Spaghetti Cold Noodle Salad

The Best Cold Spaghetti

This is it. This is the one you’ve been looking for. A Cold Noodle Salad recipe that puts the others to shame because its got the right balance of flavors. Not to mention, it’s made with spaghetti. I’m talking about a side dish that can be eaten as the main course, instead, it’s so good. Every bite you discover a new twist because it’s made with fresh ingredients. Most pasta dishes make you feel stuffed and bloated but this cold spaghetti recipe keeps it light and oddly fulfilling. My wife and I always fight over the last serving.

Close up of the Cold Spaghetti Noodle Salad and all of the ingredients.

The Secret to this Dish

The flavors that make this Spaghetti Cold Noodle Salad unique come from several different flavors. First, Garlic infused Olive oil. Second, Bacon. Third, Parmesan Cheese and the Fourth, of course, is fresh chopped vegetables.

In this recipe I add green onion, Roma tomatoes, fresh broccoli, black olives but you can add any other vegetable you like. Zucchini or Cucumber is a nice additive or substitution. Mayonnaise and olive oil make up the bulk of the dressing with chopped garlic and salt but, you can add fresh Basil or mint, maybe even a squeeze of lemon juice if you’d like to spruce it up even more. It’s up to you.

There aren’t any additional spices or fresh herbs but I could see some Italian seasoning or Herbs De Province adding a nice touch. Even a pinch of Cayenne might not hurt. Just be sure to season with Salt and Pepper to your tastes and you’ll enjoy a wonderful summer salad. And, though this recipe calls for spaghetti, this recipe is great with other dried pasta’s as well; Penne, Butterflies, Shells or classic Elbow Macaroni are all fine examples.

Check out some of my Best Salad recipes and Dressings: Mac Salad, Curry Chicken Salad, Taco Salad, Dill Havarti Seared Pepper Salad, Blue Cheese Dressing, Ranch Dressing, Oriental Salad Dressing, Fresh Veggies with Ricotta Mint and Lime.

Spaghetti Cold Noodle Salad video tutorial by poormansgourmet.

Spaghetti Cold Noodle Salad Ingredients:

1 pkg Thin Spaghetti(16oz), cooked
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
1/4 cup Olive Oil, seasoned with salt
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 Roma Tomatoes, sliced
1 Broccoli Head, chopped
2 Green onions, chopped
1 can Black Olives(2.25oz), sliced
1 1/2 cup Mayo
1/2 cup Fresh Parmesan, grated
3 Bacon Strips, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Be sure to follow the instructions in the video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how easy this Spaghetti Cold Noodle Salad
is to make.

Green Beans with Garlic Parmesan and Bacon

The Best Green Beans

If you’re looking for a recipe that will make everyone love Green Beans, look no further. This dish is crisp, it is vibrant and most of all full of flavor. It’s got all of my favorite ingredients, including one secret ingredient that really takes this vegetable to the next level. With out it, I wouldn’t even bother making this recipe, it makes that big of a difference. What’s the secret ingredient? Lemon!

Fresh Green Beans

Don’t try to make this recipe using a bag of frozen or canned Green Beans, please, I implore you. If that’s all you have, don’t use this recipe because it won’t even come close to how good it would be using fresh ingredients. Grow them, buy them, I don’t care how you get them, just be sure to use them straight off the vine. You can also add other fresh veggies like red onion and tomatoes.

In this recipe, I blanch the green beans with out an ice water bath. I do this for two reasons. A cold water shock just prevents the beans from cooking any further but, in this recipe, you don’t want to do that. This is not a dish that is served cold. Once the bacon is cooked I continue to saute the beans in the bacon grease, anyway. So the cold shock is not necessary.

Green Beans with Garlic Parmesan and Bacon Ingredients:

Blanching
2 qt Boiling Water
2 tbsp Salt

1 lbs Green Beans, fresh
2 Bacon Strips, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 tbsp Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Ranch Dressing

The Best Ranch Dressing

In my opinion, a great Ranch Dressing is NOT going to come in a bottle. Mostly because the ingredients are so tweaked and skewed, in comparison to homemade recipes, to create a longer lasting shelf life. So you’re never going to get the flavor that is/was originally intended, if you buy into the preservatives. Fresh dairy is always going to conquer a powdered mix or a mix with just mayo in it. But, if a powdered mix is all you’re using, there’s a better way to make this dressing than just following the package instructions and I’m going to show you how to do that as well.

Ranch Dressing Recipes

First of all there are many different ways to make an amazing Ranch Dressing and, yes, it can be done with a powdered mix. The directions a package usually recommend mixing the ingredients with milk and mayo but I say that’s not enough. The base of my recipe can be applied to this as well and that means using Buttermilk, Sour Cream and Mayonnaise. Trust me. You’re dressing will be twice as good just adding those other two ingredients. But what else can you do?

If you like spicy food or dressings with a little kick to them, try adding some cayenne or dried chili flakes. It doesn’t take much to spice it up. Sometimes I’ll even dice a Jalapeno Pepper and add that, as well. And, if you really want to trick it up and make more of a Mexican Style Ranch Dressing, add an Avocado and squeeze in some lime. You’ll love it.

I while back, I posted a few salad recipes you might be interested in; Taco Salad and P.F. Chang’s Curry Chicken Salad. And if you want to really go pro, try this Dill Havarti with Seared Peppers. All three of these recipes are amazing, so be sure to check them out.

Ranch Dressing Ingredients:

1 cup Mayonnaise
1 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Buttermilk
1 tsp Dill, fresh or dried
1 tsp Parsley, dried
1 tsp Chives, dried
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp White Pepper
1 tbsp Lemon Juice