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This Caesar Pasta Salad is a fresh, flavorful twist on a classic! Tossed with crisp romaine, tender pasta, parmesan, and creamy Caesar dressing, it’s the perfect side or light meal.
If you love Caesar salad and pasta, this Caesar Pasta Salad is the best of both worlds. It’s cool, creamy, and full of bold, savory flavor. It is the perfect side dish for picnics, BBQs, or a quick lunch. It is loaded with crisp romaine, tender pasta, parmesan cheese, and that signature Caesar dressing.
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!
Chicken 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.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Penne Pasta – you really can use any short cut pasta shape that you like
- Romaine Lettuce
- Grape Tomatoes
- Parmesan Cheese
- Croutons – your favorite store bought or Homemade Croutons take it to a new level!
- Plain Yogurt
- Lemon Juice
- Olive Oil
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Anchovy Paste – you can leave this out if you wanted to make it vegetarian
- Black Pepper
- Garlic
How To Make Caesar Pasta Salad
- Cook Pasta. Start by bringing a large pot of water to boil and cook according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool it down.
- Make Dressing. In a Mason jar or plastic container with lid, combine all Caesar Dressing ingredients; shake until well combined.
- Coat Pasta. Toss pasta with 1/2 cup of the dressing; cover and chill.
- Assemble. 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.
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- Dressing. I like this homemade dressing, but you can definitely use a store bought bottled version as well. You can also double the dressing to make it creamier and more like a Macaroni Salad texture.
- Make Ahead. This is one you don’t want to fully assemble ahead of time as the lettuce will get soggy. But you can prep the pasta and dressing ahead and have it chilled. Then just mix everything together when you are ready to serve.
- Pasta. You can use any type of pasta that you like. You could use a high fiber pasta, or high protein pasta to make this a little better for you. Any really any shape works, you just want something short that you can mix with the chopped lettuce.
- Make It A Meal. Add grilled chicken to your pasta salad and this can be a complete meal!
Storage
Caesar Pasta Salad is something that is really best served the day it is made. The dressing will make the lettuce soggy. You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two. It is best to not add too much dressing until you are ready to serve.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
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.
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**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!