Description
A fun twist on the classic Caesar salad. Caesar pasta salad is loaded with healthy Caesar dressing, pasta, romaine lettuce, chicken, kalamata olives, and Parmesan cheese. So easy, and so good!
Ingredients
healthy Caesar dressing
Pasta
- 8 ounces short cut pasta
- 1 cup previously cooked chicken, cooled, and chopped (see notes)
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese shavings
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives, sliced
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
Instructions
- Make the healthy Caesar dressing: If you haven’t already, make the dressing. (Click here for the recipe). Takes about 10 minutes to make in the blender. I like to add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to the dressing to thin it out a little, making it a better consistency for the pasta salad. You could also make the dressing up to 3 days in advance.
- Boil the pasta: Follow the package directions to boil your pasta. I like to cook mine aldente (slightly underdone) so that as it sits in the sauce, it doesn’t become mushy, and just soaks up the sauce nicely. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and rinse until the pasta is no longer hot.
- Prepare the remaining salad ingredients: While the pasta is boiling, prepare the remaining ingredients. Cut up the chicken, slice the olives, and measure out the cheese (or shave the cheese yourself if you have a block of Parmesan cheese), and cut up the romaine, rinse and dry it.
- Assemble: Once the pasta is cooked, drained, rinsed, and cooled add it to a large mixing bowl. Add the olives, chicken, and parmesan cheese, and romaine lettuce, along with most of the Caesar dressing. Toss gently to combine. If the pasta salad looks a little dry then add more dressing.
- Serve: The pasta salad is best when served immediately, at room temp. See notes if you want to make the pasta salad in advance.
Notes
Chicken: To keep this recipe super simple, and in the spirit of summer – I like to use a rotisserie chicken that I buy already cooked, and cut up myself. Other options: are to use up leftover chicken you have in the fridge around. Or to cook up a chicken breast at the beginning of making this recipe, allow it to cool, and then cut it up. Either way, will be delicious. P.S. I also think some cooked, cooled shrimp would be super tasty in this recipe
Croutons: I know, croutons are a traditional part of a Caesar salad. Well, I made them, and put them in my pasta salad, and while they added a nice crunch, I didn’t think that they were super essential. The pasta brings enough carbs to the recipe, the dressing and all the other ingredients are flavorful enough for me. But, if you did want to add some croutons – go for it!
Quick croutons recipe: Of course, you could use store bought. But, just in case, here is an easy, rough, recipe. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice up bread 1cup of bread into cubes, about – add to a large sheet pan. Drizzle with some olive oil, until well coated (About 1 tablespoon), season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the croutons are crunchy and brown. Allow to cool completely before adding to your pasta salad.
To make in advance: This pasta is best eaten right after it’s made. The lettuce gets soggy, and the dressing gets gloppy. However, if you want to bring this to a party, or make in advance, here is how: Prepare and store all of the ingredients separately. You can even cook the pasta in advance. Just before serving, add everything to a bowl and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Gluten free: To make this recipe gluten free, be sure to use a gluten free pasta (I love Banza, chickpea pasta), and use a gluten free bread, if making the croutons. (Or, gluten free store bought croutons).
Nutrition facts: Keep in mind these are an estimation. They will vary depending on if you add croutons, or not, and what brand of pasta you use. I did include the calculation for the Caesar dressing.
