The Best Crispy Pasta Caesar Salad

Creamy, crunchy, and packed with protein — this Crispy Pasta Caesar Salad takes the classic to a whole new level 🥗🍝
Golden oven-baked pasta instead of croutons, juicy chicken, and an extra-creamy homemade Caesar dressing. One bite and you’re hooked 😮‍🔥

Crispy Pasta Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

Salad:
• 250 g short pasta (rigatoni, penne, or farfalle)
• 2–3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
• ½ cucumber, diced
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 6 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 100 g grated parmesan cheese (1–1¼ cups)

Chicken:
• 250 g chicken breast (≈ 1¼ cups), cut into small cubes
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp tsp paprika
• ½ tsp oregano
• Salt & black pepper to taste

Pasta Seasoning:
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

Extra Creamy Sauce:
• 5 tbsp plain yogurt
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 5 garlic clove, grated
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan

Instructions:

 1.⁠ ⁠Cook the pasta
 2.⁠ ⁠Drain and let the pasta steam dry completely.
 3.⁠ ⁠Preheat the oven to 200 °C (390 °F) fan/ventilated heat.
 4.⁠ ⁠. Spread the pasta evenly on a baking sheet, toss the pasta with olive oil, and add the seasoning

 5.⁠ ⁠Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and crispy

 6.⁠ ⁠Cut the chicken into small cubes.
 7.⁠ ⁠Heat a pan with olive oil, add chicken, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper.

 8.⁠ ⁠Chop romaine lettuce, parlsey, cucumber and the red onion.
 9.⁠ ⁠In a bowl, whisk together yogurt, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan until very smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust add a little more yogurt or mayo if you want it richer.
10.⁠ ⁠In a large bowl, combine chicken, lettuce, cucumber, onion, and parsley. Pour the creamy sauce over and toss gently.
11.⁠ ⁠Top with the crunchy oven-baked pasta and extra parmesan.
12.⁠ ⁠Serve immediately for maximum crunch and creaminess.

Enjoy! 😊 #pasta #pastasalad #caesarsalad #chicken #highproteinmeals