Caesar salad is a popular dish that is found globally in home cooking and upscale dining alike. What you might not know is that the iconic dish herlads from Tijuana, Mexico and is the nameskae of its Cesare Cardini. The recipe is already over a hundred years old, and we are taking the dish for a new spin with our Caesar pasta salad.
Easy Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe
As legend goes, one busy weekend, when ingredients were running low, Cesare Cardini had his back against the wall and needed to figure out how to satisfy hungry customers. Necessity being the mother of ingenuity, Cardini used what he had on hand and created the Caesar Salad. The original salad consisted of romaine lettuce leaves tossed in a creamy dressing made with egg, olive oil, crushed garlic, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, grated Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Cardini added anchovies, as they gave the salad an intense, punchy, and salty twist. Many recipes tend to omit them, including ours.
In our version, the addition of pasta is what gives the classic salad a whole new twist. We’re also adding chicken, making the Caesar Pasta Salad a complete yet light meal. It’s not only easy to make, but also perfect for meal prepping and taking to the office for lunch. Sounds perfect, right?
We love warm weather cooking! There are so many dishes and sides to mix and match. We certainly have no shortage here, like our chickpea salad with sundried tomatoes, sweet pickle dip, and zucchini ketchup.

Caesar-Pasta-Salad
Ingredients
- 11 oz pasta of your choice
- 1 romaine heart
- 2 boneless chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 oz Parmesan grated (about ⅔ cup)
For the Dressing:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp mustard
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.
- Wash the romaine heart, dry the leaves, and cut them into strips.
- Cut the chicken into strips.
- In a pan, fry the chicken strips in oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and stir until smooth and creamy. Add a splash of water to thin it slightly.
- Finally, toss the pasta, lettuce strips, chicken, and grated Parmesan with the dressing.