We had this Cobb Salad for dinner tonight, and it was absolutely delicious. I was actually surprised at how delicious it was because as I’ve said before…I am not much of a “salad” person. You will almost never catch me ordering a salad as my meal at any restaurant, but if I knew they served this recipe I would definitely think again.
And, to top things off, my two daughters (ages 3 and 6) ate it for dinner too! Well…for the most part. They don’t like tomatoes that much, and they certainly wouldn’t touch “stinky” cheese with a 10-foot pole. But we worked around those issues by making the tomatoes easy-to-avoid and putting the dressing on the side, and they ate just about everything else. I really hate that I never even thought to offer my girls a salad until recently. I just assumed that because they were kids they would not eat a salad…that’s “adult” food after all! I guess I can just blame the same influences that at one time made me believe kids could only really enjoy kid food like chicken nuggets, macaroni, and pizza. Don’t get me wrong, my kids absolutely love those foods too (and some kids truly won’t eat anything else), but with a little patience and persistence my girls have slowly started to accept a surprising variety of other foods as well. And since I am such a foodie…nothing could make me happier!!
Also, this is definitely one of those recipes where you can easily get creative. If you have everything on hand except for the pear, then just skip it. If you aren’t a fan of bacon you can add some ham or leftover chicken or forget the meat all together and make it a vegetarian dish. If you don’t like blue cheese then don’t be afraid to make a substitution. One of the greatest lessons I learned during our “100 Days of Real Food on Budget” pledge was to get creative with the ingredients you have on hand (or skip over required ingredients in a recipe) rather than running out to spend even more money on food. So have fun with it and enjoy!
Cobb Salad
We had this Cobb Salad for dinner tonight, and it was absolutely delicious...and, to top things off, my two daughters (ages 3 and 6) ate it for dinner too!
Ingredients
- 1 head lettuce, any variety
- 8 slices bacon
- 3 eggs, hardboiled and peeled
- 2 avocados
- 2 tomatoes, or equivalent amount of cherry tomatoes
- 1 pear, ripe
Instructions
- Set a frying pan over medium heat and fry the bacon until crisp (3 - 5 minutes on each side).
- While the bacon is cooking, dice the boiled egg, avocados, tomatoes, and pear.
- Chop and arrange the lettuce on a large platter.
- Drain the bacon on paper towels. When it is cool enough to handle, dice into small pieces.
- Arrange the toppings in rows over the lettuce.
- Serve with a side of homemade blue cheese dressing.
Recipe Notes
* For a dairy-free salad choose a different dressing.
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Click here for the blue cheese dressing recipe.
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This salad was delicious, but the dressing…oh my goodness! It is my absolute favorite! Thanks again.
By the way…will there ever be a 2nd cookbook? My kids love picking out recipes from the book, but we’ve made almost everything in there!!
Hi Brandy. I do think you can count on a second cookbook! :)
Yes, thank you I have it bookmarked now!
Can’t wait for your book to arrive! I want to make a version of cobb salad for the Labor Day weekend. A few months back you posted one that was a little different than this one, using lime-garlic dressing. I tried looking through your site and FB page, but can’t seem to locate it. Would you happen to remember? Thanks so much for sharing all of your great recipes and tips.
Hi Toni. Shawn thinks this is what you were thinking of: http://www.aspicyperspective.com/2014/05/cobb-salad-recipe.html. :)
I have posted before that my daughter has a severe allergy to honey. What could I substitute with? She really love blue cheese dressing….I would love to try making our own. Also how long will the dressing last if not all used for this meal? Thanks!
Corn syrup
I would definitely use pure maple syrup or organic sugar over corn syrup. Corn syrup is typically a processed GMO product and not a wholesome real food product.
Hello Colleen. We’ve not substituted for the honey in this recipe but typically substitute maple syrup for honey. I don’t know that that would work here. You might just try organic sugar. My sugar choice is coconut palm sugar. ~Amy
I loved this! And the dish is so visually stunning with all those colors and textures. Thanks for a great recipe. There’s enough left over for lunch tomorrow–that’s my favorite kind of dinner! (BTW, the hubs wasn’t a fan, but he’s a meat and taters kind of guy, so I didn’t expect much. At least he tried it, right?)
Made this dressing today! I have to admit I wasn’t sure about this since the Bleu Cheese dressing I am accustomed to is rich and creamy; but your recipes have never let me down. This was absolutely delicious. Made a Cobb like salad with chicken, tomatoes, avocado and will have another tomorrow it was so awesome! Thank you again for all these awesome recipes!
This dressing was delicious! I increased the chives, garlic and blue cheese a little and then blended it all together. This is the best dressing I’ve had in a long time!
Hi Susan. If you are are a no sugar diet due to a medical condition, like diabetes, you need to choose whatever sweetener works for your condition. If it is not due to a medical condition, you could choose a lower glycemic sugar such as coconut palm. ~Amy
What can you replace the honey with for a no sugar diet?
We made this salad and dressing tonight! It was AMAZING!!! We really liked the dressing, thank you!!!! (Quick Tip: We didn’t have pears, so I peeled an apple and cut it into small chunks. It worked really well with the dressing!)
Try preparing your bacon by chopping it before you fry it up. Nice and easy!
Why fry bacon on the stove top when you can oven fry it? Per “Cooks Illustrated”, simply roast bacon on a jelly roll pan in the middle oven rack at 400 degrees for 5-6 minutes(till fat begins to render) then rotate the pan and roast for 5 to six minutes longer (8-10 minutes for thick-cut). Perfect bacon every time and no grease spattered stove-top to clean afterward.
The Blue Cheese dressing sounds great! How long can you keep it in the fridge? I love to dip veggies into blue cheese dips :) I have tried many of your recipes and just love them, thanks for your hard work and I’m looking forward to your cookbook!
Hi Chantal. The only thing in the dressing that could “go bad” would be the blue cheese…so, I might look to the date on your cheese to determine the shelf life. Jill