This Caesar Pasta Salad is just like a classic Caesar salad, but with added pasta! It's made with homemade dressing and sourdough croutons, and so easy to make! It can be served on its own for a light lunch or as a side with protein like grilled salmon, shrimp, or chicken for dinner.
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Why You'll Love This Caesar Pasta Salad
Refreshing and flavorful - Caesar salad is one of my favorites, practically any time of the year, and making variations of it is always fun! I used my homemade Caesar Salad Dressing and Sourdough Croutons here, which really take it from good to amazing! The added pasta makes it more filling while still keeping things light. It's crunchy, garlicky, and so flavorful!
Easy and simple - While it does have homemade dressing, it's so easy to make! The whole recipe takes only about 25 minutes to make, and it's very simple and straightforward. The dressing is made with mayonnaise instead of raw egg yolks which makes it so much easier!
Versatile - The salad makes a delicious light lunch or a great side dish for a BBQ in the summer, but you can also add protein like roasted salmon, shrimp, or chicken to stretch it into more servings and turn it into a filling dinner.
Ingredients
- Pasta - You can use practically any small or medium pasta shape, like bowtie pasta, penne, rotini, macaroni, or any other kind. My favorite is bowtie here, or anything that can hold the dressing well.
- Romaine lettuce - Caesar salad often has romaine torn into big pieces instead of being chopped. I like slicing it into somewhat bite-sized strips. You don't want the pieces to be too small so they don't wilt too fast, but I don't like them too big because it's harder to serve and eat.
- Caesar dressing - I highly recommend making Homemade Caesar Dressing, but you can always use store-bought in a pinch. This dressing is made with just mayonnaise instead of raw egg yolks and olive oil, making it significantly easier! It has all the other classics like parmesan, anchovy paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard.
- Croutons - I like making homemade croutons using sourdough bread. They're super easy to make and so good! You can either tear up your bread slices or dice them into cubes.
- Parmesan - Aside from the parmesan in the dressing, the salad also has shaved parmesan in the finished salad for more flavor and texture. This is optional but highly recommended. If you don't have it, you can just add more grated Parmesan as garnish. Keep in mind, parmesan cheese is often made with animal rennet, so read the labels if you need it to be vegetarian.
Variations and Substitutions
- Add protein - You can add some shredded rotisserie chicken, roasted or grilled salmon, or shrimp to this pasta salad.
- Add more veggies - You can add halved cherry tomatoes, grilled corn, diced cucumber, bell peppers, or red onion.
- Olives or sundried tomatoes - Add some kalamata olives, black olives, or chopped sundried tomatoes to change up the flavors.
Step-by-Step Instructions
If you're making your own Caesar Dressing, I recommend starting with the croutons, and while they're cooking, you can whisk the dressing. Once it's done and chilling in the fridge, cook the pasta and prep the rest.
Sourdough Croutons
- Add butter and cooking oil to a hot large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the torn-up bread slices and toss to coat well with the oil and butter.
- Season with garlic and onion powder if desired and toss again.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring a few times, for 15 minutes or until golden and crispy.
- Set aside until ready to serve.
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Caesar Pasta Salad
- Add the pasta to a large pot of salted water. Boil till al dente or according to the package instructions.
- Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water.
- Add the pasta to a large mixing bowl with chopped romaine lettuce. You can either add the shaved parmesan and croutons here as well, or save them to add on top later.
- Add ¼-1/2 cup Caesar dressing and toss until everything is well-coated. Add more dressing if desired.
- Serve the salad topped with the croutons and shaved parmesan. You can also add a wedge of lemon and season the salad with freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that romaine lettuce wilts down quickly once you add the dressing. It loses its crunch on the second day, so while it's still good to eat for a couple of days, it's just not the same as fresh.
If you want to make a bigger batch and meal prep it for the week, I recommend storing everything separately.
- Prepare your dressing and store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- The croutons will last for 2-3 days in a container at room temperature.
- Plain pasta can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days as well. Just make sure to toss it with some olive oil so it doesn't all stick together.
- Once you're ready to eat, toss the 3 ingredients with some freshly chopped romaine lettuce right before serving.
FAQs
I haven't tried it, so I can't guarantee results, but some recipes suggest swapping the anchovies for miso paste, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. You will also need to use vegan parmesan.
Similar Pasta Salads
If you're craving more pasta salads, check out the four below. The tuna salad is my favorite in the summer! I added two salads with fish because Caesar dressing also has anchovies. To see more vegetarian and vegan options and all the latest ones, head over to Salads.
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Print📖 Recipe
Caesar Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
This Caesar Pasta Salad is just like a classic Caesar salad, but with added pasta! It's made with homemade dressing and sourdough croutons, and so easy to make! It can be served on its own for a light lunch or as a side with protein like grilled salmon, shrimp, or chicken for dinner.
Ingredients
Sourdough Croutons
- 1 tbsp butter (salted or unsalted)
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 2-3 slices of sourdough bread, torn into bite-sized pieces
- ¼ tsp each garlic powder (optional)
- ¼ tsp onion powder (optional)
Caesar Pasta Salad
- 6-8 oz dry pasta or approx. 3 cups (I used Farfalle bow-tie pasta but any small-medium shape works)
- 1-2 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped (10 cups chopped)
- ½-¾ cup homemade Caesar dressing
- ½ cup shaved parmesan
Instructions
Sourdough Croutons
- Add butter and cooking oil to a hot large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the torn-up bread slices and toss to coat well with the oil and butter.
- Season with garlic and onion powder if desired and toss again.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring a few times, for 15 minutes or until golden and crispy.
- Set aside until ready to serve.
Caesar Pasta Salad
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to package instructions.
- Drain and rinse the pasta and at it to a large mixing bowl with chopped romaine lettuce.
- Add ½ cup Caesar dressing and toss until everything is well-coated. Add more dressing if desired.
- Serve the salad topped with croutons and shaved parmesan. Alternatively, you can mix the two with the salad before serving it. Enjoy!
Notes
Storing: This salad is best enjoyed the day it’s made because romaine lettuce will wilt when mixed with the dressing quite quickly. You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Prep it ahead: If you need to make it ahead, I recommend cooking the pasta ahead and tossing it with a splash of olive oil to prevent it from sticking together. Store it in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can also chop the lettuce and prepare your dressing and the croutons ahead of time, and store them separately in the fridge. The croutons can be stored at room temperature.
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Veronika Sykorova says
If you're craving something more filling than a classic Caesar, try adding some pasta! It's delicious any time of the year!