Pasta salad meets green salad in this tasty dish. A great summer BBQ side but hearty enough to serve for dinner on it’s own.
This is my rendition of a gem of a recipe that was published in Cooking Light back in 1997. Seems like yesterday, doesn’t it? Well friends, it was nearly 20 years ago.
Lately, I’ve been feeling as if time is passing at an accelerated rate of speed. I think it’s the time of year with all the graduations and the change from spring to summer that does it to me.
This weekend is going to be a big, fat, emotional roller coaster extravaganza around here. We’ll be attending Boy #2’s college grad ceremony on Saturday and Boy #4 is coming home from his college in Santa Barbara for the long weekend. Graduations, kids coming home for Memorial Day weekend, all of us together, hugging and singing, and dancing…okay, those last two things won’t happen but a mom can dream.
I’m stocking up on Kleenex and carbs to prepare.
This recipe a mashup of sorts – think pasta salad meets green salad and you’ve got the idea. It may sound strange but trust me, it works beautifully. Crisp lettuce, al dente spiral pasta, ripe cherry tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and toasty croutons, all coated in creamy Caesar dressing. Yeah, it works.
You can make things incredibly simple by taking advantage of store-bought rotisserie chicken, bottled Caesar dressing, and packaged croutons. Or, go the extra mile and do it all from scratch. I chose to do a little of both. Â
I cooked up some boneless skinless chicken breast, seasoned it with a little garlic pepper, and chopped it into small bite-size pieces. To brighten up the flavor, I squeezed the juice of half a lemon over the cooked, chopped chicken.
To assemble the salad, grab a large mixing bowl and combine a pound of fusilli pasta (cooked according to the package directions and rinsed immediately with cool water), a couple of cups of chopped romaine lettuce, chopped green onion, halved cherry or grape tomatoes, and finely sliced basil.
Bottled Caesar dressing is one of the shortcuts I chose to go with. There are many fine brands out there but I’m fond of Cardini’s. Of course, it would be delicious with a from scratch dressing like my Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing.
Add the cooked, chopped chicken, plenty of fresh ground black pepper, and the croutons. Toss it all together with the dressing, sprinkle with some shaved Parmesan cheese and you’re ready to serve.
I chose to make my own croutons because I LOVE homemade croutons. The packaged variety tend to be too dry for my taste. I like to pull them out of the oven when they are toasty but still have a bit of chewiness to them. So amazing! To see how I make my own croutons take a look THIS post.
The salad can be assembled ahead of time but it’s best to dress it just before serving since pasta has a tendency to absorb salad dressing (sort of like me). So, if you’re making it ahead, assemble it as directed but add the romaine lettuce, dressing, and croutons just before serving for the best result.
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
6 to 8 adjust servings
Pasta salad meets green salad in this summery dish. It makes a great BBQ side dish or serve it with some garlic bread for an easy dinner.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breast
- 2 teaspoons garlic pepper
- 1 lemon
- 1 pound fusili or rotini pasta, cooked according to package directions and immediately rinsed with cold water
- 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 1/2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/3 cup Caesar salad dressing (store bought or homemade)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups croutons (store bought or homemade)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook thin sliced chicken for about 3 or 4 minutes per side, seasoning with garlic pepper as it cooks. When chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in center, remove from heat and transfer to a cutting board. Chop chicken into small bite-size pieces, squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the top and toss to combine. Allow to cool while assembling the salad.
- In a large mixing bowl combine cooked and cooled pasta, romaine, tomatoes, green onion, and basil. Add Caesar salad dressing and toss to combine. Add cooked, chopped chicken (which should be slightly cool by now), plenty of fresh ground black pepper, and the croutons. Toss again, sprinkle with shaved Parmesan and serve.
Recipe Notes
To save time, use store-bought rotisserie chicken in place of the boneless, skinless chicken breast and omit garlic pepper.
I think I was getting Cooking Light in 1997. Love their magazine. I adore the croutons in the salad. Great crunch.
I love it too, Christie. I was getting it then and still get it now!
This looks like such a great pasta salad!! I know we’d love it!! Perfect for summertime!
Thanks Sheena!
Maybe not singing and dancing, but I bet your boys will be enjoying mom’s home cooked meals! This is a great pasta salad to feed a crowd! Pinning!
Haha…thanks Sandra!
What a wonderful salad…this would be perfect for Memorial Day. Such great texture and flavors. xo, Catherine
I LOVE pasta salad! This is the perfect side to a bbq or just the perfect summer evening salad! thanks for sharing!
Love that you just combined two of my summertime faves- caesar salad and pasta salad- into one tasty salad! 🙂 This looks delicious!
Yeah, we are on the cusp of being empty nesters in this house too and I’m not loving it much. lol Got a couple of graduations this year for my kids too…one high school and one collage. Great twist on a pasta salad. Looks wonderful. I love homemade croutons too.
The nest is not quite empty yet 🙂 Good luck to your kids!
What a perfect summer salad! Thanks for the recipe Valerie, I cant wait to make it!
My daughter and I love Caesar salad. This pasta salad version looks delicious and is a complete meal in one. It makes such a great summertime lunch or dinner when you don’t want to eat anything heavy. Enjoy your time with your children!
Congratulations on #2’s grad school graduation!!! You’re going to be super busy this weekend, but it’ll be a wonderful family re-union! 🙂 I love this salad… We’ve been eating out this week and I need great salad like this!!!!
Valerie, made this salad over the weekend. Such a good good salad. Easy to come together and I made the homemade croutons (first time for me) and they were so so good. My son’s girlfriend has already ask this for her birthday dinner next month! Thanks Valerie!
Wonderful! I’m so happy to hear that the salad worked out for you. There’s no going back after you’ve made homemade croutons 🙂
Hi I would love to make this for my husbands potluck at work tomorrow. I would have to make it tonight so he can take early with him. It wouldn’t get eaten until about 11am. Is there a way to keep it fresh and crisp over night?
I’d prep everything ahead of time and keep it stored separately in the fridge. Just toss everything together before he heads off in the morning and it should be just fine. If you want to combine some of the ingredients the night before you can but definitely hold off till morning to add the lettuce, dressing, and croutons.
salad is good, but you definitely need more dressing than 1/3 cup
The amount worked well for me but, of course, you can add as much as you’d like.