Caesar Pasta Salad – Simply Delicious

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

• 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

• 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.

Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 780mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 458IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 225mg | Iron: 2mg