The best caesar salad ever with a secret ingredient – Hawaiian bread croutons! The croutons are so good, you’ll want to eat all of them first before digging into the salad!

Fusilli Caesar Salad - The best caesar salad with sweet Hawaiian bread croutons. So good, you'll want to eat all of the croutons first!

Caesar salad is one of my absolute favorite salads to order when eating out. But I always feel a little silly paying $12 for a salad when it has such few ingredients – romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons and dressing. So I decided to whip up a super easy, budget-friendly caesar salad right at home, along with a secret ingredient that will knock your socks off .

Yes, I so went there. I croutonified my all-time favorite rolls – King’s Hawaiian. And here’s the best part – making your own croutons is the easiest thing ever! All you have to do is slice up your rolls into cubes, toss them with melted butter and your favorite herbs, and pop them into the oven for 5-6 minutes. That’s it!

And seriously, these are the best croutons I’ve ever had. They were amazingly crunchy but still sweet and tender on the inside, just soaked with all that buttery goodness. I even got the approval from Butters!

Fusilli Caesar Salad - The best caesar salad with sweet Hawaiian bread croutons. So good, you'll want to eat all of the croutons first!

Fusilli Caesar Salad

Fusilli Caesar Salad

Yield: 4 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
The best caesar salad with a secret ingredient – Hawaiian bread croutons! It’s so good, you’ll want to eat all of the croutons first!
5 stars (2 ratings)
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces fusilli pasta
  • 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the croutons

For the dressing

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 anchovy fillet, rinsed, dried and chopped, optional
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, butter, parsley, oregano, basil and garlic powder.
  • Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Stir in olive oil mixture and gently toss to combine. Place into oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 4-5 minutes; set aside.
  • To make the dressing, whisk together mayonnaise, Parmesan, lemon juice, olive oil, Worcestershire, anchovy, garlic, salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.
  • In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well and let cool.
  • To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowl; top with pasta, Parmesan, salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the dressing on top of the salad and gently toss to combine.
  • Serve immediately, garnished with croutons.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!

Pin Recipe Share on Facebook

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by King’s Hawaiian. All opinions expressed are my own.