Name: Quick and Simple Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 lb pasta (corkscrew pasta preferred); 1 head romaine lettuce (rinsed, then chopped); 1 cup croutons; 1 cup parmesan cheese (shaved or grated); 1/4 cup caesar dressing (to taste)

Recipe at a Glance

Cook Level: If you can boil pasta, make and dress a salad, you can absolutely NAIL making this recipe.

Cook Time: Truly the only time this recipe takes is boiling the pasta and chopping the lettuce. At most, this will take 15 minutes.

Swaps and Subs: Throw in other vegetables if you want to add more texture such as chickpeas, cucumbers, dried cranberries, or even some slivered almonds or walnuts. Ramp up the protein with chicken from chicken cutlets, leftover baked chicken thighs, or some shrimp from a shrimp sheet pan.

Best Paired With: Pair this salad with a tuscan chicken, chicken francese, Italian baked turkey meatballs, or slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs.

Tried and True Tips and Reminders

Don't rinse the pasta before adding to the lettuce to mix. Instead, let the pasta come to slightly room temperature, then add to the lettuce.

If you want to prep the salad ahead of time or want to make it for the week, leave the croutons and the pasta separate from the lettuce and parmesan cheese. Add the ingredients altogether when you're ready to eat, and top with dressing.

Cook the pasta al dente so that it doesn't fall apart when you mix it in with the salad ingredients.

Important Ingredients

Romaine Lettuce: All good caesar salads start with a classic romaine lettuce. If you would prefer a different crunch, use kale or iceberg lettuce.

Parmesan Cheese: I like to use fresh shaved pieces, or you can buy shaved slices of parmesan at your local grocer.

Caesar Dressing: I don't typically make my own, admittedly I'm not much of a dressing or marinade maker, so I tend to browse stores for ones that have the best ingredients. Newman's Own and Primal Kitchen are some of my go to dressings.

Croutons: You can't make a caesar salad without having croutons. Feel free to make your own or use gluten free if you need to.

Pasta: I chose to use a gluten-free version for this dish, because it's what I had, but honestly any short, grooved pasta works here. If I were to pick, I'd choose between penne, mezzi rigatoni, fusilli, cavatappi, or radiatore.

Step by Step Instructions

ingredients for a caesar salad with pasta

Ingredients, ASSEMBLE!

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then cook the desired pasta to al dente. Strain, then set aside. Chop a head of romaine lettuce, rinse and pay dry. Add the romaine lettuce, pasta, croutons, and parmesan cheese to a large mixing bowl.

Dress it Up!

Pour the caesar dressing on top, then mix thoroughly with large mixing spoons.

caesar salad with pasta in a serving bowl

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I store this recipe so that it doesn't get soggy?

If you've already added the salad dressing to this, I would suggest storing in an airtight container for up to 24 hours, after that, the recipe becomes a little difficult to eat and quite soggy.

If you want to preserve some of the leftovers, you can keep the pasta and the salad separate, as well as the salad dressing. Assemble when you want to serve it, or prep it as a meal prep. The pasta will keep for a few days, as will the lettuce and parmesan.

What type of pasta is recommended to use?

I love using a short, grooved pasta that holds on to the dressing well, so my recommendations are fusilli, rigatoni, cavatappi, or radiatore.

Can I make my own dressing?

You can definitely use your own recipe for dressing or use a store-bought version. I just don't typically have the patience to make a dressing, although I've tried before.