We all need fast, easy meals that everyone will like and aren't just fried foods or pizza. And this time of the year, that means main dish salads for me and mine. But since we're looking for something filling, this clever cobb salad features all the flavor you could ask for and suggests grabbing leftovers to help with the protein. I like making mine when I've recently had chicken and early in the week, when a few slices of bacon and a couple hard-boiled eggs from weekend brunches can make it happen so fast, the preparation time in the recipe can actually be halved!
Tweak as you'd like, but as it's presented here is what gets cheers and "can we have this again?" happening at my table. But if you know your kidlets won't accept blue cheese, toss in something that will please them. You can even make it vegetarian by excluding the chicken and bacon and either using cooked tofu or chickpeas or just omitting them altogether.
I like pouring tall glasses of lemonade or iced tea and eating a salad like this outside. It's pretty and yummy and quick. Just fantastic for feeding your family and leaving enough time in the day to go for a stroll around the neighborhood. Enjoy!
Quick Cobb Salad
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce, rinsed and spun or patted dry
- 2 seasoned, sautéed chicken thighs - chopped
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
- 1 large avocado, sliced
- 5 slices bacon, cooked until crispy - chopped
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved crosswise
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Place a bed of lettuce into a large, shallow serving bowl. Top with rows of chicken and bacon, hard-boiled eggs, avocado slices, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and blue cheese.
Season with salt and pepper, to suit your tastes.
Allow diners to dress the salad at the table. A wide variety of dressings - everything from a balsamic vinaigrette to a creamy blue cheese - will work nicely.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes