If you need a hearty side salad or main course, you’ll love this Caesar Pasta Salad. It’s everything you love about Caesar salad and pasta salad in one amazing dish!
Fans of Caesar salad who want something just a little extra will love this Caesar Pasta Salad!
It has all of the tangy flavors, crunch, and creaminess of classic Caesar salad, plus th heartiness of pasta.
I love to serve this dish as a side salad for summer BBQs and picnics. But it’s also an amazing main course for lunch or a light dinner anytime of year.
If you’re looking for a satisfying pasta salad with big flavors, add this one to your regular dinner rotation!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
Here are a few reasons I love this Caesar Pasta Salad, and why I think you’ll fall in love with it, too!
- Big flavors – If you love a good Caesar salad, you’re going to love how every bite has those classic tangy flavors.
- Hearty – This is a great option if you want a salad, but also are hungry for something substantial. The pasta adds takes it from so-so to totally satisfying.
- Easy – Like all of the recipes here on Urban Bliss Life, I made sure that the steps are super easy to follow.
- Packable and portable – This is a great salad to pack up for school lunches, work lunches, or for picnics and beach days.
- Customizable – It’s easy to make this salad gluten free, dairy free, and even vegan! See the Ingredient Notes below.
Ingredient notes
This recipe calls for all the classic Caesar ingredients plus a few more.
- Lettuce – Use chopped romaine lettuce for the best crunch in this salad.
- Chicken – This is a great recipe to use up any leftover rotisserie chicken. You can also pan-fry some chicken breasts and chop them up for use in this pasta salad.
- Pasta – I like a little protein boost and use this protein pasta in this recipe. You can use your favorite pasta. Corkscrew shapes like fusilli and rotini work well as they capture the Caesar dressing well.
- Dressing – Make a simple Caesar dressing with mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, shredded Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper.
- Croutons – These are optional. I like to bake up baguette bread that is about to go stale to make croutons, but you can use store-bought croutons. Or you can leave them out.
Marlynn’s Tip
Recipe Tip
Make this dairy-free: Use dairy-free Mozzarella shreds.
Make this vegan: omit the chicken, use plant-based Mozzarella shreds, and vegan mayo.
Make this gluten-free: switch out regular pasta for your favorite gluten-free pasta.
Step-by-step instructions
Here are some step-by-step instructions to help you make this, although it really is super easy to make! You’ll find the full list of ingredients along with measurements, and more detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain and then rinse with cold water.
- Once the pasta has cooled and is dry, add to the bowl of dressing.
- Add the lettuce and chicken to the bowl. Toss everything together to fully coat with the dressing.
- If you want croutons, add them to the salad now and serve.
Recipe FAQs
Other than chicken, this Caesar pasta salad is also delicious with smoked salmon or shrimp.
Because it has a mayonnaise-based dressing, I don’t recommend freezing this salad. The dressing will break as it thaws, creating an unpleasant texture.
Store leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. If you know in advance that you are doing to save some for later, store the pasta salad and the dressing separately.
Serving suggestions
If serving this Caesar pasta salad as a side salad, it’s great with dishes like Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup and Air Fryer Chicken Pot Pie.
Serving this as a main course salad? It goes well with side dishes like Pesto Bread, Air Fryer Garlic Bread, and Herby Potatoes.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
This Caesar pasta salad is delicious when paired with an unoaked Chardonnay or other white wine, such as a Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
More recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
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Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta, corkscrew pastas like fusilli or rotini, or penne pasta work well
Dressing
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese shreds
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
pasta salad
- 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- optional: croutons, additional parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- hIn a large pot, cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until smooth.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. Allow to cool down slightly.
- Add the pasta, romaine lettuce, and cooked chicken to the large bowl of dressing and toss to combine all of the ingredients.
- If desired, top with croutons and/or additional parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
