Healthy Cobb Salad (2024)

Ingredients For The Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

A lot of Cobb salads have a whole row of crumbled blue cheese on them. I find this too powerful in flavor and unnecessary added saturated fat and calories.

To make this recipe healthier, I made a Blue Cheese Vinaigrette which is essentially a French dressing with red wine vinegar, olive oil and shallot with the addition of crumbled blue cheese mashed into it. This helps make a little blue cheese go a long way!

For the dressing you will need:

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot, minced
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup crumbled blue cheese, such as Roquefort (2 ounces)
• ½ teaspoon salt, optional

Note: Some blue cheeses are saltier than others. So omit the salt to begin, and taste the dressing. You may not need any added salt.

To make this recipe much lower in calories you can substitute my Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing which will save 211 calories per serving!

Where is Cobb Salad From?

Cobb salad was invented at the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles California in the late 1930s. It is named so after the restaurant owner Robert Howard Cobb. It is said that Cobb created the dish using leftovers from the restaurant kitchen for a late-night meal.

What is in an authentic Cobb salad?

The greens in an authentic Cobb are romaine, watercress, endive and chopped iceberg lettuce. On top are rows or sections of fried chicken (or turkey), bacon, hard-boiled eggs, scallions or chives, tomatoes, avocado and Roquefort cheese. The dressing is typically a classic French-style red wine vinaigrette with Dijon mustard and minced shallot. Some versions also include cheddar cheese.

How can I make this even lower in calories?

There are several ways to cut the calories in this dish. As written each serving has 575 calories which is still lower than the average cobb by more than 50 calories. Furthermore, we opted for heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fats by cutting back on some of the saturated fats and using olive oil in the dressing. But if you want to make this lower in calories still, the easiest way to do so is to use my Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing instead of the vinaigrette. While a creamy dressing is not authentic, it will save 211 calories per serving! You can also remove the egg yolk to save an additional 30 calories each. With both of these changes, your salad will be 334 calories.

Is Cobb Salad healthy?

Many Cobb salads are too high in fat, calories and sodium to be considered healthy. Those with fried chicken, extra cheese and bacon can have a lot of unhealthy trans fats and saturated fat. However, all Cobb salads are high in fiber, protein and Vitamin A. (This one has 129% of your DV for Vitamin A!) Using more vegetables and less bacon and cheese helps to keep them on the healthy side. You can also use low-sodium bacon and omit added salt to drop the sodium levels. This version which includes no breading on the chicken is low in carbs at only 12 grams net carbs per serving.

Can this be made ahead?

These salads are awesome for meal prep. Simply compose the salad in an air-tight re-sealable container and store a portion of the dressing in a jar. You can also compose them on the plate and keep them wrapped up to 2 days in advance.

UnitsScale

• 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot, minced
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, such as Roquefort
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
• 8 cups mixed baby greens and chopped Romaine lettuce* See note
• 4 slices crisp cooked bacon, see tip
• 1 cucumber, cut in half and sliced
• 1 ripe avocado, diced
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

1. Place chicken in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering until the chicken is no-longer pink in the center, 12 to 16 minutes (depending on thickness.) Transfer to a cutting board and cut into bite-sized cubes and let cool 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place eggs in the bottom of a small saucepan, cover with cold water by several inches. Bring to a gentle boil over high heat. Boil for 10 minutes. Then remove from the heat, drain and then run cool running water over the eggs for several minutes until cool enough to handle. Peel and dice.
3. Whisk vinegar, shallot, mustard and honey in a medium bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Stir in cheese and mash slightly to incorporate into the dressing. Taste and add salt if desired.
4. Arrange the salads on four large plates: Layer greens and lettuce onto the plates. Top with eggs, bacon, cucumber, avocado, chicken and cherry tomatoes.
5. Re-stir the dressing just before drizzling over the salads, dividing evenly. Season with freshly ground pepper.

Ingredient Note:

Traditional Cobb salads are made with a blend of lettuces including watercress and endive. Though it is not strictly authentic, we find it easier to buy a bag of mixed baby greens and mix it with chopped hearts of Romaine.

To cook the bacon:

Layer the bacon between four sheets of paper towels on a large microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 3 to 4 minutes.

How To Make Lower In Calories

While a creamy dressing is not authentic if you swap our Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing in for the vinaigrette dressing you will save 211 calories per serving! You can also remove the egg yolk to save an additional 30 calories each. With both of these changes, your salad will be 334 calories.

A Note On Sodium

Some blue cheeses are saltier than others. So omit the salt to begin, and taste the dressing. You may not need any added salt. The nutrition facts are shown without the added salt.