Caesar Pasta Salad is such a delicious side dish for barbecues and summer dinners! Pasta with bacon, tomatoes, black olives, Parmesan, and Caesar dressing.
Originally published July 1, 2013. Updated March 18, 2021.
I love pasta salad season. If you invite me to dinner any time between March and September, I’m bringing a pasta salad. They are just so easy to prepare and everyone always loves them.
This one is a twist on the classic Caesar salad with a couple extra ingredients added in. I’ve been making it for years and even my kids that “don’t like Caesar salad” love it. Probably because it has bacon and bacon truly makes everything better.
If you love classic salad flavors in pasta salad, my Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is another delicious option!
Ingredients
- Mini farfalle pasta – you can use any small pasta shape but I especially love the mini sizes for pasta salad and the farfalle shape really holds onto sauce well.
- Bacon – you can use turkey bacon if you prefer.
- Grape tomatoes – you can can use cherry or another small variety. If you need to use a larger variety, squeeze out as much of the juice and seeds as possible.
- Garlic
- Caesar dressing – use your favorite store-bought or homemade dressing.
- Black olives – you can leave these out if you have olive haters in your life.
- Parmesan cheese – I like to use the big shavings of Parmesan in this recipe but you can use shredded or even grated.
- Lemon – you just need the juice from the lemon.
Instructions
- Cook pasta. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package instructions; drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl
- Cook bacon. Cut bacon into bite-size pieces and cook in a large skillet until crisp; drain and set aside
- Soften vegetables. Add the sliced tomatoes and garlic to the hot skillet with bacon grease and cook for just a couple minutes until the tomatoes soften; remove from heat
- Combine all ingredients. Stir together pasta, bacon, tomato mixture, Caesar dressing, olives, Parmesan, and lemon juice
- Chill. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve
Caesar pasta salad is good for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. Make sure to store it in an airtight container to keep it fresh for as long as possible.
These glass containers with lids are my absolute favorite for leftovers.
Keep in mind that the bacon will lose it’s crispness the longer it sits in the fridge so don’t make it too far ahead of time if you’re serving it to guests!
You may also need to add a drizzle more of Caesar dressing to the leftovers if they seem dry.
I don’t recommend freezing this pasta salad. Too many of the components would change texture once frozen and defrosted.
If you are worried about having too much pasta salad leftover, I would cut the recipe in half.
I love serving pasta salad when we grill so something like grilled chicken kabobs or Hawaiian BBQ ribs.
You can also make it a meal itself and top it with grilled chicken, salmon, or steak!
More Pasta Salad Recipes
- Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Salad
- Cole Slaw Pasta Salad
- BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- Broccoli Grape Pasta Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
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Caesar Pasta Salad
Caesar Pasta Salad - the perfect barbecue or potluck side dish! Pasta with bacon, tomatoes, olives, Parmesan cheese, and caeser dressing. It is really simple and comes together in less than 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 pound mini farfalle pasta
- 1 pound bacon
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup Caesar dressing
- 1 cup black olives, sliced
- ½ cup Parmesan
- juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water to al dente, then drain.
- Meanwhile, cut the bacon into bite size pieces and cook in a large skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Discard the bacon grease; leaving just a teaspoon or so in the skillet. Add the sliced tomatoes and minced garlic and toss in the skillet for just a couple of minutes to cook the garlic and soften the tomatoes. Remove from heat and let sit until cool.
- Stir together the pasta, bacon, tomato mixture, Caesar dressing, olives, Parmesan, and lemon juice. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 585Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 1567mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 26g
Nutmeg Nanny says
That’s wonderful :) I love it when my husband takes over! This pasta salad looks amazing!
Nora says
Sounds delicious! Going to make for the 4th of July BBQ-Q!!!
Tracey says
Oh wow, a whole weekend of husband-cooking?! I need to figure out how to make that happen here. I love the simplicity of this pasta salad – I could eat this for lunch every day :)
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
Hubs has been asking for a beer can chicken for YEARS. The second I saw your IG pic I really wanted one. Of course I think I want this pasta salad even more!
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
I love it when husbands grill. It’s like a vacation.