Q1: What is a "Cobb" salad, and where does it come from?

A Cobb salad is a classic American "composed" salad that was famously invented in the 1930s at the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood, California. It is traditionally made with a bed of greens topped with neat rows of chicken, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocado, and blue cheese, and is served with a red wine vinaigrette. This recipe is a fun, modern, and "lightened-up" twist on the classic!

Q2: How do I make this salad for meal prep so that it doesn't get soggy?

The key to a perfect meal-prep salad is to store your components separately , especially the dressing. You can also assemble your salads in a large mason jar. The secret is to layer the ingredients smartly: put the dressing on the very bottom , followed by your hardiest, non-absorbent ingredients (like the chicken and the chickpeas), and then pack your delicate greens and the cheese on the very top . This will keep everything fresh and crisp for days.

Q3: What is the best way to keep my avocado from browning?

The enemy of a green avocado is oxygen! The best method is to chop your avocado at the very last minute, right before you plan to eat your salad. If you do need to chop it in advance, you can toss the cubed avocado with a generous amount of fresh lemon or lime juice . The acid will help to prevent it from oxidizing and turning brown.

Q4: Can I use regular bacon instead of turkey bacon?

Of course! Classic, crispy, crumbled pork bacon would be absolutely delicious in this salad. Turkey bacon is just a slightly leaner, healthier alternative.

Q5: Can I make this recipe dairy-free?

Yes, it's very easy to make this recipe dairy-free! Simply substitute the Greek yogurt and the ranch dressing with your favorite dairy-free yogurt and a dairy-free ranch dressing . You will also need to use a high-quality, dairy-free feta or blue cheese crumble substitute.

Healthy Cobb Salad (Easy 'Skinny' Recipe!)

The Ultimate Healthy Cobb Salad (Easy ‘Skinny’ Recipe!)

A ‘skinny’ or healthier, simplified version of a classic Cobb salad. This main-course salad is built on a bed of chopped lettuce and coleslaw mix. It is then topped with neat rows of both traditional and non-traditional Cobb ingredients, including chopped apple, reduced-fat feta or blue cheese, cooked chicken breast, green onions, cooked turkey bacon, chickpeas, and fresh avocado. The dressing is a simple, lightened-up mixture of Greek yogurt and ranch salad dressing.

Author: Grace

Ingredients

For the Dressing:
1/4 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons reduced-fat ranch salad dressing
1 to 2 teaspoons cold water
For the Salad:
3 cups coleslaw mix
3 cups chopped lettuce
1 large apple, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta or blue cheese
1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast
2 green onions, chopped
4 turkey bacon strips, chopped and cooked
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 small ripe avocado, peeled and cubed

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix the Greek yogurt and ranch dressing. Thin the dressing with 1 to 2 teaspoons of water to your desired consistency.
In a large bowl, toss the coleslaw mix with the chopped lettuce. Divide this greens mixture among 4 plates.
Arrange the remaining salad ingredients (chopped apple, crumbled cheese, cubed chicken, chopped green onions, cooked turkey bacon, chickpeas, and cubed avocado) in neat rows over the top of the greens.
Drizzle the yogurt-ranch dressing over the salads to serve.

Notes

This is a ‘composed’ salad, where the ingredients are artfully arranged on top of the greens rather than being tossed together.
The recipe uses several convenient, pre-cooked ingredients like rotisserie chicken and cooked bacon to make assembly quick.
The dressing is a lighter, high-protein alternative to traditional ranch, using Greek yogurt as its base.

Find it online: https://www.eatswithsoul.com/healthy-cobb-salad/