All the fabulous flavours of Caesar salad combined with bowtie pasta for a great twist on the classic. With bacon, homemade croutons and an easy and delicious Caesar salad dressing.
If you love Caesar salad (and who doesn’t?!) then you’re sure to love this Caesar pasta salad, too! It has all the great parts of a classic Caesar salad, from homemade croutons to an easy and delicious homemade Caesar salad dressing.
I love the addition of pasta to Caesar salad, for a heartier salad that is a meal in itself. That said if you want to add a protein, some chicken or shrimp would be great additions.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Pasta – I’ve tested this salad with a few different pasta shapes and I love it with bowtie pasta (Farfalle). It’s a little lighter than Penne or Rotini, though either of those pastas would certainly work fine if that’s what you have on hand.
Romaine Lettuce – Caesar salad is traditionally made with romaine lettuce, but if you’d like to opt for another lettuce, that’s fine, too.
Bacon – I love bacon bits in this salad and the bacon fat flavours the croutons as well! That said you can certainly omit the bacon for a vegetarian salad. If omitting, simply use olive oil to drizzle on the croutons instead of the bacon fat.
Baguette – Baguette makes the best croutons since it’s porous enough to absorb flavours but not so porous that it gets mushy.
How to make Caesar pasta salad
- Start a pot of water to boil for the pasta, then brown the bacon in a skillet. Remove the cooked bacon to a bowl, reserving the bacon fat.
- Pour the bacon fat over the cubed bread.
- Toss to combine the croutons with the bacon fat and other seasonings.
- Scatter the croutons onto a baking sheet and bake until golden.
- Add the pasta to the boiling and salted water and cook just until al dente. Be careful not to overcook the pasta. When cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
- Add the pasta to a large salad bowl.
- In a food processor, pulse together the first 6 Caesar dressing ingredients.
- Using the hole in the lid of the food processor, very slowly add the oil to the dressing with the food processor running on low until it is all incorporated.
- The finished Caesar dressing should be thick and creamy. Remove the dressing to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan and lemon juice.
- Add the chopped romaine lettuce to the salad bowl with the pasta.
- Add the bacon bits and croutons to the salad bowl.
- Add the Caesar dressing to the bowl and toss to combine well.
Recipe tips!
- If you don’t have a food processor, a blender on low should also work. Failing that, a bowl, a whisk, and some elbow grease will also work.
- The Caesar salad dressing recipe is my favourite and my go-to for decades! I have scaled it down for this salad, but I generally make double this amount and keep it in the fridge for salads or dip. Tuck it away for all your Caesar salad needs!
Variations
Want to add protein to this salad? Add some sliced or diced grilled chicken or chicken from a rotisserie chicken. This would also be nice with cooked and cooled shrimp.
Making ahead and storing
This salad is at its very best freshly tossed together. If you want to make it ahead or are looking for a salad to enjoy from the fridge for a couple of days, my advice would be to add the romaine fresh with each serving, as it tends to break down a bit as it sits.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
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Get the Recipe: Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the croutons:
- 3 slices bacon, diced
- 2 1/2-3 cups cubed baguette
- Pinch salt, pepper, oregano, basil, mustard powder and thyme
For the Caesar salad dressing:
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/2 large egg, pasteurized *see Note 1 below
- 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2-1 teaspoon anchovy paste, optional
- 1/2 cup vegetable, canola or other neutral-tasting oil
- Juice of 1/4 a fresh lemon
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
For the salad:
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 5 oz bowtie pasta (Farfalle), about 2 cups of dried bowtie pasta
For serving:
- Additional Parmesan cheese
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (non-convection)
- Start a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. When boiling, salt well and add the pasta. Boil the pasta just until al dente (be careful not to overcook the pasta!). When ready, drain and rinse well with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well, then add to a large salad bowl and set aside.
Make the croutons:
- In a skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon to a small bowl and set aside, reserving the bacon fat. Pour the bacon fat into a large bowl and add the cubed baguette. Add the salt and pepper, oregano, basil, mustard powder and thyme and toss until the cubes are completely coated. Place the bread cubes onto a baking sheet and bake in a 350° F. oven until golden brown, stirring occasionally (about 10-15 minutes). Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. Tip! I prefer croutons that are not too hard, so I don't let the croutons get too golden. Also, keep in mind that the croutons will continue to cook a bit on the baking sheet even when out of the oven, so be sure not to over-bake the croutons.
Make the Caesar salad dressing:
- Place the minced garlic into a food processor or blender. Add the salt, vinegar, egg and Dijon mustard and process lightly until the ingredients are mixed. With the processor running, very slowly add the oil (a drop at a time at first!), then increasing to a trickle, until all the oil is added and completely mixed in. Add the lemon juice, pepper and Parmesan cheese and mix in.
- Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
For assembling the salad:
- Add the chopped romaine lettuce to the salad bowl with the pasta. Add the bacon bits and croutons to the bowl. Add the Caesar salad dressing to the bowl and toss well to combine.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges and additional Parmesan cheese for garnish.
Notes
More pasta salad recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
The dressing was SO good!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks :)