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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Caesar Pasta Salad

appetizer· Easter· pizza & pasta· salad· sides· Summertime Favorites
June 28, 2018

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Caesar Pasta Salad – Penne pasta is tossed with your favorite Caesar salad ingredients to make for an incredible side dish for any occasion

Bowl of Caesar Pasta Salad

Summer is the season for pasta salads. Why is that? Maybe because we all love to get our pasta fix but also want something cool and refreshing?? Yeah, that sounds about right!

I’ve never been a huge fan of creamy pasta salads. Most times, they are filled with too much mayo and end up being too creamy.

But I recently tried a pasta salad that changed my mind!

This Caesar Pasta Salad was a recipe I stumbled upon on Pinterest and became immediately intrigued. Do I like Caesar Salad? Yup! Do I like penne pasta? Double yup! So I just had to try it.

Holy crap, guys! This pasta salad blew me away! The homemade dressing added so much bold flavor and only got better as time went by. I loved the dressing so much that I’ll be making a jar of it to enjoy of my green salads, too.

The dressing, combined with crispy Romaine, perfectly al dente pasta, and juicy tomatoes – how could I NOT love this pasta salad?!

Because I loved this salad so much, I just had to share it with you all. Check out my version of this Caesar Pasta Salad!

Closeup on a bowl of Caesar Pasta Salad with cherry tomatoes and croutons on top Top view of a bowl of Caesar Pasta Salad Caesar Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is incredibly easy. The only real work comes from making the dressing from scratch. As tempting as it is – do not take a shortcut and buy a jar of Caesar dressing!! I am telling you – this homemade dressing is incredible and fresh and worth the effort.

After making the dressing, all you have to do next is toss the salad ingredients together and serve. Boom! Simple as that.

Cut up lettuce on a cutting board Closeup on a bowl of Caesar Pasta Salad

This salad really is so simple to make. But, as always, I managed to think up a few helpful tips to make sure you get this pasta salad exactly right:

  1. Cooking the pasta is more important than you think. You gotta make sure it’s perfectly seasoned and not overcooked. Therefore, don’t forget to add salt to the boiling water before cooking the pasta and only cook the pasta until it is al dente. Don’t let it get mushy!! If it’s mushy, it will fall apart in the pasta salad.
  2. I highly, highly recommend shredding your own Parmesan cheese for this pasta salad. When you buy the Parmesan cheese pre-shredded, it’s a firm and thick, whereas, when you shred it yourself, it’s a little more dainty and chewy. I think it blends better into the salad this way.
  3. Finally, when making the dressing, make sure you mince the garlic and anchovies super fine. It will make the dressing more flavorful and you won’t get a random chunks in the dressing. For the anchovies, I take mincing a step further and smash them into a paste with the back of my knife.

You are seriously gonna go crazy over this pasta salad. Even my vegetable-hating husband loved it! Are there other pasta salads you love to eat during the summer? Let me know in the comments below!

Bowl of Caesar Pasta Salad

Print Recipe

Caesar Pasta Salad

Penne pasta is tossed with your favorite Caesar salad ingredients to make for an incredible side dish for any occasion
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Total Time45 minutes mins
Servings: 10 serving

Ingredients

For the pasta salad:
  • 1 pound penne pasta cooked al dente and rinsed
  • 6 leaves romaine lettuce thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 4 green onions thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese finely shredded
  • 1 1/2 cups croutons
For the Caesar dressing:
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese finely shredded
  • 1 cup mayo
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 anchovies finely minced and smashed into paste
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  • Mix dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Add half of the dressing to the cooked and cooled pasta into an extra large bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Toss other salad ingredients together in a separate bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Once serving, toss with pasta and remaining Caesar dressing.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Spicy Southern Kitchen

Pin for later:

Caesar Pasta Salad photo collage

More dishes you’ll love:

Lemon Avocado Pasta Salad

Bowl of Lemon Avocado Pasta Salad

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Bowl of Avocado and Charred Corn Salad with Cilantro Lime Salad

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Cobb Salad Dip in a pie dish

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18 Comments

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Comments

  1. Jenni LeBaron says

    July 20, 2018 at 12:55 pm

    I love a good Caesar salad and this is totally kicked up a notch or 3. I love that the pasta gives this some weight so I would totally make this a full meal in itself. Those bright juicy tomatoes make it even more appetizing!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      August 3, 2018 at 1:20 pm

      I think so too!

      Reply
  2. Madeline Hall says

    July 1, 2018 at 7:55 pm

    Love a good pasta salad! This is such a good idea for Fourth of July.

    Reply
  3. Luci says

    June 30, 2018 at 12:48 pm

    My family would love this, they love Ceasar salad and pasta salad. Putting them together is brilliant.

    Reply
  4. Doma | dreambigbloghard.com says

    June 30, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    I was looking for pasta salad recipe and this is perfect. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  5. Ellen says

    June 30, 2018 at 5:23 am

    That looks so good! Not a big fan of veggies but I might try this out and see how it goes.

    Reply
  6. Diana tidswell says

    June 30, 2018 at 3:44 am

    Wow! This looks yummy, delicious and very healthy. Loved the twist you’ve done on our all time favorite salad. Thank you for this recipe.

    Reply
  7. Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says

    June 30, 2018 at 1:31 am

    Yum! This sounds like such a great combo! Yum!

    Reply
  8. Karina says

    June 29, 2018 at 10:37 pm

    This salad looks amazing. It sounds like the dressing is absolutely flavorful and I loved the tip of grating your own Parmesan. Can’t wait to give it a try for summer picnics.

    Reply
  9. Courtney Byers says

    June 29, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    This sounds so delicious! I would love to try it. I am saving it for later.

    Reply
  10. Erica Schwarz says

    June 28, 2018 at 8:39 pm

    This looks soooo tasty, Caesar salad is our favorite! LOVE all the colors with your fresh ingredients.

    Reply
  11. Mindy Fewless says

    June 28, 2018 at 8:12 pm

    This is such a great idea!! I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  12. Britt | Sweet Tea and Thyme says

    June 28, 2018 at 7:10 pm

    This is such a fun and fresh idea!

    Reply
  13. Shanika says

    June 28, 2018 at 5:28 pm

    I love Caesar salad, so adding pasta to it sounds like a genius idea!

    Reply
  14. Andrea @ Cooking with Mamma C says

    June 28, 2018 at 4:46 pm

    I love this idea! Homemade dressing is a must, and I swear by freshly grated Parmesan too. Beautiful!

    Reply
  15. Marina says

    June 28, 2018 at 3:21 pm

    Fresh and perfect for summer. Have to try a vegan version đŸ™‚

    Reply
  16. Chelsea says

    June 28, 2018 at 2:25 pm

    This looks SO good. Never thought to add pasta to caesar salad, but YUM!

    Reply
  17. Marta Rivera says

    June 28, 2018 at 1:50 pm

    I’ve never thought to add the pasta to the finished salad! I always omit the the greens, but this is genius!

    Reply

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Hi, my name is Sharon. I’m an accountant by day, risk-taking baker and food enthusiast by night. Come join me as I share my favorite recipes and test out new ones along the way!

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