Arugula Pasta Caesar Salad (Printable version)
Peppery arugula and pasta with creamy Caesar-style dressing, cherry tomatoes and crunchy croutons.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 9 oz short pasta (rotini, penne, or fusilli)
02 - Salt, for pasta water
→ Salad
03 - 4 cups fresh arugula, washed and dried
04 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
05 - ½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
06 - 1 cup homemade or store-bought croutons
→ Caesar Dressing
07 - ½ cup mayonnaise
08 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
09 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
10 - 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
11 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
12 - 1 garlic clove, minced
13 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
14 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
# Directions:
01 - Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the short pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain through a colander and rinse briefly under cold running water to halt cooking and cool the pasta completely.
02 - While the pasta cooks, combine the mayonnaise, grated Parmesan, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, and olive oil in a mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously until smooth and emulsified. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
03 - In a large serving bowl, combine the cooled pasta, arugula, halved cherry tomatoes, and croutons. Toss gently to distribute the ingredients evenly.
04 - Drizzle the Caesar dressing over the salad and toss gently until every component is evenly coated. Top with shaved Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
# Expert advice:
01 -
- The creamy Caesar dressing clings to every pasta ridge and makes each forkful feel indulgent without much effort.
- It comes together in the time it takes to boil pasta, which means less sweating over a stove and more time eating on the patio.
02 -
- Do not let the dressed salad sit for more than twenty minutes before serving, or the arugula will weep and the croutons will surrender into mushy disappointment.
- If you want a classic Caesar depth that people cannot quite place, stir one teaspoon of anchovy paste into the dressing and watch everyone try to guess your secret.
03 -
- Toss the warm pasta with a tiny drizzle of olive oil before cooling so it does not stick together in a stubborn clump.
- Taste the dressing on a piece of the actual pasta rather than on its own, because the salt level shifts once it hits those neutral noodles.