Caesar Pasta Salad
You’re going to love this Caesar Pasta Salad loaded with croutons, al dente pasta, lettuce, Parmesan cheese and the most delicious homemade Caesar salad dressing. It’s a great dinner recipe served with grilled chicken or on its own as a quick lunch.
Ingredients Needed
- Pasta. I used Fusilli (corkscrew pasta) but any short pasta shape will work. Penne, rotini pasta, macaroni, bowtie pasta, shells, etc.
- Bread for croutons. I used ciabatta but sourdough or stale white bread can be used instead. Store-bought croutons are also a good substitute.
- Lettuce. Use crispy lettuce – Iceberg, Cos or romaine lettuce are all delicious in this salad.
- Parmesan cheese.
- Mayonnaise.
- Greek yogurt. Substituting half of the mayo for yogurt creates a lighter, fresher dressing. Feel free to use only mayo if preferred. Note: I also don’t add any olive oil to this dressing as the store-bought mayo contains oil already.
- Anchovies.
- Dijon Mustard.
- Fresh garlic cloves.
- Worcestershire sauce.
- Fresh lemon juice.
- Salt and black pepper.
- Other options: Feel free to add cherry tomatoes/grape tomatoes, avocado, crispy chickpeas, bacon bits etc will all be delicious. Cooked/leftover chicken chopped into bite-size pieces is a delicious addition and a great boost of protein.
How to make Caesar Pasta Salad
- Make the homemade Caesar dressing: Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a medium bowl and mix well. You can also make the dressing in a food processor. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. You want the dressing to be punchy in flavor and slightly over-seasoned as the lettuce, pasta and croutons are all relatively bland.
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil then add the tender pasta and cook for 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water then add to a large mixing bowl.
- Assemble: Add the lettuce, croutons, parmesan shavings and dressing to the pasta and toss to combine then serve.
Can I make this ahead?
Yes, pasta salads are always great to make-ahead. My only tip would be to leave out the lettuce and only add once you are ready to serve. If you are making the salad the day before, I would also add the croutons right before serving to prevent them from going soggy. The creamy caesar dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept in an airtight container or jar in the fridge. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The lettuce will wilt so I pull any leftover leaves out of the salad before storing in the refrigerator.
Serving suggestions
Caesar pasta salad is a delicious lunch or meatless meal on its own but we love it with chicken breasts, roast chicken, rotisserie chicken, air fryer salmon or pan-seared pork chops for a simple weeknight dinner. It’s also a great dish to take along to picnics or potlucks.
Pasta salad recipes
Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb (500g) pasta
- 8 cups lettuce roughly chopped
- 4 slices ciabatta/sourdough bread cubed
- 1 cup Parmesan shavings
For the homemade caesar dressing
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 6 anchovies minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a medium bowl and mix well. You can also make the dressing in a food processor.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. You want the dressing to be punchy in flavor and slightly over-seasoned as the lettuce, pasta and croutons are all relatively bland.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil then add the tender pasta and cook for 10-12 minutes or until al dente.
- Drain and rinse with cold water then add to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the lettuce, croutons, parmesan shavings and dressing to the pasta and toss to combine then serve.