  8. snapchat hack says

    November 25, 2016 at 1:27 pm

    Follow the simple steps at this website and snapchat hack for password would be available to you online.

    Reply
  9. Linda says

    February 3, 2017 at 9:04 am

    Hi, I wanted to let you know that I made this last night. Hubs could not get enough and proclaimed that we need to have it at least once a week in perpetuity. It was really delicious. I added celery and a small handful of blanched broccoli. Forgot the red onions, but we love them, so…next time. I had a beef summer sausage but left it out bc he’d already had it with crackers for lunch. Next time I’ll stir in some fresh spinach and maybe a little feta. Love how versatile it is according to personal tastes and that it’s a great way to get lots of veggies in. Thank you!

    Reply
    • heidi says

      February 7, 2017 at 5:29 pm

      So glad you enjoyed this Linda and your husband too. I love your ideas for adapting the recipe, I’m always doing the same thing depending on what’s in the fridge!

      Reply
  10. Darcy Jorgensen says

    February 19, 2017 at 12:23 pm

    I made this recipe for us this week. It turned out awesome, and we can’t stop eating it! It’s a great side to pretty much anything. Thanks!

    Reply
    • heidi says

      February 21, 2017 at 8:56 pm

      Thanks Darcy, so glad you’re enjoying it!

      Reply
      • Shar o says

        April 13, 2018 at 2:52 pm

        Made this salad last night absolutely fantastic. The dressing is great. Enjoyed for two days.

        Reply
  11. jennifer says

    May 2, 2017 at 12:50 pm

    Great recipe. I was eat it some days ago very testy .

    Reply
  12. Snapchat says

    May 17, 2017 at 10:16 am

    Im from a small town in Canada so ya sometimes eat the same stuff over and over. Came across your site a couple days ago. Excellent recipes. Love it. Thanks for writing this blog. Great job! Is this blog connected to snapchat or social media just wanted to like you page on facebook.

    Reply
  13. daddy says

    May 23, 2017 at 6:12 am

    It tasted like your mom

    Reply
  14. Rosco says

    June 20, 2017 at 5:27 pm

    There is no excuse for canned olives. Use green olives, nicois, Greek, black cured, jarred Italian, Spanish, California, Whatever- anything other that what’s shown would be infinitely better. Everywhere in the US has real olives available – not just cities and towns.

    Reply
  15. Rebecca says

    June 21, 2017 at 4:01 pm

    I just made this salad and it tastes great already but I will wait a couple hours and I’m sure it will be even better..I added Green and Red Peppers and Marinated Artichokes.. Yummy..

    Reply
  16. Brooke says

    July 2, 2017 at 1:44 pm

    I also add mild peppers! Yum! Sometimes broccoli:)) whatever you prefer add to your liking.

    Reply
  17. Anna Hornsby says

    July 9, 2017 at 4:46 pm

    I found this recipe very helpful .I liked the video also but it was to fast to keep up with Now I have not only the recipe but the tips also. Can’t wait to try it.I believe my family will love it to

    Reply
  18. Linda says

    July 10, 2017 at 5:30 am

    Do you have nutritional values for this recipe, as written? We love it, but are supposed to be dieting. I’m not sure how to count the pasta, and all the other ingredients. Thank you.

    Reply
  19. Debra says

    July 13, 2017 at 1:21 pm

    I made this salad pretty close to the original recipe but used less than half the amount of dressing. even my uber picky husband ate it :) I liked the dressing so much that I just made a second jar full. Now I have delicious home-made Italian dressing to last a while.

    Reply
  20. web link says

    July 16, 2017 at 2:04 am

    That is very helpful for increasing my knowledge in this field.

    Reply
  21. this says

    July 16, 2017 at 2:06 am

    Only aspire to mention ones content can be as incredible. This clarity with your post is superb and that i may think you’re a guru for this issue. High-quality along with your concur permit me to to seize your current give to keep modified by using approaching blog post. Thanks a lot hundreds of along with you should go on the pleasurable get the job done.

    Reply
  22. check my site says

    July 17, 2017 at 1:05 am

    Nice knowledge gaining article. This post is really the best on this valuable topic.

    Reply
  23. learn this here now says

    July 18, 2017 at 12:37 am

    Thanks for the nice blog. It was very useful for me. I’m happy I found this blog. Thank you for sharing with us,I too always learn something new from your post.

    Reply
  24. browse around here says

    July 18, 2017 at 1:12 am

    This is a great inspiring article.I am pretty much pleased with your good work.You put really very helpful information. Keep it up. Keep blogging. Looking to reading your next post.

    Reply
  25. Linda says

    August 5, 2017 at 9:46 pm

    Recipe for vegetable pasta salad looks yummy!! Will have to try making it for my family. Would love to join your website.

    Reply
  26. Ellen says

    August 20, 2017 at 2:26 pm

    Delicious! Do you know how may calories per serving on original recipe?

