This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is a fresh take on a traditional Caesar salad. Made with my ultimate creamy, yogurt based, egg-free Caesar dressing, pasta, spinach, chicken and olives it's a quick and easy meal. The yogurt dressing really gives the salad a nice tangy flavor while the parmesan cheese gives it that authentic Caesar salad taste!
Having a quick, ready to go meal is worth its weight in gold sometimes. This quick and simple take on a traditional Caesar salad is a crowd pleaser that lasts for days in the fridge. The addition of fresh spinach and olives is a delicious way to give the pasta salad a pop.
I think the best part of this is you can prepare it as a warm dish, then simply store and enjoy as a pasta salad throughout the week. It's a two in one meal! This pasta dish uses my simple to make yogurt based, no mayo Caesar dressing. It's tangy, full of flavor and even egg free. It's perfect for a traditional Caesar salad like my popular salmon Caesar salad or trying it in this pasta dish that is perfect all year round.
Ingredients
The ingredients are quite simple, the hardest part is preparing the dressing, which can be done in one single bowl or in a mini blender.
- Pasta - Your favorite pasta will work great here, I'm using a large rigatoni style noodle but I have used egg noodles, elbow noodles and more. Whatever you enjoy! Although, I do find something with ridges is nice to catch all the dressing.
- Caesar Dressing - One batch of my homemade creamy Caesar dressing - it's egg free, mayo free and simply delicious.
- Fresh Spinach - I love the added green in this salad.
- Chicken - For ease, I usually use a rotisserie chicken for a fast dinner, but I also love using my grilled snacking chicken.
- Olives - You can use your favorite variety, my go-to are kalamata and castelvetrano . I'm using a mix of the two here.
- Fresh Parmesan Cheese - The crowning ingredient, tons of Parmesan cheese
- Olive Oil - A bit of olive oil to help everything stay cohesive.
- salt and pepper to taste
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare your Caesar dressing - you can find the very easy recipe linked here. You can also use your favorite Caesar dressing if you prefer.
Step 2: Boil your pasta according to package instructions in salted water. For pasta salad I like to boil a little longer than al dente, but you decide the texture for your own taste.
Once the pasta is done, reserve one cup of pasta water then drain and rinse the rest with cold water.
Step 3: Once your pasta is cool add to a large bowl or your cooking pot. Add in your fresh spinach, olives, olive oil, cooked chicken, black pepper and 1.5 cups of your prepared dressing. Mix well to combine.
Step 4: After mixing, add about ¼ cup of pasta water, add more if needed. Then finally mix in your Parmesan cheese. Taste and add in any additional salt. Serve with large shavings of parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper. Enjoy!
Hint: After refrigerating the dressing is often absorbed by the pasta, when serving again, add a little extra reserved dressing or olive oil as needed.
Storage
This salad holds well in the refrigerator for a week. It's great as a packed lunch. Unfortunately it does not freeze well.
Enjoy Warm
If you'd like to enjoy this dish warm, go through the same steps 1-2. After boiling your pasta, reserve one cup of pasta water, drain and return warm pasta to the pot. Add your spinach to allow to wilt, then the rest of your ingredients the same as above. Enjoy as a warm dish. Then package, refrigerate and enjoy as a cold pasta salad throughout the week.
Why We Love This Recipe
I love a good Caesar salad but having leftovers isn't really an option as the lettuce gets soggy. This is a great alternative to that delicious Caesar salad flavor in a hearty pasta salad that lasts all week. Made even easier with a simple rotisserie chicken or omit for a simple pasta salad.
If you try this Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad, please let me know by leaving a rating and review below!
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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad {yogurt dressing}
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1.5 pounds pasta salad 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
A fresh take on a pasta salad. This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is creamy, has a nice tang from the yogurt and freshness from the lemon. Adding pre-made chicken makes it a hearty, easy meal to put together or serve at a gathering.
Ingredients
- 1 batch of Creamy Yogurt Caesar Dressing - about 2 cups
- 1 pound pasta, cooked according to package instructions in salted water - I like to use a larger pasta with ridges like penne or rigatoni
- 2-3 cups fresh spinach
- 2-3 cups cooked chicken - shredded or diced, a rotisserie chicken is great for this dish
- 1 cup sliced olives - kalamata are my favorite but any variety work
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 cup (or as wanted) freshly grated Parmesan cheese - Costco and Trader Joe's sell a fabulous one
- ¼ - ⅓ cup reserved pasta water - begin with ¼ cup but reserve 1 full cup
- salt to taste after adding everything
- additional parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Begin by making a batch of Creamy Yogurt Caesar Dressing. Set aside - you can also make ahead and store in the fridge until you are ready to make the salad.
- Boil your pasta according to package instructions in salted water - add a good amount of salt, a few tablespoons. For pasta salad I like to boil a little longer than al dente, but you decide the texture for your own taste.
- 1 pound pasta, cooked according to package instructions in salted water - I like to use a larger pasta with ridges like penne or rigatoni
- Once the pasta is done, reserve one cup of pasta water then drain and rinse the rest with cold water. I like to take a glass measuring cup and scoop out a cup of pasta water, set aside. We won't use all of it but better to have more just in case.
- Once your pasta is cool add to a large bowl. Add in your fresh spinach, olives, olive oil, cooked chicken, black pepper and your reserved dressing. Mix well to combine.
- 2-3 cups fresh spinach
- 2-3 cups cooked chicken - shredded or diced, a rotisserie chicken is great for this dish
- 1 cup sliced olives - kalamata are my favorite but any variety work
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1.5 cups prepared Creamy Yogurt Caesar Dressing
- After mixing, add about ¼ cup of pasta water. Adjust as needed, then finally mix in your Parmesan cheese. Taste and add in any additional salt as needed. Serve with large shavings of parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper. Enjoy!
- 1 cup (or as wanted) freshly grated Parmesan cheese - Costco and Trader Joe's sell a fabulous one
- ¼ - ⅓ cup reserved pasta water - begin with ¼ cup but reserve 1 full cup
- salt to taste after adding everything
- additional parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper
Notes
- I love using rotisserie chicken for this dish, it's an easy way to make a fabulous dish with little effort.
- You can certainly use your favorite Caesar dressing in place of making the homemade version but I HIGHLY recommend the homemade for the best flavor.
- After refrigerating you may need to add additional dressing or olive oil as the pasta does absorb some of the dressing.
- If making this warm, you'll probably need the full cup of pasta water to get a good sauce.
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