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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! It’s 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, it’s always delicious.
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It’s 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 it’s officially summer.
Mother’s Day is this weekend, then Memorial Day, Father’s Day, and before you know it, the 4th of July will be here! It’s officially time to start planning our summer menus and I’m kicking things off with this salad. I love it so much.
It’s 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 dad’s pasta salad recipe, maybe later this summer I finally will!
He’d do it up so simply with broccoli, bell peppers, so much fresh basil, and big chunks of cheddar cheese. He’d then toss in the hot pasta and dress it with lots of olive oil.
My dad’s secret was tossing everything together while the pasta was HOT. 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. It’s 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, it’s dressed with oil and vinegar, most often a balsamic vinaigrette.
It’s 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 that’s 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. Can’t leave those out!!
Now for the salad. You’ll 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! It’s a simple 1, 2-step salad!
Don’t let the simplicity fool you. This hits all the flavors and it’s the first dish to disappear on any dinner table! It’s 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, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Caprese Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
I think you need to add a 1/2 of TBLS to each portion! I tossed it very lightly and then
when I served it I had extra to drizzle on top if people needed more.
Tieghan, this one was absolutely fire! i served with a marinated pork loin
and it was a perfect pairing! Best news is I have left overs and DON’T have to cook tonight! TYSM
Thanks a lot, Mona! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well!🌼
I made this for Easter when asked to bring a “salad”. Many people commented that they liked it. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Holly,
Thanks so much:) Love to hear this recipe was a hit, I appreciate you making it! Have a great weekend! xT
Loved this. The dressing was easy to make and yes, it does absorb into the salad so add it right before serving. I did not add lettuce when mixing but rather layered lettuce on the bottom and added the mixed pasta salad on top. Added shredded meat from one rotisserie chicken to add more protein. Used regular mini-mozzarella balls (couldn’t find marinated) and used regular cheddar, cut into small cubes. And I used small shell pasta which was perfect. Will definitely make this again.
Hey Betsy,
Fantastic! So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it and your comment! Xx
Making this salad but wanting to know if add marinaded mozzarella do you add any of the liquid
Hey Anabelle,
I did not use any of the liquid for this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Made this for our book group. The dressing was delicious when first made, but absorbed so well into the pasta, the salad ended up being a little tasteless. Not sure what happened.
Hi Wendy,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your comment. Sorry to hear it was tasteless. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
If I’m not going to eat a pasta salad right away I will save some of the dressing and then add it in right before serving. This freshens up the flavor as well as adds moisture.
This was delicious! I served it at room temp and turned out great. I thought the dressing would be a little weird but I was wrong and it was amazing. Will definitely make again.
Hey Kristen,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
Great pasta salad!! Everyone loved it!!Will definitely make again!! Thanks Teaghan!!
Hey Michelle,
Thank you so much for making this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Memorial Day! xT
Make do without it, but everybody loved it at my summer barbecue!
Thanks so much, Katherine:) Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xT
Very tasty. I added chickpeas for protein and substituted marinated bocconcini for the mozzarella balls, both went nicely!
Hey Nixie,
Happy Friday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and your feedback, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
Hi Brilliant Tiegan.
This pasta salad is truly the bomb!!! In a great way! Soooo good.
My two cents is to add slices of 4 hard boiled eggs. A bit of protein and so delicious! Thanks for your creative energy. You make mealtime so much better. 🥂 xx
Thank you so much, Prish:) Love the idea of adding hard boiled eggs! I appreciate you making this recipe! xT
Absolutely delicious!
Hey Kali,
Happy Monday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Xx
Hi 🙂 This looks great to try –but am wondering if I could sub out the mayo for another ingredient, (yoghurt maybe?) or is the mayo essential?
Hey Sarah,
Sure, you could use yogurt in place of the mayo! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
This looks fabulous! If I needed to prepare the day before, would I just add avocado right before serving so it’s not browned?
Hey Julie,
You bet, that will work nicely for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
this was a delicious lunch! I doubt my husband will ever settle for store bought caesar dressing again – the dressing was THAT good!!
Hey Katie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well for you! Xx