    Reply
  27. David G. says

    September 6, 2017 at 6:23 pm

    I made this tonight for my wife. She must have liked it, because she had seconds and thirds. Making your own salad dressing was so much healthier than buying something and not being able to see where the ingredients came from. All fresh to include the olives and all the seasonings. Absolutely will do this again.

    Reply
  28. Chief papers says

    October 12, 2017 at 7:43 am

    I am looking for a recipe for a pasta salad. It would be nice if it was diabetic friendly, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. I also need to know about how many people it is going to feed so I can adjust it accordingly (for a party that I am going to)

    Reply
  29. markhenrich says

    December 7, 2017 at 3:49 am

    Thanks………..

    Reply
  30. Gail W says

    May 10, 2018 at 1:33 pm

    My husband and I love this recipe!! I use gluten free spaghetti and pepperoni without additives and sodium nitrate.

    Reply
  31. JoAnne Heersink says

    July 17, 2018 at 7:51 am

    I made this minus the pasta for my low carb diet. It was fantastic!!!

    Reply
  32. Danielle Stockdale says

    July 29, 2018 at 5:31 pm

    Sounds perfect…except …sugar??? SUGAR in salad dressing?????NOPE!!! Not doing that…no way!!! OMG !! Seems like sacrilege!…Ok…deep breath…I’m OK… ;0D

    Reply
  33. Danielle says

    July 29, 2018 at 5:31 pm

    Sounds perfect…except …sugar??? SUGAR in salad dressing?????NOPE!!! Not doing that…no way!!! OMG !! Seems like sacrilege!…Ok…deep breath…I’m OK… ;0D

    Reply
  34. Antonella says

    July 30, 2018 at 5:28 am

    You can make everything you want…but don’t call it italian recipe!

    Reply
  35. Wanda says

    February 1, 2019 at 12:22 pm


    Made mine Keto with zoodles, walnut oil, coconut vinegar and monk fruit sugar, LUV it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

fc_photo

Hi! I’m Heidi and I cook real good, real food I hope you’ll love to make, too.

Contact | Start Here! | Subscribe
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Free PDF Download


Signup now and also receive every FoodieCrush recipe delivered straight to your e-mail inbox!

Find a Recipe

Trending Now

  • Friday Faves Friday Faves
  • Juicy Roast Turkey Breast Juicy Roast Turkey Breast
  • Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers With Beef Recipe Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers With Beef Recipe
  • Fresh and Easy Vietnamese Noodle Salad Fresh and Easy Vietnamese Noodle Salad

Follow @foodiecrush on Instagram

  • Somewhere under the 🌈 I’m planning our next vacation to Paris but right now #tbt to #puertorico . Send me your Paris recs if you have them xo #foodiecrushtravels
  • Saying I love you one breakfast at a time. Happy Valentines Day to all you friends and lovers, all year long! XOXOXOXO #foodiecrush 
#foodiecrush #foodiecrusheats #onmyplate #whatieat #foodislove #breakfastinbed #breakfast #breakfastclub #thekitchn #huffposttaste #thefeedfeed #feedfeed #bhgfood
  • 30 tomato & mozzarella caprese sandwiches in 30 seconds ... this is how you feed an amazing team of amazing ballers on their last game day of a great year ❤️🏀❤️@shs_girlsbball get the recipe in my stories #foodiecrush

#foodvideo #recipes #recipevideo #thefeedfeed #foodbloggers #thekitchn #caprese #sandwich #thefeedfeed #feedfeed #bhgfood #huffposttaste #eatingfortheinsta #easyrecipes
  • After you try this baby, any other soup is medi-okra. 📣 Get your gumbo here https://www.foodiecrush.com/chicken-crab-andouille-gumbo-recipe/
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#foodiecrush #gumbo #soup #dinner #thefeedfeed #foodbloggers #thekitchn #huffposttaste #jazzfest #neworleansfood #andouille
  • Breakfast in an instant (pot) —> grab the recipe in my profile

https://www.foodiecrush.com/instant-pot-oatmeal-recipe-steel-cut-oats-rolled-oats/

#foodiecrush #instantpot #oatmeal #breakfastclub #instantpotrecipes #huffposttaste #bhgfood #thekitchn #foodbloggers #thefeedfeed
  • Doing what my husband does best: @saltcityjefe ‘s homemade Matzo Ball Soup with all the mish mosh curing the sickos in the house and almost even better than slurping it live at @canters_deli . Get the recipe with the link in my profile https://www.foodiecrush.com/craving-matzo-ball-soup/

#foodiecrush #foodiecrusheats #soup #matzoballsoup #soupsunday #souprecipe #bhgfood #foodblogger #foodbloggers #eeeeeats #thekitchen #huffposttaste #thefeedfeed

5 Quick and Healthy No-Sweat Simple Meals

Download now and also receive every FoodieCrush recipe delivered straight to your e-mail inbox!

Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Contact Me
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2019 · FoodieCrush on Chef Pro