Spaghetti Salad Recipe
This Spaghetti Salad Recipe has some of my favorite ingredients like Italian Sausage, tomatoes, olives, and basil adding so much flavor! I love to make this with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti, which makes it relatively low in carbs for this type of salad when served as a side dish; see notes below.
PIN the Spaghetti Salad to try it later.
This weeks Friday Favorites pick is this favorite Spaghetti Salad Recipe that’s on the menu all summer long at my house. And I first made this years ago when my sister Laurel and her family were visiting from Oklahoma to attend the graduation of my niece Amanda, so the salad has good memories for me too!
And this salad made with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti has a lot of sausage, tomatoes, and olives and only a moderate amount of spaghetti making it a perfect side-dish salad for summer pot-lucks that’s relatively low in carbs for this type of salad. (You can also make the Spaghetti Salad with regular spaghetti or whole wheat spaghetti if you don’t mind having more carbs.)
When I first tested the recipe with my nephew Jake I sent most of the leftovers home with him, and then the salad was so good I had to make it again a few days later! That’s how I knew that this salad would be a repeater at my house; I hope you enjoy trying it!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)
- turkey or pork Italian Sausage
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti (affiliate link), or use whole wheat spaghetti or regular spaghetti if you don’t care about the carbs
- salt, for pasta cooking water
- cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- can of black olives
- green onions
- fresh parsley (optional)
- coarsely grated fresh Parmesan Cheese
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- dried Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link)
- Garlic Powder (affiliate link)
- 12 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped (see notes)
- Newman’s Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link)
What spaghetti did I use for the Spaghetti Salad Recipe?
These days I would definitely make this salad with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti (affiliate link), a type of high-fiber pasta made in Italy which is lower in net carbs than most pasta.
What else makes this a lower-carb Spaghetti Salad Recipe?
Making this salad with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti makes it lower in carbs than usual salads with spaghetti. The recipe also has a lot of lower-carb ingredients like sausage, olives, and tomatoes in proportion to the amount of spaghetti. And I use 8 oz. of spaghetti for a recipe that makes eight side-dish servings, so each serving only has one ounce of spaghetti and lots of lower-carb ingredients!
How low in carbs is the Spaghetti Salad?
When it’s made with lower-carb Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti and served as a side-dish salad, each serving of this favorite summer salad has about 19 net carbs and 26 grams of protein! I’m not tagging the recipe as low-carb, but for me and probably a lot of other carb-conscious eaters, this is low enough to enjoy as a treat during the summer.
What if you don’t have fresh basil?
I’m excited to have basil growing on my patio at the new condo, so I used that in the dressing for this Spaghetti Salad, but you can use a few tablespoons of purchased or homemade Basil Pesto in the dressing if you don’t have fresh basil. (If you have frozen basil or frozen pesto, this is a perfect use for it.)
How to make the Spaghetti Salad Recipe:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Start a big pot of salted water boiling for the pasta, and break the spaghetti into pieces about 2 inches long.
- I’d use my favorite turkey Italian Sausage, but use pork sausage if you prefer. While the pasta water starts to boil, brown the sausage well on the outside.
- Drain the olives; then cut the olives and tomatoes in half.
- Cook the spaghetti until it’s barely al dente, and then rinse with cold water and drain well. (Check the package, Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti takes longer to cook than regular spaghetti.)
- As soon as the sausage is browned and has cooled enough, cut it into thick slices and then brown again so the sausage is brown on all sides.
- I used the bowl of my Immersion Blender (affiliate link) to make the dressing, but you can also whisk it together by hand and add finely chopped basil.
- Put the drained spaghetti, olives, and tomatoes in a bowl pour over the dressing and gently toss.
- Mix in the cooled Italian sausage slices and toss again.
- Then add the chopped parsley, sliced green onions, and Parmesan and toss again.
- Season the Spaghetti Salad Recipe with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste and serve (or you can make ahead and refrigerate for a few hours.)
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
I think Spaghetti Salad is a perfect side dish that’s not too much of a splurge on carbs for a summer meal, and it would taste great with any of these low-carb main dishes:
- Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar
- Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
- Grilled Boneless Pork Chops
- Grilled Cod with Garlic, Basil, and Lemon
- Lemon Pesto Chicken Kabobs
More Summer Salads to Enjoy:
Spaghetti Salad Recipe
This Spaghetti Salad Recipe with Italian Sausage is something I’d make for a special occasion during the summer, and the salad also has tomatoes, olives, and basil adding extra flavors. And if you make this with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti, it's a perfect low-carb side dish; use any spaghetti you prefer if you don't care about the carbs.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- one 19.5 oz. package Italian Sausage links (see notes)
- 2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil, for browning the sausage
- 8 oz. Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti, broken into pieces about 2 inches long (see notes)
- salt, for pasta cooking water
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- one 6 oz. can black olives
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup coarsely grated fresh Parmesan (or more)
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Dressing Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp. dried Italian Herb Blend
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 12 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped (see notes)
- 1/2 cup Newman's Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing or other low-sugar vinaigrette
Instructions
- Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large frying pan and start browning the sausage over medium heat.
