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This delicious and colorful California Pasta Salad is always a hit as part of a party menu. Make this easy pasta salad recipe up to a day ahead if you like; the flavors only get better as it marinates.
Think outside of the pasta box! Your options for pasta salad can go far beyond short-cut noodles. (Although I’ll never turn down a scoop of The Best Macaroni Salad, bowtie-boosted BLT Pasta Salad, penne-strong Seafood Pasta Salad, or small-grain Orzo Pasta Salad with Roasted Vegetables.)
I spotted and sampled this creative pasta salad recipe at a potluck party I attended, and was instantly enamored with the idea of spaghetti noodles in pasta salad. My California Pasta Salad recipe punches up the color and flavor with several fresh vegetables and a simple homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette that’s infused with herbs and poppyseeds.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Thin spaghetti: Yes, I know Italian chefs will scoff at me recommending that you break the noodles into thirds. I strongly suggest that you follow suit, however; this allows the pasta to not only cook faster and fit easier into your pot, but also makes it easier to eat.
- Grape tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes or chopped Roma, classic, or heirloom tomatoes can also pinch hit.
- Canned black olives: I know these are polarizing, so feel free to omit. But I adore the briny element they add to the pasta salad.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a small bowl with a whisk, or in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, Parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, oregano, poppy seeds, garlic, paprika, celery seed, and salt. Mix well and allow flavors to blend while preparing the salad.
- Bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Add spaghetti and cook according to package directions, about 9 minutes. Drain well and rinse in cold water.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl add zucchini, tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, onion, and black olives. Add rinsed pasta and drizzle with salad dressing to taste (you don’t have to use it all).
- Toss to combine, cover, and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This California Pasta Salad recipe makes a whopping 16 1-cup servings. Talk about perfect for parties, potlucks, or picnics! Feel free to halve the recipe if you’re sharing it with a smaller crew.
- Storage: Transfer extra pasta salad to an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days
- Make ahead: California Pasta Salad can be assembled up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Toss gently before serving.
- Cheese, please! If you enjoy your pasta salad with a bit of creamy dairy in the mix, toss in mozzarella bocconcini or crumble in some feta or goat cheese.
Recipe FAQs
Angel hair, bucatini, or vermicelli would all fit the long, skinny style here. Of course, you can stick with a smaller noodle, too, if you prefer. Farfalle, macaroni, rotini, cavatappi, gemelli, ziti, or penne would also work wonderfully. Just note that pasta cooking times will vary.
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California Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad Dressing:
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic or two cloves fresh, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
For the Pasta Salad:
- 1 pound thin spaghetti broken into thirds (see note 1)
- 2 medium zucchini diced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved (see note 2)
- 1 large hot house cucumber diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 1 red onion diced (optional)
- 1 (6.5 ounce) can sliced black olives drained (see note 3)
Instructions
- In a small bowl with a whisk, or in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, Parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, oregano, poppy seeds, garlic, paprika, celery seed, and salt. Mix well and allow flavors to blend while preparing the salad.
- Bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Add spaghetti and cook according to package directions, about 9 minutes. Drain well and rinse in cold water.
- In a large bowl add zucchini, tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, onion, and black olives. Add rinsed pasta and drizzle with salad dressing to taste (you don't have to use it all). Toss to combine, cover, and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Thin spaghetti: Yes, I know Italian chefs will scoff at me recommending that you break the noodles into thirds. I strongly suggest that you follow suit, however; this allows the pasta to not only cook faster and fit easier into your pot, but also makes it easier to eat.
- Grape tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes or chopped Roma, classic, or heirloom tomatoes can also pinch hit.
- Canned black olives: I know these are polarizing, so feel free to omit. But I adore the briny element they add to the pasta salad.
- Yield: This California Pasta Salad recipe makes a whopping 16 1-cup servings. Talk about perfect for parties, potlucks, or picnics! Feel free to halve the recipe if you’re sharing it with a smaller crew.
- Storage: Transfer extra pasta salad to an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days
- Make ahead: California Pasta Salad can be assembled up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Toss gently before serving.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
What would you recommend as a substitute for the zucchini in this recipe? Would shredded carrots be too overpowering? This recipe looks absolutely wonderful..thank you for sharing!
Hi Rhonda! I’m obsessed with this salad so I hope you love it too. I would probably add an extra cucumber to replace the zucchini (or any other vegetable you love). Shredded carrots would be great. You could also get away with something like small florets of blanched broccoli (I wouldn’t necessarily throw broccoli in raw, but blanched would be good). You can also just leave out the zucchini and not worry about it (you’ll have slightly less salad but maybe that’s fine). Thank you! Good luck, I hope it exceeds your expectations. Take care! -Meggan
I wonder if you could use raspberry/walnut vinaigrette on this salad …….I need something other than italian.
Hi Mary, I don’t see why not. Hope you enjoy! – Meggan
This recipe looks so yummy and perfect for a planned potluck that I am going to in a few weeks. One question: do you use fresh grated parmesan cheese or can you use the grated dry parmesan cheese that come in a plastic container the you sprinkle on spaghetti?
Thank you,
Hi Mary, for this I would use the grated dry parm from the plastic container. I like that better on pasta salads because it’s saltier and I just LOVE the way it clings to the noodles. But it’s totally your preference, if you have a chunk of regular parm sitting around and you want to grate it, that’s great. But where I come from (Wisconsin) everyone uses the plastic container on pasta salads because they always have it on hand. I think we love what we grew up with! I hope this helps. I hope everyone likes the recipe! -Meggan
Being from Cali, I definitely need to make this! It looks so good!