Light Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Sue and I shared our Garlic Chicken Caesar Salad recipe a while ago (recipe HERE). It is one of my absolute favorite meals but, unfortunately, it is a little high in calories when I am trying to keep track. I wanted all of the flavor but lightened up so I created this recipe with a little inspiration from Diethood (click HERE) and our very own Garlic Chicken Caesar Salad. 

You get to have a monster serving size for 260 calories, 20 carbs, 5 fat, 36 protein, and 4 fiber (according to Myfitnesspal). 

FYI - this entire recipe makes 4 servings.

Light Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Ingredients

Light Caesar Dressing

1/2 cup 0 fat, plain Greek yogurt

1 1/2 Tbsp prepared mustard

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

pinch black pepper

pinch salt

1 tsp dried parsley

approx 1 Tbsp water (to thin)

Salad

1 heaping cup Fusilli, dry (I used Catelli Smart pasta)

8 cups chopped Romaine lettuce

4 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into pieces

Garnish

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

Prepare dressing - In a small bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper.

Stir until well combined. Stir in the tablespoon of water until thinned slightly. (If you prefer it thinner then add another tablespoon of water.)

Prepare salad - Cook the pasta as per package directions. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Toss the pasta with about 3 Tbsp of the dressing so it is well coated.

Place 1/4 of the lettuce on a serving plate. Top with 1/4 of the cooked chicken and 1/4 of the cooked pasta.

Drizzle with 1/4 of the remaining dressing and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately.

FYI - if you want to eat it the next day then keep the lettuce, chicken, pasta, dressing, and Parmesan in separate containers then combine just before ready to eat. You can combine them and store in the fridge but if it sits for a long period the lettuce gets wilty. 

Only 260 calories. Nice, right?

The dressing is nice and tangy and the salad is very filling. 

 

Be sure to stop by Carole's Chatter for some fun links to more great recipes!