Summer Cobb Salad is a crisp, crunchy and creamy bowl full of fresh vegetables loaded with eggs, bacon, blue cheese and avocado. Serve it up as the salad course at all your summer dinner parties or make it as a light lunch or weeknight staple – with the option to make ahead!
Why you’ll love this cobb salad recipe
A salad unlike any other! I love a salad that feels like a full meal and this one hits the spot. It’s got crunchy, leafy greens, plenty of vegetables and just the right amount of protein and fat to keep you full and satisfied.
Meaty and delicious! This easy cobb salad is classic because it has all those extra little bits and goodness, including the ever-so-necessary bacon and hard-boiled eggs. I love to prep the bacon and hard-boiled eggs ahead of time, even by a few days, which cuts down on prep time.
Serve it for one, two or four! Meal prepped salad for the week — check! It’s so easy to prep all the components of this cobb salad on a lazy Sunday afternoon or any time you have some free time in the kitchen. It’s healthy, nutritious and refreshing. That being said, it’s also elegant and crave-able enough to serve at all your summer dinner parties with friends.
Ingredients
A cobb salad would not be complete without a sweet, tangy vinaigrette to finish it off. The ingredients have been broken down into the healthy cobb salad dressing and the salad for ease. Here’s what we need:
Dressing
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Shallot
- Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
Salad
- Romaine lettuce
- Cherry tomatoes
- Corn
- Bell pepper
- Blue cheese crumbles
- Bacon crumbles
- Basil
- Red onion
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Avocado
Ingredient substitutions and notes:
- Red wine vinegar can be swapped out for tangier white wine vinegar.
- Get your hands on a shallot, if you spot them in the store. They have a clean, mild, onion flavor that is just perfect in the dressing.
- I love crunchy romaine lettuce, but you can also start with a base of lettuces traditionally used in cobb salad like iceberg, watercress and endive.
- Swap out the fresh corn for canned (rinsed and drained) or frozen (thawed) corn — Trader Joe’s frozen fire-roasted corn is also delicious here.
- Opt for your favorite bell pepper color, such as red, orange or yellow.
- Purchase a whole wedge of blue cheese and crumble it at home for the best flavor.
- Cook your own bacon until golden brown and crisp, then crumble it up with your hands.
- Purchase a package of already prepared hard-boiled eggs at the grocery store to save yourself a step.
- Add a touch of sweetness with summer fresh berries, like raspberries, strawberries or blueberries.
How to make
I like to start by making the dressing, and then I move on to the salad and extra accouterments! Two easy steps to pure salad bliss. Here’s how to do it:
Make the dressing: In a small bowl or mason jar, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, shallot, a pinch of kosher salt and a few turns of cracked black pepper. Whisk together or add a lid to the mason jar and shake / whisk until the dressing has emulsified, about 30 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to toss with the salad.
Prep salad and toss: In a large bowl, add romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, fresh corn kernels, orange bell pepper, blue cheese, cooked bacon crumbles, basil, and red onion. Drizzle salad with dressing and toss gently together. Top salad with hard-boiled egg and sliced / diced avocado just before serving.
Serving suggestions
This is a beautiful and elegant salad that bodes well at any summer dinner party or a casual evening with friends. A crisp bottle of white or rose wine really rounds out all the salty flavors and creamy, crisp textures.
To up the ante on the protein and vegetables, feel free to top this salad off with a piece of grilled lemon chicken or serve this salad right alongside broccolini salad, zucchini corn fritters or deviled egg potato salad.
Meal prep for the win!
That being said, nothing says you can’t make this easy cobb salad recipe for one. Here are my best meal prep tips to ensure all the components of this salad are ready for you in the fridge. All you have to do before serving is toss and enjoy.
- Salad Dressing: Prepare the dressing as directed. Keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Vegetables: Chop the lettuce, tomatoes, corn, bell pepper and red onion. Stash them together in a large airtight container with a strip of paper towel.
- Proteins: Crumble the blue cheese, cook the bacon and eggs and store each in their own separate container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
When ready to serve, add all ingredients to a bowl, toss with the dressing, and top with the basil, eggs and sliced avocado.
Looking for more salad recipes? Check these out!
If you make this Summer Cobb Salad recipe, be sure to tag me on Pinterest and Instagram!
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Summer Cobb Salad
ingredients
For Dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp finely chopped shallot
Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
For Salad:
- 8 cups romaine lettuce
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 ear fresh corn removed from the cobb (about ¾ cup corn kernels)
- 1 orange or red bell pepper finely diced
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
- ½ cup cooked bacon crumbles
- 2 tbsp thinly sliced basil
- ¼ red onion finely diced
- 2 hard-boiled eggs sliced
- ½ avocado diced
instructions
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl or mason jar, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, shallot, a pinch of kosher salt and a few turns of cracked black pepper. Whisk together or add a lid to the mason jar and shake / whisk until the dressing has emulsified, about 30 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to toss with the salad.
- Prep salad and toss: In a large bowl, add romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, fresh corn kernels, orange bell pepper, blue cheese, cooked bacon crumbles, basil, and red onion. Drizzle salad with dressing and toss gently together. Top salad with hard-boiled egg and sliced / diced avocado just before serving.
notes
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