Paleo Cobb Salad

This Paleo Cobb Salad is the perfect blend of crunchy and creamy textures, succulent fruits and hearty proteins, and savory seasonings. It’s also ideal for meal prep, and even better, this salad is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and grain-free (all without sacrificing flavor)!

Friends, I got a little bit excited about yesterday’s Paleo Ranch Dressing. Partly because I am in love with salads, and partly because I don’t normally go bonkers for regular ranch dressing, yet I love this recipe as much as I love salads. That’s a lotta love. I was also secretly excited to share with you the salad underneath the incredible dressing. And today that salad is up and on the blog. So cue the continued eagerness, because here we go again! I am stoked to share Paleo Cobb Salad with you! It’s everything a salad is meant to be.

And, um, if you couldn’t already tell, I’m head-over-heels for salads. Therefore, I’m always on the prowl for new flavors, textures, and combinations of ingredients. So a tried-and-true Cobb Salad recipe might not seem like a logical, outside the box choice. And yet, I wondered if I could make it gluten-free, paleo-friendly, and ideal for meal prep?

The answer to that question is YES, YES, and more YES!

Paleo Cobb Salad is all of those things and more. Bonus: it’s just the right amount of filling. It has all the flavors you could want in a salad, and you won’t be hungry four minutes later. Because, no, I will not live like that. I will have my salad and my fill, too. Friends, if you haven’t been excited about lunch lately, then Paleo Cobb Salad is here for you to try. It’ll reinvigorate your love of lunch. Or is that just me?

How’s about we make ourselves a big salad and find out! (P.S. I actually looked up how to spell “how’s about” just for this blog post. Because nothing’s too good for us and apostrophes are our friends.)

INGREDIENTS FOR PALEO COBB SALAD:

Below are the ingredients for Paleo Cobb Salad. If making ahead, then don’t dice the avocado until just prior to serving.

• Proteins. Here we’re working with sautéed chicken in coconut oil and coarse black pepper. I don’t get crazy with adding a bunch of flavors to the chicken because it isn’t the star of the show any more than the other ingredients. They all share the stage. So coconut oil and pepper it is. Then I crispy-fry the bacon, crumble it into pieces, and top off the proteins with hard-boiled eggs.
• Fruits and vegetables. We’re going with savory fruits here, thanks to black olives, tomatoes, and avocados. Then we’re adding crunchy greens to the mix with romaine lettuce and green onions. 

HOW TO MAKE PALEO COBB SALAD:

Below are the ingredients to make Paleo Cobb Salad. The process isn’t difficult if you time out your steps. 

• In a large skillet, fry bacon to a crispy texture, and in a separate pan, sauté chicken with coconut oil and pepper. Boil egg(s) while bacon and chicken are cooking. You can use this recipe, which uses steam to boil the eggs, if you’d like.
• While those ingredients are cooking, chop the lettuce, dice the avocado (if consuming the salad right away, otherwise hold off), and slice the tomatoes, black olives, and green onions.
• Once the bacon, chicken, and eggs are cooked, combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
• Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for meal prep. See Best Practices below for meal prep suggestions. 

BEST PRACTICES FOR PALEO COBB SALAD:

I love Paleo Cobb Salad enough I made several batches in a short period of time. And I learned a few things during the process, which I share with you below!

• To streamline the prep, cook the bacon and chicken in separate pans but at the same time. Also boil the egg while the bacon and chicken are cooking.  Then, while those foods are cooking/boiling, begin chopping the lettuce, green onions, olives, tomatoes, and avocado. This will save you quite a bit of time.
• For meal prep, I suggest storing the chicken, bacon, and eggs separately from the other ingredients (or in a lunch container with dividers). Keep any dressings separate from the salad, too, until you are ready to eat. And add the avocado just prior to serving, otherwise it will turn brown. For best results, consume Paleo Cobb Salad within 2-3 days.
• A quick note for you: The bacon will change consistency from the time it is first cooked to the time it is consumed. This is why I suggest consuming the salad within 2-3 days. Another note for your about the bacon, not all bacon is paleo. It pays to read labels and to do a few internet searches. We strive to avoid added sugar, grains, and soy. After our deep-rooted search, we currently use a brand from a local farmer whose product meets our needs.

And now you have a salad (and a dressing) that combines the best in creamy, crunchy textures right at your fingertips! Happy crunch-munching!

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