Cobb Salad
This Cobb salad recipe is such a delicious classic! All of the components compliment one another in the most incredible way. Make it for dinner tonight!
I’ve got another fabulous savory recipe for you today! Cobb salad!
Cobb salad is one of my absolute favorites. It’s light and refreshing, perfect for lunch or dinner, and the way all the different components come together is just mind-blowingly delicious. Plus it’s a pretty easy meal that can (mostly) be prepped ahead.
But before I get into the how-to, I’d love to know how you feel about all the savory recipes I’ve been posting. I’ve been trying to sprinkle some into the mix, while still maintaining a sweets and desserts focus primarily.
Mostly I’ve concentrated on party apps, comfort food, and just my favorite things to make and eat. I can’t help noticing they don’t get a whole lot of traction on Facebook or Instagram, but maybe that’s because it’s kind of a new thing for me?
I’ll probably keep doing them, just to give things a little more time, but if you feel strongly one way or another, I’d love it if you could leave me a comment below with your thoughts.
And now back to our originally scheduled programming: Cobb salad!
HOW WAS COBB SALAD INVENTED
Legend suggests that the Cobb salad was invented in 1929, and named after Robert Howard Cobb, who was the owner of the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood, California.
Evidently Mr. Cobb had had a long day. He didn’t have time to eat dinner until well past midnight, and so a quick salad was whipped up out of what happened to be around.
Hence, the Cobb salad was born! And we’ve been enjoying it ever since.
HOW TO MAKE COBB SALAD
If you’re looking for a quick lunch or dinner that’s filling, satisfying, and tastes amazing, then this is the recipe for you. It’s mostly just arranging yummy stuff in a salad bowl.
- Romaine Lettuce (or whatever kind of greens you have on hand)
- Tomatoes
- Cooked Chicken
- Crisp Bacon
- Blue Cheese
- Hard Boiled Eggs
- Avocado
- and a Vinaigrette Dressing
TOMATOES
For the tomatoes, I like to use grape tomatoes because they’re so sweet and flavorful.
But you can cube up a Roma tomato, beefsteak tomato, cherry tomatoes, or whatever!
CHICKEN
When I’m looking for a quick and easy shortcut, I’ll use the sliced grilled chicken you can buy in bags in the refrigerated foods section. It’s a great time saver!
But you could also grill your own chicken breasts, or roast them in the oven. Just season them to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and cook them until the juices run clear.
BACON
I love to cook bacon in the oven. It really cuts down on the mess!
I just line a baking sheet with foil and then lay the bacon slices down in a row. After about 15 or 20 minutes in a 425 degree F oven, it comes out perfect. Drain it on paper towels, then crumble it with your fingers once it’s cool enough to handle.
EGGS
To make hard-boiled eggs, place the eggs in a small pot and cover them with water. Put a lid on the pot and set it over high heat until the water comes to a boil. Remove the lid and allow the eggs to boil for 10 minutes. Then, run them under cold water, crack, and peel off the shells.
You can learn more here: Deviled Eggs Recipe.
To assemble the salad, just lay a bed of greens down and then arrange all the components in neat rows on top. Or just pile it on! It really doesn’t matter. It will taste just as good, regardless of how you arrange it.
Next just drizzle on the dressing and enjoy!
WHAT KIND OF DRESSING GOES ON COBB SALAD?
I’ve read that Cobb salad can be served with French dressing or with a red wine vinaigrette. I like both of those kinds of salad dressing, but my favorite way to enjoy a Cobb salad is with a balsamic vinaigrette.
There is just something about the tangy, slightly sweet quality of balsamic that really compliments the richness of the bacon, blue cheese, and avocado. I absolutely love it.
You can find my easy recipe for balsamic vinaigrette here: Balsamic Vinaigrette.
IS COBB SALAD HEALTHY?
There are so many different diets out there these days (keto, paleo, low-carb, low-calorie, low fat… my head spins!) it can be hard to characterize something as healthy or unhealthy. It really depends on what kind of lifestyle you have!
But I can say for certain that this recipe is gluten-free, and low carb.
However, with the bacon, blue cheese, avocado, and olive oil in the dressing, it is not necessarily low in fat or calories. Personally, I am on Weight Watchers and this meal will cost me 15 smart points, which is kind of a lot if you’re trying to lose weight (I only get 23 a day!).
But I have friends that are doing the keto diet, and I know from talking to them that high fat is a GOOD thing with that plan.
So you just need to know your strategy and eat accordingly. If you want more info on the nutritional value of this salad, you can find it in the recipe card below.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH COBB SALAD
You can definitely make a meal out of this salad.
It really doesn’t need another thing, but if you’d like to gild the lily a bit, try serving it with a loaf of crusty French baguette, some soft Italian bread sticks, or a batch of my favorite homemade crescent rolls. Yum!
CAN COBB SALAD BE MADE AHEAD?
You can make all the components ahead, and assemble the salad, with the exception of the avocado.
As I’m sure you know, avocado tends to turn color pretty quickly after it’s been sliced into. So I would save that for just before serving, and pour on the dressing at that time too. That way, the lettuce won’t wilt.
So definitely let me know what you think of this recipe, and how you feel about savory dishes here on Baking a Moment. I really like sharing them. It’s fun for me to have that variety, and I hope you’re enjoying it too!
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Cobb Salad
Ingredients
- 9 ounces (255.15 g) chopped romaine lettuce
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) grape tomatoes
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) grilled chicken,, cubed
- 5 slices (40 g) cooked bacon,, crumbled
- 1/2 cup (67.5 g) blue cheese crumbles
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 1/2 (1/4) avocado, , sliced
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) balsamic vinaigrette
Instructions
- Line the bottom of a salad bowl with chopped romaine lettuce.
- Halve the tomatoes, and arrange them in a row over the lettuce.
- Arrange the chicken, bacon, blue cheese, egg, and avocado in parallel rows.
- Dress the salad with balsamic vinaigrette.
I LOVE Cobb salads! The only thing I do differently (because I don’t always have blue cheese in the fridge) is to substitute the vinaigrette with chunky blue cheese dressing. It’s amazing!
Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes both sweet and savory! ❤️
Such a beautiful salad!! All my favourites in one bowl.. Yummm!!
Thank you! It’s definitely one of my favorite things to eat!
I’m really enjoying the savory dishes, keep it up!
That’s great Audra! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know!
Hey Allie,
I cannot tell a lie……I do expect to see mainly desserts on your blog. However, an occasional appetizer, side dish or dinner recipe is not going to deter me from checking your site as I normally do. I actually read through each and every post/recipe that you offer up. But that could just be me…..I know a lot of people only do that if they are considering making a certain recipe. I am always curious and open to any and all recipes on the blogs that I follow. Maybe give it a bit more time like you said and then trust your instincts with which path to take in the future!
Thanks so much for the feedback Vicki! I will continue to try to keep the primary focus on desserts, but I’m glad to know you enjoy some variety too.
Why would you arrange the ingredients in a row?? I like them mixed all together.
As I said in the post, you can do it however you like.