Turn a beloved salad recipe into an easy, high-protein pasta salad! This Caesar pasta is quick and simple, perfect for busy weekday lunches. The cold pasta is tossed with a vegan Caesar dressing, crisp romaine, and crunchy roasted chickpeas.
We’re sharing ALL the details on prep and ingredients below, but you can skip straight to the condensed recipe by clicking HERE.
Why You’ll Love This
Growing up, my dad and my favorite salad was always a Caesar. When I moved to Nashville for college, he always made me this salad when I came back home to visit. Then, when I began eating plant-based, I knew I had to come up with a vegan Caesar dressing recipe. This dressing recipe has been wildly popular on my food blog, and I’m excited to see it transformed into this Caesar pasta salad recipe! It takes a twist on a classic dish and elevates it into something even more satisfying and filling.
Ingredients
- Chickpeas: The chickpeas are roasted until crunchy for a healthier take on croutons.
- Olive oil helps the chickpeas achieve a crispy texture when baked.
- Garlic powder, salt, and pepper: for seasoning the chickpeas, giving them an aromatic taste.
- Pasta: Use your favorite type — fusilli, rotini, rigatoni, penne, or any other shape that holds onto the sauce well.
- Romaine lettuce is ideal for its crisp texture.
- Vegan Caesar dressing: Hemp seeds, garlic cloves, lemon juice, tahini, vegan Worcestershire, nutritional yeast, capers, dijon, salt, and pepper come together for a perfectly tangy dressing.
How to Make Caesar Pasta Salad
Preheat the oven to 425F.
1. Roast the chickpeas. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Pat dry with paper towels. This will help the chickpeas get crispier and allow you to remove the outer layer. Pick through and remove the outer skins of the chickpeas. Transfer the chickpeas to a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Use a spoon to stir the pan to coat evenly. Roast the chickpeas for 15 minutes or until crispy and golden.
2. Cook the pasta. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve half a cup of pasta water, then drain. If you’d like, toss the pasta in a large bowl with a bit of olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
3. Prepare the dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients to a high-speed blender along with the pasta water. Blend until smooth.
4. Assemble. Chop the romaine. Add the chickpeas and a little dressing to the bowl of pasta and mix. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Add more dressing if desired, or serve the rest on the side. Right before serving, toss the pasta with the lettuce.
Expert Tips
- Make the salad dressing in advance. This recipe comes together quickly, but to save even more time on prepping, blend the dressing at the start of the week so it is ready in a pinch whenever you need it!
- Store everything separately. When serving the pasta salad, only mix together the amount you plan to have. Then, store the dressing and romaine separately. This will ensure the dressing doesn’t soak into the pasta and the romaine stays fresh and crisp. You can mix the chickpeas and pasta together, but if you’d like to store the chickpeas separately, store them on the counter to maintain their crunchy bite.
- Don’t forget to reserve the pasta water! Not only does this step help thin out the dressing, but it also helps add starch to the sauce, causing the sauce to cling to the noodles. If you accidentally drain all of the water, you can add regular water to the blender with a pinch of potato starch or cornstarch.
FAQs
How long does this salad keep for?
If everything is stored separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator, the pasta salad will keep for three to four days.
What can I add to this recipe?
While the chickpeas provide protein, if you’re not vegan and you’d like a little extra boost, you can always add chicken! For plant-based eaters, tempeh bacon is another great option. Homemade sourdough croutons are also a nice addition.
Can I use something other than romaine lettuce?
Romaine is ideal due to its hardy, crisp texture, but you could always try massaged kale with its stems removed.
Hope you enjoy this easy plant-based Caesar pasta salad recipe!
The Recipe
Caesar Pasta Salad
Equipment
- high speed blender
Ingredients
- 15 oz chickpeas canned
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 12 oz pasta fusilli, rigatoni, penne, etc.
- 2 romaine hearts
Vegan Caesar Dressing
- 1/2 cup hemp seeds
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 3 tsp capers with brine
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Pat dry with paper towels. This will help the chickpeas get crispier, and it helps remove the outer layer. Pick through and remove the outer skins of the chickpeas.
- Transfer the chickpeas to a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Use a spoon to stir the pan to coat evenly.
- Roast the chickpeas for 15 minutes or until crispy and golden.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain. If you'd like, toss the pasta in a large bowl with a little olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a high-speed blender along with the pasta water. Blend until smooth.
- Chop the romaine.
- Add the chickpeas and a little dressing to the bowl of pasta and mix. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Add more dressing if desired, or serve the rest on the side. Right before serving, toss the pasta with the lettuce.
Nutrition
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Looking for more delicious recipes? Check out these options from our archives — Charcuterie Board Pasta Salad, Smashed Cucumber Pasta Salad, and Five Pasta Salad Recipes We’re Drooling Over.
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