Even most salad lovers can agree: a cobb salad is just too good to be without it. Bacon, cheese, avocado, creamy dressing … is there anything better than a salad? Not really. Then add grilled chicken to the mix and a hearty helping of veggies and tomatoes, and you’ve got a meal that feels (and tastes) decadent but still qualifies as a salad. True genius.
If you’ve never eaten a cobb salad before, these 13 really are a tasty surprise for you best cobb salad recipes. Before we dive into the all-star Cobb salads on this list, though, let’s start with the Cobb basics.
What is a cobb salad?
The base of a cobb salad is a mix of lettuce, any favorite chopped, crispy vegetable you have on hand, plus crispy bacon, tomato, avocado, and chicken, all of which are drizzled with your favorite salad dressing. It’s a delicious salad that is versatile and easy to make as you can just use whatever ingredients you have on hand to prepare it.
Connected: Gwyneth Paltrow and Beyoncé love this lobster cobb salad
What is the difference between a Cobb and a Chef Salad?
The Cobb Salad is very similar to a Chef Salad in that both start with a large bed of lettuce with a mix of healthy vegetables. A chef’s salad starts with lettuce, but its greens are not mixed and it usually has ham along with other ingredients that are not normally found in a cobb salad.
Who Invented the Cobb Salad?
Cobb Salad got its name from a restaurant owner named Robert Cobb. After a long night of service at the Brown Derby in Hollywood, CA, Chef Cobb was tired and hungry. He tossed some leftover ingredients into a bowl of lettuce and tossed them with French dressing.
Related: How much salad do you need for dinner per guest?
How to make a cobb salad
If you like spring salad, use it as a base for the salad. Otherwise, any combination of iceberg, romaine, kale, and spring mix works great. The main protein in a cobb salad is chicken, which can be grilled, pulled from a fried chicken, or baked and shredded chicken breast fillets. From there, it’s as easy as chopping up crispy bacon to add an extra salty touch to the sweet red peppers and Roma tomatoes. Sliced avocados, hard-boiled eggs, and red onions are also great additions. Finish it off with your favorite dressing – from red wine vinegar to creamy avocado ranch dressing to balsamic vinaigrette.
Best Cobb Salad Recipes
We have a well-rounded selection of 13 best Cobb salad recipes in this roundup. Now that you know how easy it is, you can easily throw one together for lunch or dinner! Whether you want to make a classic cobb salad or experiment with a cobb salad, there are plenty of delicious options to choose from.
Check out the Cobb Salad Pizza in this list or the stacked Cobb Salad for an aesthetically pleasing presentation of the salad. Cobb Salad can also be turned into a Dip or a Copycat Chick-Fil-A Cobb Salad! Another fun twist on the classic is changing the meat you use. Try lobster, turkey, or ham instead of chicken.
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About the author:
Megan is the content creator behind Pip and Ebby. She loves preparing and eating delicious food, but what she really loves is this: making your life easier. Creating recipes that make things easier, tastier, healthier or more colorful or more inspiring for you is what keeps them moving in the kitchen. On her blog, you can find home cooking, quick-to-assemble meals, and tons of great instant pot and slow cooker meals, as well as stunning desserts.
