Salmon Caesar Pasta Salad
Okay you might recognize a similar version of this salad, I posted it a longggg time ago! The main differences were that it had chicken and a store bought Caesar dressing. Still totally delicious but I decided to give it a little upgrade. This was my favorite salad in college, I always ordered it from Cheddars (iykyk). I personally like this version way better, it’s so interesting I’ve realized a lot of times I like the meals I make at home better than ones I get when I go out! Last week for my birthday I wanted to make soup at home instead of picking something up LOL.
Anyways back to the salad. I love a salad that has pasta, really the only kind of salad I want tbh. I decided to make the Caesar dressing at home and I must say it was a major game changer. After I realized how easy it is to make I never want to go back to store bought. Let’s walk through the ingredients!
Greek yogurt - I don’t suggest using a low fat version for this recipe. Just use a regular plain Greek yogurt, I really like Stonyfield.
Lemon juice - this gives the dressing just a little bit of a tang.
Anchovy paste - bleh not gonna lie this stuff freaks me out, but you CANNOT leave it out. It definitely gives the dressing that traditional Caesar taste.
EVOO - it’s not a dressing without olive oil.
Garlic - You guys know I love garlic and use it wherever I can. It adds an extra kick of flavor to the dressing.
Stone ground mustard - I love the unique taste of stone ground mustard and any recipe that calls for mustard this is what I typically use.
Parmesan cheese - you can’t have Caesar dressing without it, and don’t buy pre-shredded. Get yourself a block of parm and use a cheese grater to have the freshest taste!
Salmon Pasta Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp. anchovy paste
- 1 tsp. stone ground mustard
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/4 cup EVOO
- 1/4 cup fresh shaved parmesan cheese
- Lettuce
- Penne pasta
- Salmon filet
- EVOO
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- For the dressing, place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. It's that easy!
- For the salmon, heat ~1 tbsp. EVOO in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Drizzle a bit of EVOO on the salmon filet and once the pan is hot place the salmon flesh side down on the skillet. Turn heat down to medium. Let cook about 5 minutes, flip over and let cook about 5 more minutes or until the salmon is to your liking.
- Prepare penne pasta according to instructions on box. Once it has cooked drain it and place in the refrigerator, toss with a bit of EVOO to prevent it from sticking together.
- Chop up lettuce and place in a bowl, add the cooled pasta, salmon, dressing, and some more fresh shaved parmesan on top. Enjoy! Place extra dressing in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.