Quick Look at this
Easy Caesar Pasta Salad
- Ready In: 20 minutes
- Serves: 8
- Main Ingredients: Farfalle noodles, romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, homemade caesar dressing, and croutons.
- Dietary Info: Dairy-free and gluten-free options, vegetarian.
- Why You’ll Love It: Meal prep this salad ahead of time to bring to BBQs, cookouts, and your other quintessential summer gatherings. Make it your own by checking out the recipe variations below!
Share and summarize this recipe:
Caesar Pasta Salad Ingredients & Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Farfalle Pasta: AKA bowtie pasta is our favorite to use for pasta salads, but rotini or fusilli would both work. Swap with a gluten-free pasta.
- Romaine Lettuce: The classic leafy green for a caesar salad, but you could also use butter lettuce or kale.
- Homemade Caesar Dressing: Homemade dressing is what sets our recipe apart from everyone else’s. It’s creamy, flavorful, and noticably fresher than store-bought. Swap with our dairy-free caesar dressing.
- Croutons: All out? Make our easy homemade croutons or pick some up from the store. Swap with gluten-free croutons.
How To Make A Caesar Pasta Salad
Step 1 – Make our homemade caesar dressing.
Step 2 – Cook noodles al dente.
Step 3 – Drizzle dressing over caesar pasta salad.
Step 4 – Top with cracked pepper and enjoy!
Caesar Pasta Salad Variations
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad – Add some grilled chicken breasts or leftover rotisserie chicken to add a protein boost! Simply cook, cube, let cool, and throw them in.
- Chicken Bacon Caesar Pasta Salad – Throw in some oven baked bacon to add more savory flavors. Chop into bite-sized pieces to get a little bacon flavor in every bite.
Make Ahead Instructions
Make our homemade caesar dressing and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. Make the pasta up to 2 days in advance and give it a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from sticking. Store the cooked pasta in an airtight container in the fridge. Chop the romaine on the same day that you plan on eating. Then assemble everything right before you’re ready to serve! This salad is best eaten within 24 hours in order to keep the greens and croutons as crunchy as possible.
Recipe FAQ & Tips
Can you use anchovy paste in caesar salad dressing?
Yes! Anchovy paste is a core ingredient in homemade caesar salad dressing. It provides a salty umami flavor. Swap with fish sauce if it’s not your thing.
Follow the recipe as listed and add in grilled chicken breasts or leftover rotisserie chicken.
We enjoy this pasta salad cold, so we rinse the pasta before combining everything. This also helps to keep the romaine from wilting.
Other Caesar Inspired Recipes You Might Like
Made this recipe and loved it?!
We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
Follow Us on Social
Ingredients
Dressing:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced or grated
- 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salad:
- 16 ounces farfalle pasta, regular or gluten-free
- 2 cups croutons, regular or gluten-free
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, grated (more if desired)
- fresh cracked pepper for topping
Optional Add-Ins:
- grilled chicken breasts, sliced
- cooked bacon, chopped
Instructions
- Make Dressing: In a small bowl or wide mouth mason jar with lid, add ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar, 3 teaspoons dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons garlic, 2 teaspoons anchovy paste, 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix to combine. Set aside.
- Cook Pasta: Boil 16 ounces farfalle pasta al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and cool off the pasta.
- Combine: In a large bowl, combine the pasta, 2 cups croutons, 2 cups romaine lettuce, ⅓ cup parmesan cheese and top with as much dressing as you like (I would start with 2-3 tablespoons and add more as you want) and fresh cracked pepper for topping. Toss to combine and then add additional dressing, parmesan cheese or pepper, as-desired.
- Serve: Enjoy right away!
Notes
- Add-ins: feel free to add in tender grilled chicken, chopped bacon or even a hard-boiled egg if you want to – they would all be added in at Step 4.
- Dressing: of course feel free to use store-bought dressing if that works better for you!
- Dairy-Free: to make this dairy-free use our Dairy-Free Caesar Dressing and non-dairy parmesan cheese!
- Gluten-Free: to make this gluten-free use gluten-free noodles.
- Make Ahead: I would recommend prepping all the components ahead of time, but combining shortly before serving just so the croutons and lettuce don’t get soggy!
- Storage: store leftover in an airtight container in the refrigerator and store for up to 3 days (Note: the lettuce and croutons will start to get soggy – fyi – this is best eaten within about 24 hours).
Liz says
YYUUMM! Love the combination of these fresh flavors!
Bridget Montag says
Glad you love it! Thanks for coming back to leave a review!