I Made Martha Stewart’s Beloved "Spaghetti Salad"
With Memorial Day Weekend coming up, we’re about to enter peak BBQ season. Whether you’re hosting or need to bring a side dish, Martha Stewart has you covered with her spaghetti salad. The recipe serves around six as a side dish and can easily be doubled to accommodate a larger crowd. It’s packed with fresh herbs and seasonal vegetables and can be made the day before, which (in my humble opinion) is the secret to making hosting look effortless. So let’s get to it and throw together this spaghetti salad.
Get the recipe: Martha Stewart’s Spaghetti Salad
How to Make Martha Stewart’s Spaghetti Salad
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package’s instructions. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables and make the vinaigrette. For the dressing, combine the onion, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and oil in a small bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar. In a separate large bowl, add the drained pasta, bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, capers, and vinaigrette. Toss until well-combined, cover the bowl, and transfer to the refrigerator for at least four hours so the flavors can meld together. Just before serving, top the pasta salad with the crumbled feta and parsley.
My Honest Opinion
This salad came together so quickly and was not very involved. From the time I put the pot of water on the stove to when the pasta was ready, I was able to prepare all of the vegetables and make the vinaigrette. So, basically, this recipe takes as much time as it does to cook half a package of spaghetti. So easy, right?
There is, however, one consideration: This recipe isn’t for those who do things last-minute. Once you’ve prepared the spaghetti salad, you have to let it chill in the fridge for at least four hours. It seems like a long time (and it is a long time), but it’s totally worth it. During that time, all of the ingredients are married together and create such a symphony of flavors. You get a bit of saltiness and brininess from the capers and olives that is well balanced out by the sweetness from the bell pepper and red onion. Then, there’s the acidity from the vinaigrette that ties all of the flavors together and makes this pasta salad feel especially bright and perfect for a hot summer day.
4 Expert Tips for Making Martha Stewart’s Spaghetti Salad
Oil the pasta. Since we don’t want to put piping=hot pasta into our salad, it needs to cool for about five to 10 minutes. After you strain the pasta, drizzle olive oil all over it to prevent it from sticking.
Cut the veggies smaller. I would have preferred the vegetables to be chopped a bit smaller, so I could have gotten a bit of everything in each bite. Next time, I’ll quarter the cherry tomatoes and cut the pepper and cucumber in 1/4-inch pieces.
Use your hands. I found it a bit difficult to incorporate all of the vegetables into the pasta with tongs, so I used my hands instead.
Be patient. Waiting the full four hours, preferably overnight, is really essential here. You can sneak a taste (I did!), but you really should let the dish sit so all of the flavors can meld.
Get the recipe: Martha Stewart’s Spaghetti Salad
