Learn how to make the perfect summer pasta salad using the flavors of a Caesar salad.
Inspired by the Classic Salad
This summer, I've been experimenting with all sorts of new pasta salad recipes. We love taking a fun theme and turning it into a pasta salad. One of our past creations was inspired by the flavors of a slice of pizza dipped in ranch dressing. Now, we're bringing you a pasta salad that tastes just like a classic Caesar salad.
Instead of using mayonnaise, I opted for Caesar dressing. I had a jar of Primal Kitchen Caesar, which is a fantastic store bought Caesar. It gives us the creamy texture we want—plus a lot more flavor than plain mayo. I hope you enjoy this new twist on a summer favorite!
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Ingredients
Let me give you more ideas on the ingredients you are going to need to make this pasta salad.
- Tubetti pasta or other small type of pasta - For this salad, we opt for a small-shaped pasta. I think Tubetti or Ditalini is perfect, but you could also use orzo, elbows, or mini bowties.
- Caesar salad dressing - Instead of using straight up mayo we are going to use Caesar dressing which is really just dressed up flavorful mayo when it comes down to it. I really liked the Primal Kitchen brand Caesar so that is what I used here.
- Diced cooked chicken - You could buy already cooked, diced chicken for this, but I prefer to buy raw chicken breast or chicken tenders. Cook the chicken in a pan with some oil until it reaches 165 degrees when you check the center of the chicken with a thermometer. If you wanted you could also use leftover Rotisserie chicken from the store.
- Baby kale - Typically Caesar salad is made with Romaine lettuce. I opted instead to use baby kale as my greens, I just thought they would hold up better in the pasta salad than the Romaine would plus I had some amazing baby kale coming out of my garden.
- Shaved Parmesan cheese - Grab a wedge of parmesan cheese and a vegetable peeler. Just shave off pieces of cheese. You can buy containers of shaved parmesan at the grocery store but it will go moldy on you, so it's best to do it fresh from the wedge.
- Crushed croutons - It wouldn’t be a Caesar salad without croutons! But for this pasta salad, I don’t want big croutons getting in the way, so I crush them up in a bowl first. Just be sure to add them right before serving. While the pasta salad tastes even better after sitting in the fridge overnight, the croutons definitely don’t—they’ll go soggy. So hold off on adding them until the moment you're ready to serve.
Creamy Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add in the pasta and cook according to the instructions on the box. You want the pasta to be al dente. Drain it from the pot
- When the pasta is done, immediately plunge it into an ice bath to stop the cooking, or rinse it under cold water.
- In a bowl, add the chilled pasta. the diced chicken, and baby kale,
- Add in the Caesar dressing. Toss with two forks to combine.
- Using a vegetable peeler, shave off ½ cup of Parmesan for a wedge, and add to the top of the salad. Mix to combine.
- When you want to serve it, crushed croutons on top to each individual serving, so they don't get soggy.
- You can also serve the pasta salad after it has chilled. It's even better the next day, just hold back the croutons until it's time to serve.
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