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Caprese Caesar Pasta Salad. A combination of our yummiest, well-dressed Caesar salad mixed together with our favorite fresh Caprese salad, along with plenty of sweet cherry tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella. Add your favorite pasta and this will surely become a staple in your kitchen this spring and summer! Itโs almost completely no-cook and comes together quickly and with very little effort. Enjoy this caesar pasta salad recipe for dinner and save the leftovers in an airtight container for lunch. Or serve it up at your next spring/summer party, itโs always delicious.
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Itโs probably pretty obvious, with my sweet berry recipes and vibrant light dinners, but I am so excited for summer! With May well underway, we only have a few short weeks until itโs officially summer.
Motherโs Day is this weekend, then Memorial Day, Fatherโs Day, and before you know it, the 4th of July will be here! Itโs officially time to start planning our summer menus and Iโm kicking things off with this salad. I love it so much.
Itโs basic, but elevated with that creamy Caesar dressing!!
My inspiration
When my dad would cook dinner for the family growing up, a pasta salad was always on rotation throughout spring and summer. I still have yet to share my dadโs pasta salad recipe, maybe later this summer I finally will!
Heโd do it up so simply with broccoli, bell peppers, so much fresh basil, and big chunks of cheddar cheese. Heโd then toss in the hot pasta and dress it with lots of olive oil.
My dadโs secret was tossing everything together while the pasta was HOT.ย The cheese would melt over the pasta. It was so good. I still, to this day use his trick of tossing hot pasta with cubes of cheddar. Itโs a simple trick, but so delicious.
The details
Like most delicious salads, this recipe starts with the dressing. Typically when you have any kind of Caprese salad, itโs dressed with oil and vinegar, most often a balsamic vinaigrette.
Itโs always good, but for this pasta salad, I wanted something creamier. I thought about all my favorite salad dressings and kept coming back to the idea of a Caprese Caesar. It sounded so wonderful in my head, so thatโs what I did.
The Caesar dressing is easy, just mix mayo with olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, parmesan, salt, and pepper. I added in a few chili flakes too. Canโt leave those out!!
Now for the salad. Youโll need pasta, fresh mozzarella, sweet cherry tomatoes, crisp romaine lettuce, and then an avocado too.
Mix the pasta with the salad ingredients, then pour over the creamy Caesar dressing, and toss it all up! Itโs a simple 1, 2-step salad!
Donโt let the simplicity fool you. This hits all the flavors and itโs the first dish to disappear on any dinner table! Itโs great as a main dish or side dish.
Looking for other salad recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad
Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata
Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken and Avocado Bacon Salad
Lastly, if you make this Caprese Caesar Pasta Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, donโt forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Caprese Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredientsย
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 pinch chili flakes, to taste, (optional)
Salad
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
- 2 cups mozzarella balls, use marinated if you can find
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1/2 cup cubed spicy cheddar cheese , (optional)
- 1 avocado, diced
Instructionsย
- 1. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain. 3. In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, lettuce, mozzarella, tomatoes, cheddar, and avocado. Pour over the dressing and toss well to combine. Serve warm or cold. The salad will develop more flavor as it sits.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
As always, over the top!! I was surprised to find a spicy cheddar at my grocery store. Donโt skip it. I drained the marinated mozzarella balks, but next time I wonโt. I meanโฆyou canโt have too much flavor, can you? Thank you, Tieghan! Youโve changed my cooking world.
Hi Lisa,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your thoughts, I’m so happy it worked for you! Have the best week!
Hi Tiegan! Could I add some anchovy paste to the dressing? If so how much?
Many thanks
Kristen Berr
Hey Kristen,
Sure, I don’t see why not! I would start with 1 teaspoon and add more to your liking. I hope you love this recipe!
It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!:-)
I make this all the time – itโs one of my favourite meals. I never have Worcestershire sauce on hand so I omit that and the dressing is still delicious. If I make ahead I will add all the dressing to the pasta, tomatoes, and bocconcini and then when ready to eat I toss the greens in and thereโs enough dressing that everything gets coated well. Then I top with the avo.
Hey Katy,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this recipe and taking the time to comment. So glad it was enjoyed!
Made this for dinner last night, and agree that it’s the perfect summer salad! Everybody in my family gobbled it up. Delicious! (The only tweak I made was adding grilled chicken.) Thanks for a great recipe!
Hey Janet,
Love to hear this! Thanks for making this recipe and taking the time to comment. Enjoy your Sunday!
Delicious, but I’d half the dijon unless you like it super strong! The dijon overtook the entire taste profile, resulting in some of my kids refusing to eat it. I like dijon and thought it was too much, though I did finish. It also depends on the dijon you use (we used trader joes). I would halve it and add a pinch of salt, and then it will be perfect!
Hey Amelie,
Happy Friday! I’m thrilled to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and taking the time to comment!
Would this work if I can’t serve immediately. I’m taking it to an event. Should I put dressing on it while pasta is hot? Will it keep for awhile on the table?
Hey Tammy,
Yes! Totally fine to serve this at room temp, I would follow the recipe as directed.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
I added some crispy proscioutto- very delicious!
Hey Emily,
Awesome! So glad this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Happy Monday!
Acre Homestead shared this recipe on her YouTube channel and I knew I had to try it as soon as I heard it was from Tieghan. Was not disappointed – absolutely delicious!! It’s hard to stop eating! Next time I plan on making 1.5x the dressing. It’s really delicious and we like a little more creaminess. Will absolutely make again!
Hey Fabi,
Awesome! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad it was a hit! Happy Halloween!๐
I was looking for a new pasta salad so decided to give this a tray. I made as directed, adding the dressing to the pasta while hot. I then chilled because I was serving later. I chopped the remaining ingredients and added just before serving. The flavor of the pasta was good, but it was dry and the dressing “clumped” on the noodle. I added additional olive oil before serving to try and moisten, but was disappointed with the finished product.
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Next time, I would wait until the pasta comes to room temp before putting it into the fridge. It needs time to settle before going from hot to cold. I hope this helps! xx
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious. Had a rotisserie chicken ready to add to the salad but found the salad was hearty on its own. Iโm excited to make this dish all summer!
Hey Rebecca,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe:) Love to hear it turned out nicely for you!๐บ
This looks delicious. Can I make this a day ahead of serving? And if so, what do you suggest to keep it fresh? Keep everything prepared but separated and toss together right before serving or ?
Hi Stephanie,
Totally, I would just make everything and keep the dressing and avocado separate until you are ready to toss. I hope this helps! xx