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Caesar Pasta Salad – combine two favorites for one perfect summer side dish. Caesar salad and pasta salad come together in an easy dish everyone will love!
I could live on cold pasta salad in the summer. I have quite a few different versions already here on the blog, and today I am totally mixing it up and sharing another one. Middle Eastern Pasta Salad is filled with non-traditional flavors, but everyone loves it.
I think that Taco Pasta Salad might be my favorite. I am just a sucker for anything with Mexican flavors. My husband’s all time favorite salad is a Caesar salad, so I am pretty sure that this pasta salad recipe is his favorite.
When I think of summer and cookouts, I think of few things. Pasta salad is what I make for pretty much every get-together in the summer. The Best Potato Salad is another cook out staple! Caesar salad is one of my husband’s favorite things to have for dinner in the summer. So I combined the two and made a delicious pasta salad that will disappear so quickly at your get together.
You can make this Caesar pasta salad ahead of time, and then just add the Caesar salad dressing before you serve it. You can use a bottled Caesar salad dressing if you want, but the recipe below is delicious! It is a little lighter than traditional dressings, so you don’t have to feel guilty about it.
To make this Caesar pasta salad a little better for you I used yogurt to make the dressing. You can use Greek yogurt if you want to bump up the protein even more. Dreamfields pasta has 5 grams of fiber per 1 cup of cooked pasta. So it is something you can feel a little better about eating. Along with the veggies and the homemade Caesar salad dressing, you can feel good about the side dishes and your next cookout.
This is such an easy pasta salad recipe you can make for summer. Cook the pasta, toss some veggies together, and you are pretty much done! You do not want to add the dressing to the salad too much before serving, or the lettuce will get soggy. But it is perfect to bring to parties and potlucks!
Knowing how to make pasta salad is something that even the kids can do! Boiling the pasta is the hardest part. Caesar pasta salad is perfect for lunch, dinner, or even just a side dish. You could add chicken and make it a complete meal if you wanted. Fresh summer tomatoes make it even more fresh and delicious.
So if you are looking for a new pasta salad recipe to try, this one is it. If you like a tradidional Caesar salad, you are going to love this pasta salad version.
Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Pasta Salad
- 1 12 oz box dried penne pasta
- 2 heads Romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
- 8 oz grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 cup croutons
Caesar Dressing
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, grated
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Place pasta in large bowl; set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a Mason jar or plastic container with lid, combine all Caesar Dressing ingredients; shake until well combined. Toss pasta with 1/2 cup of the dressing; cover and chill.
- Add lettuce and tomatoes to chilled pasta. Add remaining 1/2 cup of dressing; toss until ingredients are well coated. Top with Parmesan cheese and croutons. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The full recipe is being shared over at Dreamfields Pasta today, so click on Caesar Pasta Salad to get the recipe!
**This post is sponsored by Dreamfields Pasta. I was compensated for my time to create this recipe. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts possible.
Such a flavorful twist on a summer must have side dish! A great way to change things up!