Spaghetti Salad Recipe – FBD

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.)

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.)

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. (Check the package, Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti takes longer to cook than regular spaghetti.)


5. 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.


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 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:

More Summer Salads to Enjoy: