Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

This kale caesar pasta salad deserves a spot at your next summer barbecue! It has crispy chickpeas. massaged kale, your favorite pasta and a creamy caesar dressing that’s higher in protein than most!

I love caesar salads and I love pasta so we are combining two of my favorites with this gluten free kale caesar pasta salad. It’s fresh yet hearty, with crispy chickpeas and an easy to make caesar dressing.

It’s easy to make though does require a bit of baking time to get the chickpeas nice and crispy, but other than that it all comes together really quickly. You don’t need a blender or any special equipment to make the dressing, just a fork or a whisk!

I love serving this recipe as a side in the summer with some grilled chicken and corn on the cob, but it’s also great as a quick lunch either as is or some grilled chicken chopped up and throw in the mix!

if you love this recipe, try my massaged kale salad or lightened up healthy egg salad next.

How to make caesar pasta salad

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and to a dish towel or paper towel. Rub between two towels/paper towels to remove water and any skins. Discard the skin.

Add to a bowl and toss with the oil, then the spices and salt.

Add to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden and crispy.

Meanwhile, remove the stems of the kale and chop into small pieces. Run under water in a strainer and massage with your hands to break it down a bit.

Dry it off then add to a large salad bowl. Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing.

When the pasta and chickpeas are done, add to the bowl with the kale, pasta, chickpeas, parmesan and toss with the dressing. Enjoy!

Key ingredients & variations

Greek Yogurt & mayo. I’m not a huge fan of mayonnaise so I opted to use half mayo and half greek yogurt for the dressing. This adds a little bit of extra protein. You can use all of one or other if you prefer. For the yogurt, just make sure it us plain and unsweetened.

Chickpeas. We’re keeping this recipe vegetarian and using roasted chickpeas for some crunch and protein. You can definitely add in some grilled or chopped rotisserie chicken as well.

Kale. I prefer traditional curly kale, but you can use lacinato or dinosaur kale if you prefer. That type doesn’t need to be massaged as much as curly kale does.

Pasta. I of course used gluten free pasta here. I like the brown rice pasta from Jovial, but you can use chickpea pasta for added protein.

Parmesan. I stuck with regular parmesan, but for a dairy free version, you can use my cashew parmesan and then vegan mayo/greek yogurt.

How to store

Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Because the kale and pasta are hearty, you can safely store the dressing and salad together, but if you want to keep it fresh for even longer, store separately, then toss together before serving.

Gluten free pasta unfortunately gets a bit hard and dry when it sits in the fridge after cooking. I find the best way to prevent this is to slightly over cook your pasta. It will be a little softer at first, but if you plan on having leftovers or using this recipe for meal prep, it makes a big difference!

Are caesar salads healthy?

Even gluten free caesar salads aren’t considered to be the healthiest salads, usually because of the dressing, but honestly, this version I would say is healthy. It’s made with simple ingredients, high in protein and lightened up a bit by swapping some of the mayo for greek yogurt.

You can swap all of the mayo for greek yogurt, use a low fat yogurt for an even lighter option. We’re also using kale instead of romaine which is much more nutrient dense.

If you need to make this recipe dairy free, try the dressing from my vegan caesar salad! It has a base of hemp seeds for added protein.

More salad recipes you’ll love!

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