Traditional Cobb Salad {with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette}

Looking for an easy dinner solution in the midst of the current chaos? This Classic Cobb Salad recipe never disappoints. Some of our other favorite dinner salads include Strawberry Spinach Salad, Old Fashioned Cucumber Salad, and Tangy Greek Salad.

What’s the best thing about a salad? The toppings of course! The Cobb is like a greatest hits list. Simple romaine is transformed into a palette pleasing medley of flavors including blue cheese crumbles, egg halves, avocado, and bacon (of course!).

This is such a beautiful salad, I like to serve it family style with the dressing on the side. Choose a pretty platter and arrange the ingredients in individual rows across the bed of chopped Romaine. My 11-year old son enjoys helping with this task. It’s the perfect recipe for budding chefs to assist with!

What makes a Cobb Salad?

Look at all those toppings!

Below is an overview of the specific toppings I use and any substitutions:

Hard boiled Eggs: You can easily make hard boiled eggs yourself using fresh eggs, or you can purchase pre-made hard boiled eggs from your local grocery store.

Tomatoes: You can use halved Cherry, Roma, or Grape tomatoes. You can also use diced Heirloom, Beefsteak, or Campari tomatoes.

Avocados: Hass avocados are the most commonly used variety, although there are many with slight differences. When perfectly ripened, they should be dark green in color. The best way to determine if it is ripe, however, is going by feel. It should be somewhat soft with gentle pressure applied to the skin. If it’s mushy, or you can feel the skin separating from the flesh, it’s over ripened and shouldn’t be used for salads but for your favorite guacamole recipe.

Blue Cheese Crumbles: I use Roquefort Blue Cheese, but if blue cheese is not your thing, feel free to swap it out! The recipe can easily be tweaked by substituting goat cheese, feta or gorgonzola.

Danish and Gorgonzola will have the mildest flavor. Stilton blue cheese will be slightly stronger. If you prefer a tangy, pungent blue cheese flavor, Maytag and Roquefort are your best bet.

Chicken: This salad makes perfect use of a store bought rotisserie chicken. Make sure the chicken is completely cooled and pull the meat from the bone using two forks to shred into bite-sized pieces.

Bacon: You can use thin cut or thick cut bacon. Turkey bacon is also a good choice if you are looking to cut a few calories.

Balsamic Dressing: Although vinaigrette is the classic pairing for a Cobb salad, ranch, blue cheese, or Italian may be substituted if you favor creamy salad dressings.

How To Make Balsamic Vinaigrette

A simple homemade balsamic vinaigrette allows the individual flavors to shine. I’ve included the recipe below. This vinaigrette recipe is light, tasty and easily concocted with common kitchen staples. Simply place in a presence cruet and go.

Here is an overview of what you will need and what I use to make salad dressings:

Balsamic Vinegar – You can use white or regular (black) balsamic vinegar. White Balsamic tends to be less syrupy with a cleaner aftertaste. I honestly used white balsamic just for the photos, so either is good.

Light Oil – I use a very light tasting olive oil, but grapeseed and vegetable oil are a little milder in taste.

Dijon Mustard – I use stone-ground Dijon mustard since that is what I have in the pantry.

Honey – I use honey that I have in the pantry, but agave nectar or stevia would work.

Minced Garlic – 1 clove of fresh garlic or 1 teaspoon of store bought minced garlic is perfect.

Making this salad dressing is as easy as whisking together the ingredients in a small dish. It may settle and separate as it sits, so give a good stir before putting on the salad.

Toppings and Variations

What I love about salads is that it’s so easy to modify ingredients to suit your personal preferences:

• Cheese: Blue cheese, Feta, Goat, or shredded cheddar can be substituted in equal amounts.
• Croutons: You can add about a cup of store-bought or homemade croutons for a bit of crunch.
• Onions: Red onions or chopped green onions are delicious on Cobb salad. They compliment the tanginess of the blue cheese and vinaigrette perfectly.
• Protein: You may add to the chicken or swap it out with grilled steak, salmon, or deli sliced turkey and ham.
• Olives: Add a little saltiness to your Cobb salad with about a half cup of sliced black or green olives.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• This salad makes great use of rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
• You can use a variety of dressings, from blue cheese or French to vinaigrettes. Just be sure to wait to add the dressing just before serving.
• Season with salt or pepper. Freshly cracked pepper on a salad makes the flavors pop!
• Keep all of the ingredients bite sized. You can finely chop the bacon, but everything else should be about the same size for the perfect bite.

Serve: The beauty of this salad is that is a filling stand-alone dish. I might add a crusty loaf of bread if desired. You can also pair with warm soups like French Onion, Italian Sausage and Kale Soup, or Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.

FAQs