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Caesar pasta salad

I often turn to Caesar salad as a midweek saviour, usually beefed up with some crispy chickpeas, chargrilled broccoli, or pan-fried tofu. And yes, unsurprisingly, I also top Caesar salad with pan-fried dumplings. The mayo-based, vegan caesar dressing is tossed through lettuce, radicchio (optional but recommended) and warm pasta.

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A bowl of pasta salad with lettuce, creamy dressing, and breadcrumbs on top, placed on a marble surface with extra breadcrumbs in a small dish nearby.

Caesar pasta salad

Serves

Ingredients

Quick caesar dressing

120 g plant based or regular mayonnaise
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
1 tablespoon caper brine, optional
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, grated
sea salt and black pepper

Salad

250 g cos/romaine or other crisp lettuce, roughly chopped
100 g radicchio or other bitter leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
450 g short pasta
extra virgin olive oil
2 sliced scallions or a handful of chopped parsley or both
zest of 1/2 - 1 lemon
sea salt and black pepper

Crunchy breadcrumbs

170 g stale bread or 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt black pepper

Instructions

In a medium bowl, add the mayonnaise, capers, caper brine (if using), lemon juice, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of water and whisk to combine. Season with salt and black pepper.
Place the lettuce and radicchio (if using) into a large bowl. Add the Caesar dressing and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss and set aside while the pasta cooks. This time will help tenderize the lettuce.
Place the stale bread into a small food processor or blender and blitz until they become crumbs.
Preheat the oven to 180˚ C / 350˚ F. Place the breadcrumbs onto a baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with ½ teaspoon of salt and lots of black pepper. Spread the breadcrumbs into a thin layer and bake until golden and crunchy, 15-18 minutes, tossing every 3-4 minutes to promote even browning. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook according to packet instructions until al dente.
While the pasta is still warm, add it to the lettuce and toss immediately (warm pasta will soak up flavour more efficiently). Add half of the breadcrumbs along with the scallions or parsley, the lemon zest and season well with salt and black pepper. Serve warm, or at room temperature. When ready to eat, top with more breadcrumbs.

Tips and Variations

The lettuce could be replaced with any type of leafy green – kale is a great sub, but you could also use thinly shaved cabbage or brussels sprouts. I make my own breadcrumbs from stale bread – if you don’t have any, and you need to use something store-bought, I recommend buying packets of crunchy seasoned croutons and then crushing them.