Grilled Ceasar Pasta Salad

One of my favorite things about doing cooking demonstrations at the Murphysboro Farmer’s Market is arriving, gathering up goodies, and coming up with a recipe somewhat on the spot.

It can also be a challenge.

A few weeks ago, I concocted this scrumptious pasta salad with kale, onion, and broccoli from Homer Grown. I decided at the last minute to grill the kale because that provides a little char flavor. I tossed the onions and broccoli on the grill because – well – why not?

Here’s one of the videos from my demonstration.

Ignore my hair – I can’t figure out what to do with it to keep it out of my face! My grandma would not be happy – but that’s another story!

I planned to do a pasta salad of some sort, so I cooked the pasta in advance. The salad is tossed in a Caesar vinaigrette. I made the dressing during the demonstration. I topped the salad with shaved Parmesan and shared it with the vendors.

It was a big hit! Even the kiddos loved it. Even non-kale lovers loved it! That’s a win in my book.

Here’s the final version of the recipe. This works with all sorts of grilled veggies added – tomatoes, onions, and zucchini come to mind.

Let me know what you think.

Grilled Ceasar Pasta Salad

Recipe by Niki Davis

Course: Salad

Servings

2

-4 servings

Prep time

0

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

kcal

Grilled kale tossed with pasta and a Caesar vinaigrette. 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• 1 teaspoon brown mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 garlic clove minced

• 1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 12 ounces kale leaves

• 2 cups cooked bowtie pasta

• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

•  

•  

Directions

• To make the vinaigrette, combine olive oil, lemon juice and zest, brown mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and Parmesan in a mason jar, seal with the lid, and shake until everything is well combined. Set the dressing aside. 
• Preheat your grill to 350°F. Remove the bottom-most woody stalk from each kale leaf so you only have the green leaf and stalk it is attached to. If desired, spray each leaf with olive oil or cooking spray. Grill for about 6 minutes, flipping halfway through. The time will depend on how large your kale leaves are. The larger the leaf, the longer it will take to grill. Once the kale is wilted slightly and tender, remove from the grill and roughly chop into bite-sized pieces. 
• In a large bowl, toss together the kale, pasta, shredded Parmesan, and the Caesar vinaigrette. Serve immediately. 

Notes

• The amount of kale can vary based on your own tastes and other vegetables you include in the salad. Twelve ounces is about 5 large leaves. 

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