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.

Pasta Carbonara

The Best Pasta Carbonara is Americanized

Pasta Carbonara is a delicious Italian recipe that can virtually be made with just about any pasta. In this recipe I’m using Penne but feel free to substitute Spaghetti, Linguine or whatever else your favorite pasta might be. One of the other main ingredients is Pancetta. If you don’t know what this is, the best way to describe it is comparing it to bacon. It’s generally around the same cut of meat and it’s treated the same. The major difference is it’s a thicker slice more like ham. But the flavor, as you can imagine just really sets this dish off. The Carbonara sauce itself is just egg yolks with a dash of pepper and fresh grated Parmesan Cheese. So if you think about the bulk of these ingredients with a clove of chopped garlic and some sliced leak, which is pretty much a mild spring onion, then your really talking about a great recipe!

Pasta Carbonara Nazi’s!

This Pasta Carbonara is one of those recipes that every single Italian in the world thinks they know about. I’ve had everyone and they’re dog try to give me advice on how to make this differently and every single opinion has been completely different from the next. So I look at this like a Hamburger. Am I American? Yes! Did I invent the Hamburger? No! Are there hundreds of different ways to make one? Absolutely, so don’t be scared to dive right in and try this version of this recipe because it’s delicious and you won’t regret it!

If you’re looking for more pasta ideas, I’ve got tons of them. But for now, be sure to check out my Spaghetti Squash Pasta and my Lobster Sauce recipe. And if you want to learn How to make fresh Pasta, you better click the link.

Pasta Carbonara Ingredients:

2 Cups Penne Pasta or your favorite
1/2 cup Fresh Parmesan, grated
1/2 cup Pancetta or Bacon, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
2 tbsp Leak, chopped
3 egg yolks, whipped
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 tbsp Butter

Follow my video tutorial for this Pasta Carbonara recipe and enjoy the results.

How to Make Italian Sausage

Easy Italian Sausage

You’re going to love learning How to Make Italian Sausage. This is, of course, a sweet and spicy recipe that can be easily adjusted to your specific tastes and, most importantly, reveals the secret to actually making it taste like sausage instead of just seasoned ground pork.

The secret lies in 3 places. First, the sausage has got to have a 2 to 1 ratio; 2 parts meat and 1 part Fat and in this particular case it’s 2 parts Pork Picnic Shoulder Muscle(which is very tender) and 1 part Bacon or Fat Back. If you’re wondering what Fat Back is, it’s just exactly what it sounds like; the Fat in the back of the pig; which is where bacon is derived from anyway so why not just use bacon. Plus, for me personally, I can’t get Fat Back where I live without ordering a minimum of 60 lbs and I’ll never make that much sausage.

The Second secret is the ingredients. This means any kind of sausage you want to make, whether it be Breakfast, Italian, or Chorizo etc., will all depend on the ingredients, or seasonings, going into the 2 to 1 ratio.

The Third thing is all about the binder. The binder is what fuses the meat and ingredients together and keeps them from falling apart. I’ve also found that it’s a big part of the the seasoning which also effects the performance in the sausage when it cooks.

For example: Most Italian Sausage recipes add a red wine and vinegar combination as a binder, which is fine, but this creates a bitter taste so you have to compensate with a sweetener, like sugar. But I have found that Corn Syrup works even better and I add Vegetable Shortening. Why the Shortening? Cooking the sausage without it leaves the meat very dry. It leaves an added quality to the sausage that improves the flavor and adds a moist tenderness to the meat when it’s done.

If you’re interested in more of my recipes with sausage in them, check out my Egg Noodle Lasagna and my Spaghetti with Meatballs.

Italian Sausage Ingredients:

2 lbs Pork shoulder Cusion Meat
1 lbs Bacon
6 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Parsly, chopped
1 tbsp Fennel Seed
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp Paprika
1 tbsp Red Chili Flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste, approximately 1/2 tbsp of each

Binders

1/3 cup Corn Syrup
1/4 cup Vegetable Shortening

Be sure to watch the short video tutorial and I will show you exactly how to make this Italian Sausage.