California Spaghetti Salad

California Spaghetti Salad is an flavorful dish that combines pasta, fresh veggies and a tangy dressing. It’s perfect, for gatherings, backyard barbecues or as a light meal by itself. Here’s how you can make it;

Ingredients;

For the Salad;
8 ounces of spaghetti cooked as per the instructions on the package and cooled
1 pint of cherry tomatoes halved
1 cucumber diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper diced
1 small red onion thinly sliced
1 cup of sliced black olives
Optional; 1 cup of cubed cheddar cheese
Optional garnish; Fresh parsley or basil

For the Dressing;
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of honey or sugar
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions;

Step by step guide to preparing the Salad Ingredients;
Cook the spaghetti until it reaches an al dente consistency following the instructions, on the package. Then drain it well. Rinse with water. Set aside to cool.
While the spaghetti is cooking you can start preparing the vegetables. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half dice the cucumber and bell peppers thinly slice the onion and if you prefer cube the cheddar cheese. Place all these vegetables and cheese in a mixing bowl.

Step 2; Now lets make the dressing;
Take a bowl and whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, honey or sugar (whichever you prefer) dried oregano, salt and pepper until they are well combined.

Step 3; Lets assemble the salad;
Once the spaghetti has cooled down a bit add it to the bowl with all those vegetables and cheese.
Pour over the ingredients that dressing we made earlier. Toss everything gently so that all of it gets coated evenly with that dressing.

Step 4; Time to chill and serve;
Cover up that bowl either with plastic wrap or use a lid to seal it. Put it in your refrigerator for an hour so that all those flavors get nicely mixed together.
Before serving it up to your guests or enjoying it yourself give another gentle toss to make sure everything is well combined. If desired, garnish, with parsley or basil for a touch of freshness.

Step 5; It’s time to enjoy this dish;
Serve this California Spaghetti Salad chilled or at room temperature as a side dish or even as a light meal on its own. It’s absolutely perfect for potlucks, picnics, barbecues or, as a lunch option.