Classic Cobb Salad | The Modern Proper (2024)

May 8, 2024

There’s a layer of flavor for everyone in a classic cobb salad. Crunchy, creamy, and rich, it is the best of all worlds.

Photography by Gayle McLeod

Make This Classic Cobb Salad The Center Of Your Next Meal

Could a salad that is attributed to a man named Bob Cobb really be this good? The classic cobb salad origin story is as good as any. The year was 1938, and it was the golden age of Hollywood. Legend has it that the owner of the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, a fella by the name of Robert Cobb (we couldn’t make this up), was hungry around midnight one night, and made a salad out of what he could find in the kitchen. This happens all the time to folks in the restaurant industry, but very infrequently is the result an epic cobb salad that people make decades after it was invented. It’s so good that we wanted to offer this easy cobb salad recipe so you can try it for yourself. For even more Cobb goodness, try our Spring Cobb Salad.

What Are The Traditional Ingredients Of A Cobb Salad?

It’s all about the layers. Here’s how to build a traditional cobb salad:

• Greens, traditionally a combination of iceberg lettuce, watercress, endive and romaine lettuce. We call for roughly chopped romaine lettuce for texture.

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• Tomatoes

• Bacon

• Cooked and shredded chicken (a rotisserie works perfectly!)

• Boiled eggs

• Blue cheese

• Vinaigrette dressing

• Avocados (this is a very common addition for an extra layer of creaminess)

How To Make A Restaurant Style Cobb Salad At Home

• Gather all of your cobb salad ingredients - your mise en place will make this salad come together with a snap! When you’re chopping and cutting, be sure to make bite-sized pieces of all of the various ingredients for ease of getting the perfect bite every time.

• Boil the eggs - cook for 13 minutes for hard boiled eggs or 7 minutes for a soft boil. Immediately transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water. Once cooled, carefully peel the eggs and cut in half.

• Make the dressing - In a medium sized bowl combine the shallots, mustard, honey, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Some recipes call for a red wine vinegar, but we prefer the lighter taste of white wine vinegar in our dressing.

• Arrange the salad - on a large plate, layer the romaine with eggs, chicken, tomatoes, blue cheese, bacon and avocado. Drizzle everything with that classic cobb salad dressing and serve! Alternatively, equally divide all ingredients between serving plates and drizzle with dressing. With everything already prepared, you could easily make a cobb salad for one when you need to throw lunch together on a busy day.

What To Serve With Cobb Salad

A traditional cobb salad is often served as a main course dish, with its layers of protein and cheese, but we think that a soup and salad combo is a good way to go too. Here’s a few of our favorite soup recipes to check out: Creamy Potato Soup, French Onion Soup, Split Pea Soup, Cream of Mushroom Soup, and Tomato Bisque would all pair nicely when you make this homemade cobb salad recipe. You could also kick things off with Fried Cheese, Stuffed Mushrooms, or Coconut Shrimp. And a side of Grilled Sweet Potatoes never hurt anyone!

Tools You’ll Need

• Two medium sized bowls

• Measuring cups and spoons

• A large serving platter or individual plates

More Main Dish Salads

A salad for dinner is a sure path to main dish bliss:

• We love Taco Salad and so do our families, because of all the toppings!

• Mediterranean Wedge Salad or Mediterranean Couscous Salad load up on all the flavor.

• Chicken Waldorf Salad is another restaurant salad classic that’s easy to make at home.

• Salmon Niçoise Salad for a tasty twist on the traditional Niçoise.

Sprinkle Some Bacon On It, And Call It A Cobb

We love a cobb salad as much as the next guy (or Bob Cobb), and we want to see those beautiful salad layers. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!