Caesar Pasta Salad
November 11, 2011
Mom likes to add cheese tortellini to Caesar salad. Here’s an interesting alternative with a home-made Caesar dressing. From the July 2011 issue of All You (original online), the description explains that “This salad is hearty on its own, but it is even more so when topped with grilled chicken or shrimp. Alternatively, toss in some kidney beans or chickpeas.”
Ingredients
- Salt
- 12 ounces curly pasta, such as fusilli
- 1 1/2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 9 flat anchovies, chopped
- 1/4 cup plus
- 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 10 cup chopped green leaf lettuce
- Chopped fresh basil, optional
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Cook pasta until just tender, about 10 minutes, or as package label directs.
- While pasta is cooking, combine garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, mayonnaise, olive oil and 3/4 tsp. salt in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Drain pasta.
- Toss pasta with half of dressing and tomatoes. Let stand for 10 minutes.
- Toss with Parmesan.
- Toss lettuce with remaining dressing and divide among 4 shallow bowls.
- Spoon pasta salad over lettuce, sprinkle with basil, if desired, and serve.