I’m joining the viral pasta salad trend! And this spicy grilled steak Caesar pasta salad is the one to rule them all. After all, we’ve got grilled steak, a spicy Caesar dressing and a bunch of other fun things tossed in there for serious main dish energy. It’s my first take on the trend, but had a ton of fun jumping on the pasta salad bandwagon. This definitely won’t be the last!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love Spicy Grilled Steak Caesar Pasta Salad
- Spicy Grilled Steak Caesar Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Make Your Own Garlic Croutons
- Cowboy Campfire Is Here
- How to Make Spicy Grilled Steak Caesar Pasta Salad
- What to Serve with Spicy Grilled Steak Caesar Pasta Salad
- Leftovers and Reheating
- Bring on the Noodles
- FAQs
- Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
- Grilled Steak Pasta Salad Recipe
Why You’ll Love Spicy Grilled Steak Caesar Pasta Salad
You may have had steak Caesar salad, and you may have had pasta salad with grilled steak. Here, you’re getting the best of both worlds. This spicy grilled steak Caesar pasta salad is loaded with juicy grilled New York strip steak, tender pasta, crunchy croutons, and plenty of Parmesan cheese. Everything gets tossed in a creamy homemade Caesar dressing with a little heat from Calabrian chiles, then finished with grilled lemon and a drizzle of chili oil. It’s smoky, creamy, spicy, and honestly a meal all on its own!
Want more pasta in your bowl? Check out my recipes for Steak and Cheesy Pasta, Steak and Shrimp Alfredo and Steak Mac and Cheese!
Spicy Grilled Steak Caesar Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Steak: I’m using New York strip steak for this spicy grilled steak Caesar pasta salad, rubbed with my Cowboy Campfire Seasoning for an extra smoky boost in the salt-pepper-garlic department
- Spicy Caesar Dressing: This definitely isn’t your typical bottled salad dressing! You’ll need mayonnaise, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, Calabrian chili paste, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic cloves, hot honey, olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper.
- Pasta Salad: I love rotini or fusilli shape for this pasta salad. It’s fun and the crevices catch all the freakin’ delicious steak and dressing. We’re also using shaved Parmesan, garlic croutons, chopped parsley and freshly cracked black pepper.
Make Your Own Garlic Croutons
It’s super easy to pick up a bag of garlic croutons at the supermarket, but it’s also super easy to make them at home — and they taste 1,000 percent better. To cook your own garlic croutons, cut a loaf of Italian bread into 1-inch pieces. Then, heat up 1/2 cup of olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add 3 minced garlic cloves and a pinch of salt and pepper to the hot oil; cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat to infuse the olive with the garlic flavor. Toss the pieces of bread with the olive oil mixture, spread in a even layer on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before using.
How to Make Spicy Grilled Steak Caesar Pasta Salad
We’ll start this spicy grilled steak Caesar pasta salad with the foundation of any great pasta salad: the dressing! Mix together your ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1.5 tablespoons Calabrian chili pasta, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon hot honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and black pepper to taste. Season to taste and refrigerate.
Next, boil the 12 ounces of pasta in salted water until al dente (check the package directions for this one). Drain, then rinse briefly under cold water and let cool.
For the grilled steak, preheat your grill for direct high heat, around 450–500 degrees F. Coat 2-3 New York strip steaks with oil and 2 tablespoons of my Cowboy Campfire Seasoning. Cook over direct heat for about 3–5 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees F for medium-rare. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temp so you don’t overcook your steak! Grill the lemon halves cut-side down until charred.
Let the steak rest for 8–10 minutes. Then, place on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, cut against the grain into thin slices.
Next, toss the cooled pasta with the rest of the pasta salad ingredients — 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan, 1 cup crushed garlic croutons, 1/4 cup chopped parsley and freshly cracked black pepper — and about three-quarters of the dressing.
To finish, top the pasta salad with sliced steak, crushed croutons, extra parmesan, the remaining dressing, a squeeze of grilled lemon, and a little Calabrian chili oil. Serve immediately and enjoy!
What to Serve with Spicy Grilled Steak Caesar Pasta Salad
Like I said, this pasta salad is a main course all by itself. But, if you want to add a little something as a side dish, a simple garden salad with cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, red onion and a little lemon juice and olive oil would be great.
Leftovers and Reheating
Also one of the best things about pasta salads — no need to worry about reheating for next day deliciousness! If you’ve got leftovers of this steak pasta salad, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Eat those leftovers whenever you want!
Bring on the Noodles
FAQs
These spicy little guys are HOT and bright red, from the Calabria region of Southern Italy. The flavor is bright, tangy, fruity and a little smoky, which is perfect for this spicy grilled steak Caesar pasta salad. The Calabrian chilis reach 25,000 to 40,000 on the Scoville scale, which is about 10 times hotter than a jalapeño. That puts them in roughly the same category as a cayenne pepper.
You can definitely dial back the amount of Calabrian chili paste, since that’s the biggest source of heat in this spicy grilled steak Caesar pasta salad.
If you’re not going to use rotini or fusilli, stick to another short, tubular pasta shape. Rigatoni, penne, cavatappi or radiatore would all work!
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Grilled Steak Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Steak
- 2-3 NY strip steaks
- 2 tbsp Cowboy Campfire Rub
- Oil as needed
Spicy Caesar Dressing
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1½ tbsp Calabrian chili paste
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1 tsp hot honey
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Pasta Salad
- 12 oz rotini or fusilli pasta
- ½ cup shaved parmesan
- 1 cup garlic croutons crushed
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the dressing. Season to taste and refrigerate.
- Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water, and let cool.
- Preheat your grill for direct high heat, around 450–500F. Coat the steaks with oil and season with my Cowboy Campfire Rub.
- Cook over direct heat for about 3–5 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until 120F internal for medium-rare. Grill the lemon halves cut-side down until charred.
- Let the steaks rest for 8–10 minutes, then slice against the grain.
- Toss the cooled pasta with the rest of the pasta salad ingredients and about three-quarters of the dressing.
- Top the pasta salad with sliced steak, crushed croutons, extra parmesan, the remaining dressing, a squeeze of grilled lemon, and a little Calabrian chili oil. Serve immediately and enjoy!
