Cobb Salad
Cobb salad is a classic American salad with chicken, bacon, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocado, lettuce and blue cheese. I’m such a fan of this salad as it’s easy, wholesome and filling.
In terms of salad dressing, I’m opting for my simple red wine vinaigrette (also known as my Greek Salad Dressing). But my Lemon Vinaigrette or Dijon Vinaigrette would also be amazing. It’s up to you!
When it comes to quintessential American salads you really can’t beat a Cobb salad. Named after Robert Howard Cobb, a restaurant owner who whipped this salad up late one night with leftovers, it’s the salad I order most frequently in restaurants. Why? Because I know it’s naturally gluten-free (though I always double check), it’s flavorful, filling and let’s be honest…because it has bacon.
Cobb salads are protein packed salads with baked chicken, hard boiled eggs and bacon. That means you’ll stay full and this salad can definitely be considered a full-meal, not just an appetizer or side salad.
If you prep the chicken, eggs and bacon ahead of time (you know I’m a fan of meal prep) this salad becomes incredibly easy to make.
It’s just a matter of adding the lettuce to a bowl and topping with the ingredients listed below. And while you don’t have to line all the ingredients up as I did, it always makes it fun and pretty to serve that way. Perfect for a dinner party!
Cobb Salad Recipe Video
Cobb salads are easy to make and assemble, but it always helps to watch a quick step-by-step video. Give it a watch below!
Ingredients in a Cobb Salad
So what goes into a Cobb salad? There’s 7 classic ingredients in a Cobb salad:
- Lettuce: I use a combination of romaine and leafy green lettuce, but you can also use watercress, endive or iceberg lettuce. Cobb salad is usually a mix of greens, so feel free to use your favorites.
- Bacon: There’s something so divine about putting crispy bacon on a salad. When I’m cooking up several slices of bacon, I always cook bacon in the oven (which I highly recommend). It’s easy, no mess and no fuss.
- Chicken: To make amazing chicken for your salad, you’ll need to bust out the seasoning! I’ve added a generous amount of herbs to my chicken for that extra burst of flavor. In fact, it’s the same baked chicken I make on my first meal prep video.
- Hard Boiled Eggs: I’d say 12-minute hard boiled eggs are the standard. But I boiled mine a little bit less at 11-minutes so the yolk was just a smidge softer. Watch my video on making the perfect hard boiled eggs (and see the egg chart) to choose your favorite time.
- Tomatoes: I halved grape tomatoes but cherry tomatoes would also be great. Either way, I usually make sure my tomatoes are bite sized so I can get a good mix of all the ingredients on a fork.
- Avocado: If you haven’t noticed, I love avocado. It’s naturally anti-inflammatory, full of fiber and the healthy fat adds just the right creaminess to the salad.
- Blue cheese: No Cobb salad would be complete without blue cheese! There are actually several different types of blue cheeses. You may have heard of Roquefort (France) which has a very strong flavor or Gorgonzola (Italian) which is much milder. Choose whichever you prefer.
And if you’re interested in a non-classic Cobb salad…give my turkey Cobb salad a try! You know I’m all about those delicious variations.
What’s the Best Dressing for a Cobb Salad?
Traditionally, Cobb salad is served with a red wine vinaigrette and that’s what I’m using today. It’s light and fresh! Because this is a hearty salad, ranch dressing and other cream-based dressings can be a little thick and heavy, so I’d steer clear of those.
Is a Cobb Salad Healthy?
Yes, Cobb salads are healthy and naturally low-carb and keto friendly. The caveat is usually the portion size. Because there’s a lot of protein and fat (from the avocado and blue cheese) they can be sneaky calorie bombs. Just make sure to keep to a standard portion size and you’ll be fine!
More Healthy Salad Recipes You’ll Love
- Egg Salad
- Chicken Salad
- Berry Spinach Salad
- Lentil Salad with Cucumber
- Greek Salad
- Broccoli Salad
- BLT Salad
Cobb Salad
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
- 4 strips bacon, cooked and diced
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and diced
- 6 cups romaine and green leaf lettuce, roughly chopped
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 recipe Greek Salad Dressing
- chopped chives, salt and pepper, for garnish
Instructions
- Hard-boil your eggs. See my post on how to perfectly hard-boil an egg.
