Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

The best pasta salad recipe must have a delicious dressing and this chicken Caesar pasta salad has exactly that. Juicy chicken breast, crunchy croutons and crisp romaine lettuce are tossed together with spiraled pasta and sharp parmesan cheese making one of my daughter’s favorite pasta salad recipes ever.

Ingredients for Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe

I always like to see a quick overview of the ingredients I’m going to need for a recipe so here is everything you’re going to need:

Salad

• Chicken Breasts: You will cook these ahead of time and chop into bite-sized pieces.
  • SUBSTITUTION: If you want to skip cooking chicken, you could use a rotisserie chicken.
• Salt: used to season the water that you boil the pasta in
• Cavatappi Pasta: Rotini also works great. You want a hearty pasta with lots of nooks and crannies to catch all that yummy dressing!
• Caesar Croutons: Any store bought brand will work great.
• Romaine Lettuce: Rinse and dry it before chopping it up.
• Parmesan Cheese: Grab a block of parmesan that you can shave yourself!

Dressing

• Mayonnaise: acts as the base for the creamy dressing
• Plain Greek Yogurt: lightens up the dressing a little and adds good protein
• Lemon Juice: adds acidity and brightness
• Champagne Vinegar: If you can’t find champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar will work too.
• Dijon Mustard: adds flavor
• Worcestershire Sauce: adds flavor
• Garlic: You’ll grate it with a microplane or use a garlic press to get it really fine.
• Parmesan Cheese: You want the powdery kind from the can for the dressing. It gives the dressing that signature Caesar flavor.
• Salt and Black Pepper: adds flavor

The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

I know, you’re probably thinking that you’ll just buy a Caesar salad kit from the store and just add pasta and call it good, but I swear to you, this homemade salad dressing will be such a game changer! If you have the time, make this chicken Caesar salad with pasta from scratch. It’s really so simple! Here are the steps:

1. Cook the Pasta: Get a large pot of salted water boiling over medium-high heat and add the pasta once the water is boiling.
2. Cook the Chicken: While you are waiting for the water to boil and for the pasta to cook, get the chicken cooking. You can gril

Easy Italian Pasta Salad [+ Video]

This easy Italian Pasta Salad is a crowd-pleasing dish perfect for summer picnics or potlucks. Packed with fresh vegetables, cheese, pepperoni and dressed with a zesty homemade Italian dressing, this salad is sure to be a hit. Plus, check out the recipe video for step-by-step instructions!

Have you made our Greek Pasta Salad? It’s really good and one of the most popular recipes on our site. Here’s the thing though, not everyone is a fan of feta cheese, so we felt like we had no choice but to bust out an amazingly easy pasta salad recipe complete with mozzarella cheese, fresh and flavorful homemade Italian dressing, and meat and colorful vegetables galore.

There’s something about pasta salad recipes and summertime that just make the world happy. I get almost giddy the closer we get to summer just thinking about dusting off the BBQ and pulling out the lawn chairs for outdoor cookouts with friends. Make some grilled chicken and grilled corn on the cob with this pasta salad with Italian dressing, and you have yourself the perfect summer dinner!

What’s in Italian Pasta Salad?

I’ll be honest with you — our kids totally pick out some of the ingredients in this homemade pasta salad. Two of our kids love straight up cold pepperoni. So Cade and I are left to eat whatever’s leftover from this pasta salad with pepperoni. The joys of parenthood!

To make this pasta salad recipe, you’ll need:

• Rotini Pasta: Any short, sturdy pasta works great like penne, farfalle, fusilli, macaroni, etc.
• Pepperoni
• Salami
• Black Olives
• Mozzarella Cheese: Fresh mozzarella balls are preferred.
• Parmesan Cheese: freshly grated
• Bell Pepper: I prefer a red, yellow or orange bell pepper.
• Tomatoes: Grape or cherry tomatoes work great.
• Red Onion
• Italian Salad Dressing: You can grab some at the grocery store or make it at home with the recipe we’ve included below.

The measurements needed for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Italian Pasta Salad

Don’t let all the mix-ins fool you, this Italian pasta salad with pepperoni is as easy as it gets! It’s just a matter of cooking the pasta, choppi

Greek Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad

Orzo pasta salad made with all the traditional Greek flavors you love and is a super easy side dish that you can make ahead of time for your next potluck!

Juicy cherry tomatoes, tangy feta cheese, red onions, roasted chickpeas and black olives all coated in a homemade salad dressing made with fresh lemon juice. This pasta salad is so bright and fresh!

We have a traditional Greek pasta salad on the blog, but I’m pretty obsessed with this orzo version. Just like I’m obsessed with our lemon orzo with parmesan and peas! Orzo is just so fun and so versatile!

What is Orzo?

Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta that can be traditionally prepared as pasta or cooked and served in much the same way as rice.

Ingredients Needed to Make Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

In most grocery stores, you walk in and you’re in the produce section. So grab a few plastic produce bags and knock off half this list right there:

Chickpeas

• Chickpeas: roasting chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, adds a great crunchy texture to the salad and is high in plant-based protein
• Olive Oil: helps roast the chickpeas
• Cumin: adds flavor
• Smoked Paprika: adds flavor and smokiness
• Salt: adds flavor

Dressing

• Olive Oil: the base of the dressing, extra virgin olive oil is preferred
• Garlic: adds flavor
• Red Wine Vinegar: adds acid and tanginess to the dressing
• Lemon Zest and Juice: adds freshness, acidity and flavor
• Dijon Mustard: adds zesty flavor and acts as an emulsifier for the oil and vinegar
• Oregano: fresh is highly recommended but if you want to use dried oregano, go with 1 teaspoon
• Dill: fresh dill is best, but if you must use dried, go with 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt and Black Pepper: adds flavor and enhances all the ingredients

Salad

• Red Onion: adds flavor and crunchy texture
• Red Wine Vinegar: helps pickle the onions
• Orzo: You’ll find orzo right next to all your other pastas, and remember that you’re looking for a pasta that looks like rice.
• Olive Oil: helps toast the orzo and sauté the garlic
• Garlic: adds flavor
• Chicken Broth: cooks the orzo
• Lemon Zest and Juice: adds freshness and flavor
• Cracked Pepper: adds a little heat
• Salt: adds flavor
• Feta: I like to buy a block of feta and then crumble it up myself.
• Grape Tomatoes: sliced in half
• Sun Dried Tomatoes: drained from their oil and roughly chopped
• Spinach: fresh and roughly chopped
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