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Caesar Pasta Salad
Caesar pasta salad is crispy, crunchy, and creamy. This pasta salad is both hearty and refreshing and can be ready to eat in just 20 minutes.
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Crispy, crunchy, and creamy, Caesar pasta salad is a delicious way to enjoy your favorite flavors in a new way. Made with fresh romaine tossed with chicken, parmesan cheese, bacon, and croutons, Caesar pasta can be enjoyed as a side dish or a light main dish.
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Caesar Pasta Salad
A fresh twist on a classic recipe, Caesar pasta salad is both hearty and refreshing. This 20-minute meal is satisfying enough for a main dish but delightful as a side dish for a potluck or barbecue.
Loaded with all the flavors of your favorite Caesar salad, including romaine, croutons, bacon, and parmesan cheese, this salad is made even more filling by adding chicken and pasta cooked al dente. Serve your creamy pasta salad with a side of garlic bread and a cold glass of iced tea.
A refreshing choice for a barbecue, this salad can be enjoyed during the summer and all throughout the year. Simple to make, Caesar pasta salad is a scrumptious and easy dish that friends and family will enjoy.
Caesar Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Pasta - cooked bowtie pasta
- Lettuce - romaine lettuce
- Chicken - chopped rotisserie chicken
- Cheese - shaved parmesan cheese
- Croutons - classic caesar croutons
- Bacon - crumbled bacon
- Caesar salad dressing
- Pepper - freshly cracked pepper
- Salt - sea salt
- Lemon - lemon wedges, for garnish
Each of the individual flavors in this pasta salad is prominent. For the best flavor be sure to use your favorite varieties of Caesar dressing, croutons, bacon, parmesan, and chicken. In addition to rotisserie chicken, you could also use leftover cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts.
One 12 ounce bottle of salad dressing should be enough to coat the salad. However, if you typically like more dressing on your salad be sure to pick up an extra bottle of dressing that you can add or serve on the side.
Any short pasta noodles would work fine in this delicious dish. To test for al dente simply take a bite into the pasta, if your teeth feel some resistance, but the pasta is still tender, your pasta is al dente.
How to Make Caesar Pasta Salad
FIRST STEP: Cook bowtie pasta in a pot of salted water. Drain and run cold water over the pasta until it is cooled.
SECOND STEP: In a large salad bowl, toss together cooled pasta, romaine, chicken, parmesan cheese, croutons, bacon, and salad dressing.
THIRD STEP: Top with freshly cracked black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve immediately.
What kind of bacon should I use?
For this simple recipe, you can use freshly cooked bacon crumbles or packaged bacon crumbles.
Can I use a different kind of pasta?
Any variety of short pasta noodles would work for this delicious salad, including penne pasta, fusilli pasta, or rotini pasta in addition to the bowtie pasta.
Can I use homemade Caesar salad dressing?
The store-bought dressing makes this recipe incredibly easy to assemble, but you can also make your own Caesar salad dressing. You could also make your own homemade croutons.
How to Store Caesar Pasta Salad
IN THE FRIDGE: Caesar salad pasta salad is best eaten immediately after tossing together. Leftover chicken Caesar pasta salad can be stored in the refrigerator, but the lettuce and croutons will wilt and become soggy by the next day.
If you want to make this salad in advance, the different parts can be cooked and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 2 days in advance, then toss them together just before serving.
Caesar Pasta Salad
Caesar pasta salad is crispy, crunchy, and creamy. This pasta salad is both hearty and refreshing and can be ready to eat in just 20 minutes.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Ingredients
- 6 cups cooked bowtie pasta 1-pound package
- 2 cups romaine lettuce chopped (about 1 small head)
- 2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- 5 ounces classic caesar croutons about 2 cups
- ½ cup crumbled bacon
- 12 ounces Caesar salad dressing
- freshly cracked pepper
- sea salt optional
- lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Cook bowtie pasta in a pot of salted water. Drain and run cold water over the pasta until it is cooled.
- In a large salad bowl, toss together cooled pasta, romaine, chicken, parmesan cheese, croutons, bacon, and salad dressing.
- Top with freshly cracked black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 488kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 1006mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 908IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 153mg | Iron: 2mg
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Comments
Sonja says
Can you add hard boiled eggs to this salad?
Layne Henderson says
Hi, Sonja - we haven't tried that, but it should be fine to do. Enjoy!