The Cobb salad is a timeless American dish, bursting with a delightful combination of crisp greens, savory proteins, creamy avocado, and tangy blue cheese. This recipe captures the essence of the classic Cobb salad, perfect for a satisfying lunch or light dinner.
Ingredients:
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 4 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
- 3 cooked and chopped chicken breasts
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 1 ripe avocado, diced
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion (optional)
- For the dressing (optional):
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Prepare the salad components: Wash and chop the romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Cook and crumble the bacon. Cook and chop the chicken breasts. Dice the tomato, avocado, and red onion (if using). Quarter the hard-boiled eggs.
- Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, arrange the chopped romaine lettuce. Top with rows of cooked and crumbled bacon, chopped chicken, diced tomato, avocado, quartered eggs, and crumbled blue cheese.
- Dressing (optional): In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to create a simple vinaigrette dressing. Drizzle the dressing over the salad before serving, or serve it on the side for individual dressing preference.
Tips:
- For a vegetarian option, omit the bacon and chicken. You can add cooked lentils, chickpeas, or crumbled tempeh for extra protein.
- Feel free to adjust the ingredients based on your preferences. You can add other vegetables like cucumbers, green onions, or crumbled feta cheese.
- If you don’t have time to make a dressing, you can use your favorite store-bought vinaigrette.
- The Cobb salad is traditionally served chilled. However, you can enjoy it at room temperature as well.