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Top down shot of a bowl of caesar pasta salad with bow-tie pasta, parmesan cheese, croutons, dressing and romaine lettuce.

Caesar Pasta Salad

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  • Author: Erin Jensen
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Counter Top
  • Cuisine: Italian-Inspired

Description

Caesar Pasta Salad – a delicious and easy Caesar Pasta Salad recipe with homemade Caesar dressing – the perfect dish for any cookout!


Ingredients

Scale

Dressing:

  • 1/2 cup mayo of your choice
  • 3 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons garlicminced or grated
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
  • 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated

Salad:

  • 2 cups croutons (regular or gluten-free)
  • 1 pound farfalle pasta (1 box) (regular or gluten-free)
  • 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated (more if desired)
  • fresh cracked pepper for topping
  • optional add-ins: sliced grilled chicken or chopped bacon

Instructions

  1. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl or wide mouth mason jar with lid.
  2. Whisk to combine in the bowl or put the cover on your mason jar and shake to combine. Set aside.
  3. Boil pasta al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and cool off the pasta.
  4. In a large bowl combine the pasta, croutons, romaine, 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.
  5. Toss to combine and then add additional dressing, parmesan cheese or pepper, as-desired.

Notes

  • Add-ins: feel free to add in 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).

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 6oz
  • Calories: 256
  • Sugar: 1.6 g
  • Sodium: 265.2 mg
  • Fat: 9.8 g
  • Carbohydrates: 33.7 g
  • Protein: 7.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 7.4 mg