This Caesar Pasta Salad recipe is a great new twist on this traditional salad dish.
All the classic Caesar salad taste and textures of crisp romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons and parmesan are combined with your favourite pasta and then tossed in a rich and creamy homemade Caesar dressing.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe
- classic Caesar flavour
- adding pasta stretches this salad further
What you need to make this recipe
*Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients with exact quantities and detailed instructions
- pasta - I used spiral
- cos lettuce - romaine lettuce
- parmesan cheese
- sourdough bread
- olive oil
- butter
- garlic
- mayonnaise
- anchovy fillets
- fresh lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- milk
- salt
- black pepper
*Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients with exact quantities and detailed instructions
How to make Caesar pasta salad
- Tear bread into small pieces and fry until golden.
- Process the dressing ingredients until smooth, adding milk as necessary.
- Combine cooked (and cooled) pasta, lettuce, parmesan and croutons.
- Add dressing then toss to combine.
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Top tips for the best result
- This salad is best eaten just after you add the dressing, the lettuce will begin to wilt fairly quickly and the croutons will start to soak up the dressing and soften.
- The dressing can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container in the fridge.
Variations
This Caesar pasta salad is a great base salad for adding extra ingredients. Some of my favourite additions are:
- crispy bacon
- sliced boiled egg
- rotisserie chicken
More pasta salad recipes
Shrimp Pasta Salad - this salad combines chopped prawns (shrimp), avocado, juicy mango and tomatoes with orzo pasta.
Pesto Pasta Salad - penne pasta, cherry tomatoes, bocconcini and pine nuts with a basil pesto dressing.
Other recipes you may enjoy
How To Make Corn Ribs - a super fun way to eat corn on the cob, with paprika, garlic and plenty of butter these juicy corn riblets are a great side dish.
Cypriot Grain Salad - a delicious couscous salad packed with nuts, seeds and fresh herbs and garnished with Greek yogurt and pomegranate seeds.
📖 Recipe
Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 375 g pasta I used spiral
- 2 cos lettuce hearts (romaine lettuce) washed, dried and chopped
- 3 slices sourdough bread torn into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- shaved parmesan cheese for garnish
Dressing
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- 1 small garlic clove core removed and crushed
- 2 anchovy fillets see my notes
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup grated fresh parmesan
- 4 tablespoons milk as needed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Watch me make this recipe
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the package directions + 2 minutes.375 g pasta
- Drain pasta, rinse under cold water then allow to dry and cool fully.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a small frying pan.2 teaspoons olive oil2 tablespoons salted butter
- Add in the pieces of bread and fry until golden brown, add in crushed garlic 30 seconds before switching off the heat then remove to a plate.1 garlic clove3 slices sourdough bread
- To make the dressing, place the dressing ingredients (start with 3 tablespoons of milk) in a small food processor, and process until smooth, adding more milk as necessary.⅔ cup mayonnaise1 small garlic clove2 anchovy fillets1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice2 teaspoons Dijon mustard½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce½ cup grated fresh parmesan4 tablespoons milk¼ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- In a large bowl combine pasta, cos lettuce and croutons.2 cos lettuce hearts (romaine lettuce)
- Add dressing then toss gently to combine.
- Tip into a serving bowl, garnish with shaved parmesan cheese and serve.shaved parmesan cheese
Notes
- Use anchovies packed in oil - if you don't want to use anchovies you will need to add more salt.
- Salad is best eaten just after you add the dressing. The lettuce will begin to wilt fairly quickly and the croutons will start to soften and soak up the dressing.
- The dressing can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container in the fridge. Just give it a bit of a whisk before adding it.
Want to save this recipe?
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
I love caesar salad but never had it as a pasta salad and this was awesome! Thanks for the recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it Sandi!