Gluten Free Caesar Pasta Salad Meal Prep is a flavorful and easy combination of high protein pasta and your favorite summertime salad, Caesar Salad. Make this dish for your weekly meal prep, a fast weeknight dinner or your next BBQ.
Caesar Salad with Pasta is easy to make gluten free with a couple of swaps. In fact, you can really diversify the taste of this pasta salad based on the kind of plant-based pasta you select! For this recipe, we're using Chickapea pasta for a nutty, high-protein pasta.
Thank you to Chickapea Pasta for sponsoring this post, and thank YOU for supporting the brands that help make Meal Prep On Fleek possible. All opinions are our own.
Gluten Free Caesar Pasta Salad Meal Prep Ingredients
- 1 box Chickapea Organic Pasta
- 5 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup favorite Caesar dressing
- ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup gluten-free croutons
- ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced, optional
- 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced, optional
- lemon wedges, optional
The Nitty Gritty of This Pasta Salad's Ingredients
Basically, This recipe is loaded with fresh veggies such as tomatoes, red onion, and romaine lettuce. It comes together pretty fast, in about 15 to 20 minutes. It is packed full of protein (27g per 3ounce serving) and fiber from the Chickapea Pasta and is made in a single pot! Plus, Chickapea pasta contains only 2 ingredients; chickpeas and lentils, so you know that you aren't getting a whole bunch of artificial ingredients or sugars. That is something that we always feel good about! Plus, this pasta is vegan, gluten-free, organic, kosher and non-gmo. So, unless you are paleo or whole30, Chickapea pasta is a great addition to your diet! It's got a nutty taste in comparison to regular pasta.
For this recipe, we recommend buying your favorite Caesar dressing. It makes the process go a lot faster and there are several high-quality bottled dressings out there we like, such as the Caesar dressing from Primal Kitchen, made with avocado oil.
How to Make Gluten-Free Caesar Pasta Salad
This is pretty easy stuff. Cook your pasta. While that's happening, cut the veggies, clean the lettuce, and gather your meal prep containers. When the pasta is done just toss the veggies, pasta, and cheese all together and then divide among your meal prep containers, reserving the dressing and croutons for later.
Tip: You can find gluten-free croutons at many grocery stores, or you can make them with stale gluten-free bread you've cubed up and pan-fried in some olive oil and seasonings. Your call!
Get ready to take this salad wherever you go, whether that's to a picnic, the beach, to the office for lunch, or you're going nowhere and eating it right now! Keep the dressing on the side.
How to Store and Serve Gluten-Free Caesar Pasta Salad
Once it's prepped, this salad is ready to go. Keep it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Keep the dressing and croutons OFF the salad until you're ready to toss it, ideally. That'll prevent it from getting soggy. If you REALLY want to preserve all parts of this salad, keep the croutons off, too, and toss them in with the dressing right before you're ready to eat.
How to Customize Gluten-Free Caesar Pasta Salad
There's no such thing as a boring salad around here!
Add in cooked chicken, salmon, or shrimp to make this a slightly more filling meal and you don't want to double up on the pasta.
Add in some sliced cucumber.
Skip the cheese and use nutritional yeast instead if you are inclined. It gives a similar flavor but without the dairy.
MORE GREAT SALAD MEAL PREPS!
Ingredients
- 1 box Chickapea Organic Pasta
- 5 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- ½ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup ranch dressing we used Primal Kitchen brand*
- ¾ cup croutons we used Fox Hill Kitchen brand*
- 1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced
- lemon wedges if desired
Instructions
- Cook chickapea pasta according to directions. Drain, cool, and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking chopped and slice vegetables.
- Transfer the pasta to a large bowl. and add in the veggies and cheese, and toss to combine.
- Evenly divide among meal prep containers or serve immediately at your next BBQ. Add the dressing and croutons right before serving so everything stays crispy.
Sarah says
It's so simply but sounds so amazing - I'm getting hungry just looking at these!
Sarah Kesseli says
Thanks, Sarah! It is beyond easy and so delicious!
Kristen @ The Endless Meal says
I love that you've combined two of my favorite things ever ... pasta and Caesar salad! Also love that you used Chickapea. It's our fav!
Sarah Kesseli says
Yay! We hope you try it! We may also be a little biased, but Chickapea is our favorite too!
Michelle Higgins says
What a great idea! I love the combo, I can’t wait to make this! Definitely going to become a weekly favourite.?
Sarah Kesseli says
You will love it, Michelle! It's perfect for summer BBQ's too!
Natasha @ Salt & Lavender says
I love Caesar salad, and adding pasta is such a fab idea! Yummy lunches all week!
Sarah Kesseli says
Thank you so much, Natasha! Let us know what you think!
Robyn Gleason says
Crushing on this healthy deliciousness. With the addition of Chickapea Pasta it's perfect for s dinner meal. Beautiful!
Tania Sheff says
This looks divine! Love the idea of adding Chickapea pasta to my favorite salad!
Sarah Kesseli says
Thanks, Tania! Chickapea pasta makes everything better!
Lorena says
Meal Prep is the secret to a healthy lifestyle!! I've always said it. Love this recipe!!
Sarah Kesseli says
You know we agree with that 100%!
Erin @ The Almond Eater says
Love that you combined caesar salad (the best kind of salad) with pasta--YUM!
Sarah Kesseli says
Thanks, Erin! It is the best of both worlds!
Marcie says
This is such a great meal prep idea for summer and Chickapea Pasta would make Caesar salad a million times better!
Sarah Kesseli says
Thank you, Marcie! It is perfect for summer BBQ's!
Dana says
I love this idea, Sarah! Caesar salad is one of my fave salads, but unless you add meat to it, it just isn't substantial. BUT THIS. This is a game changer.
Sarah Kesseli says
Agreed! The Chickapea pasta provides quite a bit of protein! But, we also add in some grilled chicken and shrimp on occasion too!
Trish says
Absolutely the perfect side dish!
Sarah Kesseli says
Thanks so much Trish!
Michelle @ Sunkissed Kitchen says
Oh, I have been dreaming of making a Chickapea ceasar salad, and yours looks absolutely perfect! Love this idea for meal prep.
Sarah Kesseli says
Perfect! Let us know if you try it!
Izzy @ She Likes Food says
This is such a great idea!! I love meal prep and I love salad so I'm definitely putting this on my list of things to make soon!
Sarah Kesseli says
We hope you love it, Isadora! Perfect for those hot Arizona days!
Regina says
I love this combination of a caesar and pasta salad! Absolutely perfect for summer
Sarah Kesseli says
Thank you, Regina! It is such a fun dish for summer!
Rachael says
OK, this idea is brilliant! I love caesar salad!
Sarah Kesseli says
Thank you so much, Rachael!