Does the blogging universe need another blog post about COBB SALAD? Did I hear a yes? I knew you would agree with me. Read along with me, and I’m going to show you my version of hearty, satisfying salad that is Paleo and Whole 30 friendly. Cobb salad is a perfect candidate for meal prep, so I’m going to show you little adjustments you can make to pack this salad to go.
The ingredients may remain unchanged, but the methods in which you handle the ingredients to ensure that you have salads that will stay fresh in a couple of days.
INGREDIENTS
- DITCH THE CHEESE: You have healthy sources of fat from the dressing (i.e. olive oil) and avocado, so you’ll shock yourself when you don’t miss the cheese
- NUTRIENT PACKED VEG: So you’re still sad that the cheese is nixed? Let’s add another vegetable to add flavor and texture. I’m using beets here because they have a nice subtly sweet, earthy flavor, and it complements the salad perfectly.
- DRESSING: In lieu of a heavy buttermilk dressing, swap it for a viniagrette. My viniagrette is tangy and it helps to offset the richness of all the proteins in the salad.
MEAL PREP TIPS
These are tips to help ensure that your meal prep salad will last more than one day.
- GREENS: go for the hearty greens, such as romaine, kale, watercress. Sturdier greens will stay fresh and crispy. (wilting=bad). Save your more delicate lettuces (i.e. mesclun and butter lettuce) for serving at home.
- CHICKEN: Prep your chicken into large bite sized cubes, so you don’t have to fumble around with a knife.
- TOMATOES: It’s tempting, but save those large, juicy heirloom tomatoes for serving at home. Cherry tomatoes are sturdier, just as flavorful, and will hold up for a couple of days without a problem.
- EGGS: This is the one item I recommend leaving whole (or cutting in half) for meal prep.
- AVOCADO: Either transport the avocado separately or omit altogether. I may get some hate mail, but the salad without avocados will hold up better.
- VINIAGRETTE: Transport your vinaigrette separately. Pre-tossing salads makes them soggy and sad.
I hope you’ll consider not buying lunch, and make Cobb salad this week.
COBB SALAD
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Category: salad
- Method: meal prep
- Cuisine: american
Ingredients
VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 3/4 c good olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
TO ASSEMBLE SALAD
- 4 c romaine lettuce, torn
- 2 c arugula or watercress
- 1 c chopped tomotoes (1 c cherry tomatoes)
- 1 c cucumber, sliced (1 c cucumber, chopped)
- 2 cooked chicken breasts, sliced (2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed)
- 4 hard boiled eggs, quartered (4 hard boiled eggs – halve or leave whole)
- 1 c cooked beets, sliced
- 1/2 c cooked bacon, chopped
- 1 scallion, chopped – green and white parts
- 1 tbsp minced chives
Instructions
TO MAKE VINAIGRETTE
- in a medium sized bowl, combine lemon juice, vinegar, and dijon mustartd
- Slowly whisk in olive oil.
- Add salt and pepper to taste
TO ASSEMBLE SALAD
- Use the chopped romaine and arugula to create the base for the salad.
- On top of the greens, decoratively arrange chicken, egg, bacon, tomato, cucumber, beets.
- Sprinkle chopped scallions and minced chives.
- Serve with the vinagrette on the side.
Notes
For meal prep, divide the salad ingredients in a transportable sealed container. A 4-5 cup container is ideal for a salad, as it gives you enough room to toss your ingredients with the dressing. Divide the dressing in small containers that you can tuck in the larger container. You will have dressing leftover, which you can use for steamed veggies, other salads, etc. The leftover dressing will easily last in the fridge for a week.
Keywords: cobb salad, meal prep, paleo, whole 30
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