- Cook your bacon in the oven. See my post on how to cook bacon in the oven.
- Season your chicken and bake in the oven until cooked through. See my meal prep video for how I like to season and bake chicken breasts.
- While your eggs, bacon and chicken are cooking, make the Greek Salad Dressing.
- To assemble the salad, place the lettuce in a large bowl and top with the tomatoes.
- When your eggs, bacon, and chicken are cooked and cooled, chop them into bite size pieces and add to your bowl of lettuce.
- Slice up the avocado and add it to your bowl along with the crumbled blue cheese.
- Add the red wine vinaigrette (also known as Greek Salad Dressing), toss and enjoy!
Lisa's Tips
- You can assemble the Cobb salad toppings in straight lines for presentation or simply toss them all in a bowl before serving. This is my favorite bowl for serving salads!
- While this salad recipe serves two, you can easily double or triple it for more people.
What if a person doesn’t like blue cheese?
You could swap it with goat cheese or feta.
I am always up for a salad! This is going on my lunch menu this week! Great photos too!
Hi Haley – Wonderful! Enjoy the recipe :)
How incredible is this salad? Perfect for a whole meal or as a side to share with the family! I love how easy it is and yet the flavours will surely pack a punch. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jeannette – Definitely a hearty but delicious salad :)
This is a beautiful and hearty salad. I really enjoyed the dressing.
Hi Alison – So glad you enjoyed this salad! Definitely a hearty one with tons of delicious flavors :)
I love a salad with hard boiled eggs in them and yours look so good!! Great tasting too I bet, yum!
Hi Adrianne – Boiled eggs in salads are the best! :)
Everything I want in a Cobb Salad — delicious!
Hi Tara – Glad you enjoyed it :)
What’s not to like about this salad? It’s perfect! Oh so delish!
Hi Becky – It’s definitely a salad staple :)
Made the salad and also made the Champagne Vinaigrette, both came out fantastic.
Perfect, Melinda! So glad you loved the Cobb salad and then vinaigrette! :)
Delicious. Easy to make with simple instructions. I omitted the bacon and cheese and added cucumbers and two varieties of tomatoes. Perfect for quick summer dinners.
I’m happy you loved the recipe Marianne! And it’s definitely a flexible and versatile salad. Love your version with more fresh veggies. :)
Salad impressed my husband and I used turkey bacon in place of real bacon. Loved the dressing.
Wonderful! I’m happy you both loved the recipe and turkey bacon is a great sub as well. :)
Going to make this Cobb salad when we go camping this weekend. I will be the envy of everyone with their 2 min noodles. Ha ha!
Haha! I hope you enjoy the salad on your camping trip, Teresa!
I am all about low carb salad recipes at the moment and this one sounds fantastic. I never made a cobb salad at home before and it’s about time!
It’s a great low-carb salad and so easy to make! Definitely a great salad recipe to make at home. Hope you enjoy the recipe Neha!
What a fantastic looking salad!! I love salads at the best of times and this one looks brilliant, yum!! I will give it a go!!
Thanks Adrianne! Cobb salads definitely impress will all their toppings. :) Hope you enjoy it!
Cobb salad is one of my favourites! As you say it’s a meal on its own not a side! But it’s a great meal!
It’s definitely a filling meal – and a tasty one! I’m happy you love it as well. :)
This looks amazing!!! I had no idea where the name came from either!! I love that you serve this salad big enough to serve others, not just for one. I’m definitely going to try that this summer!!
Isn’t it funny to always learn those tidbits of knowledge? :) You could certainly double or triple this recipe for a large crowd as well. Hope you enjoy it!
I love a good salad. I’m really loving the homemade Greek dressing you suggest for topping this Cobb salad. Wishing I had this in front of me for my lunch.
I’m definitely a salad lover myself! And yes, the red wine vinaigrette (aka Greek salad dressing) is the perfect accompaniment to this Cobb salad. I hope you enjoy it Jill!