- While sausage browns, break the spaghetti into pieces and start a big pot of water boiling to cook the pasta, adding a generous amount of salt to the water when it comes to a boil.
- When the water is boiling, add the pasta, reduce heat to a low boil, and cook pasta until it’s barely al-dente. (Check the package for cooking time; Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti will take longer to cook than other types of spaghetti.)
- Drain the pasta into a colander placed in the sink, rinse with cold water, and let it drain well.
- As soon as the sausage is browned on all sides, remove from the pan and let cool until you can slice it.
- While sausage cools, cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Drain the olives and cut in half.
- Chop the parsley and slice the green onions and finely chop the basil (or measure the pesto if you don’t have fresh basil.)
- When it's cool, cut the sausage into thick slices, add a little more olive oil to the frying pan, and brown the sausage slices again on both sides. Let cool.
- While the sausage is cooling and pasta is draining, whisk or blend together the Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing, Italian herb blend, and garlic powder to make the dressing.
- Then whisk or blend in the finely chopped basil (or basil pesto.) I made it in the bowl of my immersion blender, but just stirring in the chopped basil will also work fine.
- Put the cooled and drained spaghetti, sliced tomatoes, and sliced olives into a large bowl and gently toss with the dressing.
- Add the cooled and browned sausage slices and toss again, then add the chopped parsley, sliced green onion, and coarsely grated fresh Parmesan and toss again.
- Season the salad well with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve, or refrigerate for a few hours before serving. (Remember the pasta cooking water and the olives are salty, so it doesn’t need much salt.)
- I don’t normally like to refrigerate things with fresh tomatoes, but this salad was still really good after it had been in the fridge overnight.
Notes
Use turkey or pork Italian sausage, whichever you prefer.
You can also make the salad with whole wheat spaghetti, or any kind of spaghetti you prefer if you don't care about the carbs.
You can use about 2 T purchased or homemade basil pesto in the dressing if you don’t have fresh basil.
Recipe created by Kalyn and Jake.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 562Total Fat 37.5gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 22.4gCholesterol 57mgSodium 1047mgCarbohydrates 32.5gFiber 13.5gSugar 3.1gProtein 26g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
With the Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti I used and only using eight ounces of spaghetti to make eight servings of pasta salad, this Spaghetti Salad Recipe has only about 19 net carbs and 26 grams of protein. If you’re making it for the original South Beach Diet, it’s important to use lower-fat turkey or chicken Italian sausage, and my recipe with less pasta and more carb-conscious ingredients make this salad more South Beach Diet friendly. Still, even with those adaptations, I’m guessing a salad like this is probably Phase three for South Beach, or maybe a small serving of this for Phase two.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more salads like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Spaghetti Salad was posted in 2013. It was last updated with more information in 2025.
14 Comments on “Spaghetti Salad Recipe”
I love so many of your recipes and this one sounds fabulous. I am eager to try this recipe but I see the red wine vinegar and white balsamic vinegar referenced in the Instructions but they were left out of the Dressing Ingredients list.
Can you share the amounts of both of these?
Sincerely,
I am so sorry!! That is just bad editing on my part. I originally made this salad using olive oil and vinegar to make a dressing from scratch. But for years now I have replaced those with Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing now, or any low-sugar vinaigrette dressing you prefer.
I edited to remove those ingredients that are not needed with the new easier dressing.
Sam, glad you like it. I need to try Feedly; I'm looking for something to replace Google Reader.
Everything I love in this including the whole wheat pasta, which I am just beginning to like.
I just figured out how to follow you in bloglovin' and feedly. So much easier for me than email, so you'll know what happened to me there.
Sam
Alejandra, really liked the spaghetti in this! I think it was partly inspired by a deli spaghetti salad I used to love.
I've never thought to do a pasta salad using spaghetti noodles–I love it!
Val, so glad you like it!
There is no doubt that I would enjoy this salad immensely Kalyn.
Susan, I think you could eat it warm. Glad you like it!
YUM. What a great combination of flavors! What's funny is that the whole time I was reading the post I was picturing eating it warm. I bet it would be good both warm and cold. Pinning it now! 🙂
Katesmom, I know you can get the Garofalo whole wheat pasta from Amazon.com if that helps. I really love this brand!
This looks gorgeous and absolutely delicious. I'll be making it as soon as the weather here finally warms up. However I think I'll use Kalamata olives instead of the canned black ones. Their flavor would go really well here.
I've not been able to find the Garofalo whole wheat pasta at my Costco. I'll probably have to sub regular white spaghetti. Sure wish I could get the whole wheat. I'd love to find a whole wheat pasta that tastes good.
Lucky family to (a) have so many things to celebrate, and (b) get to eat this pasta salad! I think pasta salad gets a bad name from too much mayonnaise, so I love that your version doesn't have any.
What a beautiful salad, Kalyn! It's perfect for a potluck, or anytime you want to make something ahead of time. (Which is all of the time when I'm entertaining.) I'll definitely be trying this one.