Healthy Caesar Pasta Salad

This Healthy Caesar Pasta Salad has all the creamy comfort of a classic Caesar and pasta all in one, but is made healthier with a homemade Greek yogurt-based dressing! It makes a great side dish but can also be turned into a main dish by adding a protein like chicken breast or steak.

A good Caesar salad with crisp pieces of romaine lettuce, tossed in a tangy, Caesar dressing and topped with crunch croutons is pretty hard to resist. This creamy salad is packed with so much flavor and is so delicious, it often steals the show from the main coarse, if you ask me!

While a traditional Caesar salad can pack more fat and calories than the main coarse, we often make it at home using a Greek yogurt based dressing. This significantly cuts down the amount of mayonnaise in traditional Caesar dressing and replaces it with Greek yogurt. More protein, less fat, but you still get the tangy, creamy taste of a real Caesar dressing.

We use it often to make Healthy Caesar Salad at home, including variations like my Kale Caesar Salad with Roasted Delicata Squash. This healthier Caesar dressing is what I used in this Healthy Caesar Pasta Salad.

What can make an already amazing Caesar salad even better? Adding pasta, of course! If you are a carb lover like me, you probably love pasta salads as much as I do. This Healthy Caesar Pasta Salad combines two delicious salads into one! I mean, can it get any better than that?

A delicious side dish and perfect main dish

Pasta salad is always a great side dish and this Caesar pasta salad is no exception. It’s perfect to whip up for potlucks, for a backyard summer BBQ, or a regular dinner at home. It makes the perfect side dish for a wide variety of meals including hamburgers, grilled meats, and so much more.

This Healthy Caesar Pasta Salad is not just a summer side dish. It also makes a great main dish! Add some protein like grilled chicken breast or rotisserie chicken, steak, or shrimp, for example, and you have a perfect salad meal. You can also take it and stuff it into a tortilla for a delicious wrap.

Why we love this recipe:

• This recipe is incredibly easy to make. It gets no harder than boiling pasta and whisking the salad dressing together.
  
  
• You only need 20 minutes to make this recipe!
  
  
• You can prep this salad in advance to make meal times a breeze.
  
  
• The Caesar dressing is made with a healthier with the use of Greek yogurt.
  
  
• This recipe makes a great side dish and main dish.
  
  
• You can keep it vegetarian or add a protein like chicken, steak, or shrimp.
  
  
• It’s a crowd pleaser! Who doesn’t love Caesar salad and pasta?

Ingredients in this Healthy Caesar Pasta Salad

• Pasta: Penne pasta or any shorter pasta like rotini or bowtie pasta can be used.
  
  
• Veggies: Romaine lettuce and cherry tomatoes for little pops of flavor.
  
  
• Greek yogurt: Used as the base for this healthier Caesar dressing.
  
  
• Mayonnaise: While Greek yogurt makes up the bulk of the salad dressing, I add a little mayonnaise for some richness.
  
  
• Lemon juice: Adds to the tang in the dressing.
  
  
• Parmesan cheese: grated.
  
  
• Other flavorings: Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and black pepper.
  
  
• Croutons: You can use store-bought or homemade croutons to top your pasta salad.

**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**

Optional add-ins

While this salad is downright delicious as it is, you can certainly add to it to bulk it up or add additional flavor.

• Add protein. As mentioned earlier, adding proteins like chicken, steak, bacon, salmon, or shrimp will help turn this pasta salad into a main dish.
  
  
• Add avocado. Creamy, diced avocado is a great addition to this salad!
  
  
• Add other veggies. Olives, bell pepper, carrots, etc.

How to make this Healthy Caesar Pasta Salad

1. Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the penne. Cook according to package directions. Drain.
   
   
2. Prepare the salad. Chop or tear romaine lettuce into bite sized pieces. Place in a large bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the drained penne.
   
   
3. Make the dressing. To make the dressing, whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
   
   
4. Toss. Drizzle as much dressing as desired over the romaine and penne, toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with croutons if desired.

Can you prep this pasta salad in advance?

The beauty of this salad (and pasta salads in general) is that they can be made in advance and stored in the fridge. If you are planning to make it ahead of time, you can assemble the entire salad but I recommend waiting to toss it in the dressing until just before serving. This will keep the romaine crisp and prevent the pasta from soaking up the dressing and making your pasta salad dry. The croutons should also be added just before serving to prevent them getting soggy.

I love making this salad for meal prepped lunches too (especially with chicken breast). If you would like to make it ahead for lunches, store your dressing in a small container and toss it before eating for the tastiest, crispest salad.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Bon appetit!

-Cathy

Love pasta salads as much as we do? You may also like:

Corn, Bacon and Arugula Pasta Salad
Healthy Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Caprese Tortellini Pasta Salad
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
Healthy Greek Pasta Salad