Apples and Celery Pasta Salad with Light Caesar Dressing – Penne Pasta tossed with Gala apples, celery, walnuts and a lightened-up, homemade Caesar Dressing. The textures and flavors make this salad absolutely irresistible!
That one time I put [homemade!! lightened-up!!] Caesar Dressing on all the food I ate.
Hello, YOU! What’s going on? Still getting over the Seahawks? (Superbowl 2015) Have a cupcake; that’s the cure.
This recipe was originally published on February 4th, 2015. Updated with new photos and fresh content on June 18, 2017.
I need to come clean… I cannot stop singing Missy Elliott’s Get UR Freak ON! It’s been stuck in my head since Sunday night and it just won’t leave!
Hunny, I must say that I FUH-LIPPED as soon as I heard that iconic Missy Elliott sound! My heart literally skipped a beat. YOU, TOO? Wasn’t that awesome? I forgot to mention all this on Monday because I was still in shock! tuhn-tuhn-tuhn-tuhnahnahnahn! get-your-freak-ahn-get-your-freak-ahn!
Then I was hoping for New Kids On The Block to pop-out of somewhere, too! THAT would have been the best-est-est show on Earth!
I know I know… Salad!
p.s. my current fave Salmon Cobb Salad
I made you something really good, kind of familiar, but kind of not. Think Grandma’s crunchy, mayo-creamy macaroni salad, however this ONE is not IT.
BUT.I.AM.IN.LOVE. This my was my lunch 3 days in a row! Swear it was. Cross my heart.
I’d just like to say I’m sorry for not posting enough salad recipes. I make some mean ones, too! Mean, as in damn good!
If you’d believe it, I eat a salad every.single.day. And because I am always starving, that salad-of-the-day is literally as big as my head and inhaled in about point-2 seconds. Then that salad is followed up by a granola bar, a small container of yogurt, and 3 m&m’s.
Let’s not mention the White Chocolate Chunk Cookies, m’kay?
So I bought this plastic container filled with baby sweet lettuce and in my attempt to use it all up, I tossed it with some apples and celery just to see what it would do. A quick taste-test told me to reach for the Caesar Dressing, so I did. On the other hand, everything tells me to reach over for that dressing…
A taste-test here, a taste-test there, penne pasta ended up in the mix, walnuts, too, and of course, cheeeeeese! White cheddar, to be exact.
Gosh golly. This salad is pretty loaded, ha? Just make it. I promise you’ll love it!
ENJOY!
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TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS USED IN THIS RECIPE
Apples and Celery Pasta Salad with Light Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 cups low carb penne pasta , uncooked
- 1 to 2 Gala Apples , washed and cut into cubes (leave the skins on)
- 3 celery stalks , thinly sliced
- lemon juice of 1 whole lemon
- 4 cups fresh sweet baby lattuce blend (you can also use about 2 to 3 romaine hearts, chopped)
- 1/2- cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1/2- cup NonFat Plain Yogurt (I use Dannon)
- 1-1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon water (add 1 more tablespoon for a thinner consistency)
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- salt and fresh ground pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the directions on the box.
- Drain pasta and let stand under cold running water until completely cooled. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine chopped apples and celery; add lemon juice and toss to combine. Set aside.
- Arrange lettuce on a large serving plate or a large salad bowl.
- If wet, pat dry the penne pasta and add it to the salad.
- Top with apple-mixture, walnuts and cheese. Set aside.
- Prepare the dressing by combining all ingredients in a blender.
- Blend until creamy and smooth.
- Drizzle over salad.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
- Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad with Light Caesar Dressing
Healthy and delicious. Looks like a piece of art.
I was looking for a recipe to use leftover celery and I have to say this salad is amazing! The only thing I added was just a tiny bit od mayo to the dressing ;).
Yum!! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Unexpected potluck today! So I was looking for a quick pasta salad to throw together with stuff I had on hand already and this fit the bill! Made a few variations. I used granny smith apples instead, because that’s what I had. I am allergic to walnuts, so didn’t have/use any of those. I added raisins. And used shredded Mexican style cheese (I swear I use that on almost everything…love it) and a Caesar vinaigrette that I had on the shelf. So good!!
Okay, so this one looks darn amazing! It’s going on lunch meal plan next week.
I love a loaded salad and I want to dive into this!
I’m afraid I was still too busy drooling over Lenny Kravitz to realize that Missy Elliot was on the stage until she was almost finished. I do love a good salad, especially when apples and white cheddar are involved!
I can eat certain kinds of salad every day, more specifically, ones like these, that have substance, flavor and pasta — my ultimate weakness.
This salad is such a great recipe! I am totally diggin the pasta and apples in here!
I love the first and last photos so much – you have a lovely eye for composition and color! Great salad!
I was literally just talking to my husband about adding pasta and apples together and we were trying to figure out if it would work! I think that your recipe and photos answered that question for me! Looks wonderful!