Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Here is another summer salad that will be easy to pack in individual containers and bring to swim meets, picnics, or any other tailgate type event that comes up this summer. It can be made ahead and keeps in the refrigerator for a day or two as long as you do not add the lettuce until just before serving. I also tested to see if it could be stored in a Mason jar for a teacher or office lunch, and it works perfectly. I won’t lie; the fact that it looks very Martha Stewart and Pinterest-y in the Mason jar is a huge draw for me.

Ingredients

• 16 oz. shell pasta, cooked and cooled
• 2 roast chicken breasts, pulled off the bone and diced/shredded (a grocery store rotisserie chicken works too and saves time)
• 12 oz. Caesar salad dressing (I like Marie’s brand)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1/4 to 1/2 purple onion, thinly sliced in 1/4 circles
• ~1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• black pepper, to taste
• 1-2 heads Romaine lettuce, shredded or chopped

Directions

• Combine cooked pasta, chicken pieces, tomato pieces, and sliced onion.
• Add dressing and mix gently. Start with about 2/3 of the dressing and add more if it seems too dry. You will need more dressing than you think because of the lettuce that will be added before serving.
• Sprinkle with black pepper and Parmesan cheese and mix again.
• Just before serving, add the lettuce to the pasta and mix.

Notes

• If you are packing in a Mason jar or tupperware for a work lunch or picnic, layer the serving of pasta salad on the bottom. Place a layer of lettuce in the top. Store in the refrigerator (or cooler) until ready to eat.