Spaghetti Pasta Salad

Spaghetti Pasta Salad has some of my favorite ingredients like Italian Sausage, tomatoes, olives, and basil adding so much flavor! See tips in the post for making a lower-carb or low-carb version of this salad.

PIN the Spaghetti Pasta Salad to try it later.

It’s a big party day at my house, and this delicious Spaghetti Pasta Salad is on the menu. Today our family is celebrating graduations and birthdays, and I’m especially excited that my sister Laurel and her family are here from Oklahoma to attend the graduation of my niece Amanda from Snow College. They’ll be coming to the party and then spending the night at my house before they fly back home (and I am so thrilled to have a bigger house where there’s room for my family to stay!)

Utah is finally having pretty consistent warm weather, and this is a perfect salad for summer pot-lucks. When I tested the recipe with Jake, this salad was so good that after I sent most of the leftovers home with him, I had to make it again a few days later! I’m sure this salad is going to be a repeater at my house; hope you like it!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• turkey Italian Sausage
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• whole wheat spaghetti, or other pasta of your choice
• salt, for pasta cooking water
• cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• can of black olives
• green onions
• fresh parsley (optional)
• coarsely grated fresh Parmesan
• 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 Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link)

What if you don’t have fresh basil?

I’m excited to have basil growing in my kitchen window, so I used that in the dressing, but you can use a few tablespoons of purchased or homemade Basil Pesto if you don’t have fresh basil. (If you have frozen basil or frozen pesto, this is a perfect use for it.)

What kind of spaghetti did I use?

I used my favorite Garofalo Organic Whole Wheat Italian Spaghetti for the salad, but then Costco stopped carrying it and it seemed pretty pricey to buy it online. Use any good quality whole wheat spaghetti, and of course you can also use any kind of whole wheat pasta shape.

How can you make this salad lower in carbs?

To make a carb-friendly version of pasta salad, I use less pasta and more lower-carb ingredients like turkey Italian Sausage, cherry tomatoes, and olives, and you can use even less spaghetti and more sausage and olives if you’d like a version with even fewer carbs. Or check out my Low-Carb Italian Pasta Salad for a similar salad made with Palmini Low-Carb Linguini (affiliate link).

How to make this recipe:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

1. Start a big pot of salted water boiling for the pasta, and break the spaghetti into pieces about 2 inches long.
2. 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. 
3. Drain the olives; then cut the olives and tomatoes in half.
4. Cook the spaghetti until it’s barely al dente, and then rinse with cold water and drain well.
5. As soon as the sausage is browned and has cooled enough, but it into thick slices and then brown again so the sausage is brown on all sides.
6. 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.
7. Put the drained spaghetti, olives, and tomatoes in a bowl pour over the dressing and gently toss.
8. Mix in the cooled Italian sausage slices and toss again.
9. Then add the chopped parsley, sliced green onions, and Parmesan and toss again.
10. Season the salad with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste and serve (or you can make ahead and refrigerate for a few hours.)

More Pasta Salad for Summer Parties:

Salad with Grilled Vegetables, Orzo, and Feta ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen

Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Salmon, Tomatoes, and Herb Dressing ~ Cookin’ Canuck
Tuna Pasta Salad with Green Olives ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen

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Yield: 6 servings

Spaghetti Pasta Salad

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

This delicious Spaghetti Pasta Salad with Italian Sausage is something I’d make for a special occasion, and the salad also has tomatoes, olives, and basil adding extra flavor.

Ingredients

Ingredients

• one 19.5 oz. package turkey Italian Sausage
• 2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil, for browning the sausage
• 8 oz. whole wheat spaghetti, broken into pieces about 2 inches long
• 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 Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing or other low-sugar vinaigrette

Instructions

1. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large frying pan and start browning the sausage over medium heat.
2. 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.
3. When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta, reduce heat to a low boil, and cook pasta until it’s barely al-dente. (Check the package for cooking time; I cooked my spaghetti for exactly 9 minutes.)
4. Drain the pasta into a colander placed in the sink, rinse with cold water, and let it drain well.
5. As soon as the sausage is browned on all sides, remove from the pan and let cool until you can slice it.
6. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Drain the olives and cut in half.
7. Chop the parsley and slice the green onions and finely chop the basil (or measure the pesto if you don’t have fresh basil.)
8. Cut the cooled 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. Put the cooled and drained spaghetti, sliced tomatoes, and sliced olives into a large bowl and gently toss with the dressing.
12. 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.
13. 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.)
14. 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

I love Garofalo Organic Whole Wheat Italian Spaghetti, but you can make this with any kind of whole wheat pasta shape.

You can use about 2 T purchased or homemade basil pesto if you don’t have fresh basil.

Recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 450Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 1197mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 30g

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.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
It’s important to use whole wheat pasta and low-fat turkey Italian sausage if you’re making this salad for the original South Beach Diet, and my proportions which use less pasta and more carb-conscious ingredients make this salad more diet-friendly. Still, even with those adaptations, I’m guessing a salad like this is probably Phase 3 for the South Beach Diet, or maybe a small serving of this for Phase 2 if the rest of the meal was lower-carb foods. This can’t ever be a truly low-carb salad, but my Low-Carb Italian Pasta Salad made with Palmini Low-Carb Linguini (affiliate link) has similar flavors.

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 to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2013. It was updated in 2021 with more information and an option for a similar pasta salad that’s low in carbs.

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