Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe

This quick and easy Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe is filled with tender pasta and crisp Romaine lettuce with a zippy Caesar dressing. 

Pasta salads are great for taking to parties and potlucks. We also love this Italian Pasta Salad and Classic Macaroni Salad!

Caesar pasta salad in large bowl pinterestThis easy pasta salad is great as a side dish, or you can amp it up with these Chicken Parmesan Bites or Grilled Shrimp to make it a full meal.

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Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe

When it comes to bringing a side dish to a cookout, party or potluck, this recipe is by far one of the simplest to make and loved by all.

It’s always a slam dunk, and everyone truly enjoys it.

Ingredients Needed For Caesar Pasta Salad –

Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to make this simple pasta salad. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below.

  • Bowtie Pasta – or other small pasta
  • Romaine Lettuce
  • Caesar Salad Dressinghomemade or store bought
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Croutons
  • Black Pepper

ingredients needed for caesar pasta salad

How To Assemble Pasta Salad

Timing is everything when it comes to this Caesar Salad. Ideally, you want to wait till you’re just about ready to serve to toss everything together.

The croutons can get soggy if mixed in with the other ingredients too early.

  • BOIL PASTA   Cook your pasta according to package instructions, then rinse and run under cool water to stop the cooking process and remove any excess starches. Drain completely and add to a large bowl.
  • CHOP LETTUCE   I love using Romain hearts for this recipe because it’s crisp, bright green and not too leafy. Clean the Romaine lettuce and chop it up, or better yet, find a prepared bag of pre-chopped Romaine lettuce to make it even quicker!
  • CAESAR DRESSING   I may be biased, but I LOVE my homemade Caesar dressing. You can either make it from scratch or just buy your favorite, good quality, dressing from the store.
  • COMBINE    Once all your ingredients are prepped and ready, you can simply toss them all together in a large bowl and serve immediately!

bowl of salad with pasta and dressing

Can You Prepare Ahead Of Time?

While you can get all of the ingredients prepped and ready to go ahead of time, please wait until you’re ready to serve to assemble everything.

The pasta can be prepared ahead of time and stored in an air tight container in the fridge until ready to use.

I’ll typically cook the pasta ahead of time, making it so much quicker to pull this salad together for a party.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

Pasta salads are one of my favorite side dishes because there are just so many of them with all sorts of flavors, textures and ingredients. Here are a few more delicious pasta salad recipes you can try…

pasta salad with lettuce and dressing

How Much Pasta Salad Should I Make?

If you’re trying to prepare a pasta salad for a party or potluck, and you’re not sure how much you should make, let this be a guide for you…

  • SIDE DISH – plan for about 1 cup of pasta salad per person
  • MAIN DISH – plan for about 2 cups of pasta salad per person

This recipe makes about 12 cups of pasta salad, so I’ve calculated it to serve 12 people as a side dish. If you add chicken or shrimp, and serve as a main dish, you would get about 6 servings out of it.

I can’t wait for you to give this easy Caesar pasta salad recipe a try! I hope you enjoy it!

bowl of salad with pasta and dressing
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5 from 6 votes

Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe

This quick and easy Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe is great for potlucks, parties and cookouts! Everyone loves this delicious salad!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 154 kcal
Author: Shawn

Ingredients

  • 2 cups bowtie pasta, uncooked
  • 8 cups Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
  • ¾ cup Caesar Salad Dressing
  • ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 ½ cups Croutons
  • 1 tsp black pepper

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Instructions

  • Cook the bowtie pasta according to package instructions, until al dente. Drain hot water and run cold water over the pasta to stop the cooking process and remove any excess starches.
  • In a separate large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, add in the cooled bowtie pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
If preparing ahead of time, wait to assemble the salad just until ready to serve. 

Nutrition

Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 274mg | Potassium: 115mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2768IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg
Keywords: caesar dressing, croutons, parmesan cheese, Pasta, Pasta Salad
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Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe

5 from 6 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made it as is. I used our dressing on the lettuce & tossed. I used our favorite Creamy Caesar Dressing on the pasta & tossed. Then everything all together.
    Leftovers, it’s just 2 of us so I made it for leftovers too. I added bacon & some halved cherry/grape tomatoes and some shredded chicken. We had leftover breadsticks as a side!

  2. My body and Romaine do not get along. Think this would work with a mix of spinach and kale from my garden?