Feast your eyes on this beautiful and delicious spring cobb salad! Full of fresh veggies and baby greens drizzled in a creamy dressing, along with the staples we love in a classic cobb salad. It’s the perfect brunch salad for spring celebrations or an easy, light dinner!
You have a blend of asparagus, carrots, green beans, watermelon radishes, cherry tomatoes and creamy avocado atop spring greens with smoked salmon, crispy bacon, crumbled feta and boiled eggs. The fresh herb green goddess dressing is the perfect complement!
This cobb salad recipe can be a side salad but is hearty enough to stand on its own. Here are some of our other favorite hearty dinner salads for spring and summer: Grilled Romaine Lump Crab Salad, Grilled Farmers Market Salad with Chicken and Halloumi, and Shrimp Garden Salad.
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Why You’ll Love this Big Salad
- Attention grabbing and delicious!
- Components can be made ahead.
- Enjoy any time of day.
- Totally customizable.
- Has something for everyone!
What goes on a Cobb Salad
Classic cobb salad ingredients include lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, bacon, cheese, tomato and avocado. Chicken is typically the protein on a traditional cobb salad. We’re giving the classic cobb a spring twist with a few swaps!
- Smoked salmon instead of chicken.
- Lots of spring vegetables!
- Tangy feta cheese instead of strong blue cheese or Roquefort.
- Dairy-free green goddess vinaigrette made with fresh herbs and green onions instead of a thick, heavy dressing.
Salad Dressing
You can go in a lot of different directions when it comes to dressing this salad. A thick, creamy ranch is often used but I wanted something lighter that reinforced our spring theme. So what better than a silky, gorgeous green vinaigrette that won’t overpower the salad.
All you have to do is whip up these simple dressing ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor until perfectly smooth!
- Olive oil
- White wine vinegar
- Lemon juice and zest
- Garlic cloves
- Dijon mustard
- Green onions
- Fresh basil and parsley
- Honey
- Salt and black pepper
How to Make Spring Cobb Salad
This is a super easy salad that goes a long way. Plus, you can prep the components ahead of time then assemble when ready to serve.
- Eggs can be hard boiled and refrigerated (unpeeled) for up to a week.
- Dressing can be made and refrigerated up to one week as well.
- Vegetables can be blanched or roasted, cooled and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to three days. When blanching, transfer blanched veggies with a slotted spoon to an ice cold water bath to stop the cooking and pat dry with paper towels.
- Bacon can be cooked, cooled and refrigerated up to five days. Microwave to rewarm.
- Prep uncooked veggies. Thinly slice the watermelon radishes and avocado, and halve the cherry tomatoes.
- Assemble! Lay out your greens on a large platter and arrange the salmon, vegetables, halved eggs and other goodies on top. Drizzle with dressing and serve!
Variations
Pick a protein: Chicken is typically on classic cobb salad, but you can choose whatever you like. Plus, you can add chickpeas or beans if you don’t want additional meat.
Spring veggies: Other vegetables you can add or substitute are sugar snap peas, spring peas, artichoke hearts, red peppers, fennel and fava beans.
Roast vegetables: Give yourself a little more cooking time if you decide to roast the asparagus and green beans instead of blanching them.
Choosing cheese: Usually blue cheese is on a classic cobb, but my gang likes feta better. Goat cheese, queso fresco or halloumi are also great choices.
Spring Cobb Salad FAQs
Back in 1937, Chef Robert Cobb of the Brown Derby in Hollywood, CA was tired after a busy night of work. In the early morning hours, he threw various ingredients from the restaurant fridge together in a bowl with lettuce and the cobb salad was born.
They both have lettuce, cheese, bacon and hard-boiled eggs. However, a chef salad typically has ham, and a cobb has chicken. Also, cobb salad has tomato and avocado, but chef salad doesn’t.
Be sure to season your greens with salt and pepper, and mix in plenty of fresh herbs! Blanching or roasting vegetables add more flavor than when they’re left raw. Also, a bright, herbaceous dressing will bring plenty of life to a humble salad.
What to Serve with this Salad
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📋 Recipe
Spring Cobb Salad
Ingredients
Spring Cobb Salad
- 8 ounces carrots
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 ounces thick-cut bacon slices
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 ounces asparagus , woody ends removed
- 6 ounces green beans
- 5 ounces mixed baby greens
- 4 ounces smoked salmon
- ½ pint heirloom cherry tomatoes , halved
- 1 avocado , peeled and sliced
- 1 watermelon radish , thinly sliced
- 3 ounces feta cheese , crumbled
- Fresh basil and parsley for garnish
- Toasted baguette slices
Green Goddess Dressing
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 Meyer lemon (or regular lemon), juice and zest
- 2 cloves garlic , peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup green onions , chopped
- ¼ cup basil , loosely packed
- ¼ cup parsley , loosely packed
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
Salad
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place carrots on one baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place bacon slices on the other baking sheet.
- Roast the carrots for 20-25 minutes until tender and cook the bacon 15-20 minutes until crisp.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add vinegar and salt. Carefully lower eggs into the pot. Lower heat to maintain a soft boil. Cook for 7 minutes for semi-boiled eggs or up to 12 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.
- When cooked to desired doneness, transfer eggs to a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking. Eggs can be made up to 7 days ahead. Store in the fridge unpeeled. When ready to use, gently crack and peel the eggs, and slice into halves or quarters.
- Bring another pot of water to a boil. Season with kosher salt and blanch asparagus and green beans for 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer vegetables to an ice cold water bath for 5 minutes to stop the cooking. Then drain and pat dry.
- To assemble, spread the lettuce on a large platter. Arrange the bacon, vegetables, eggs, salmon, feta, avocado and radishes in sections.
- Drizzle with green, herby dressing and pass remaining vinaigrette on the side. Enjoy!
Green Goddess Dressing
- Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender or food processor until smooth. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 1 week.
Notes
- Eggs can be hard boiled and refrigerated (unpeeled) up to a week.
- Dressing can be made and refrigerated up to one week as well.
- Vegetables can be blanched or roasted, cooled and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to three days.
- Bacon can be cooked, cooled and refrigerated up to five days. Microwave to rewarm.
Nutrition
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Ben | Havocinthekitchen says
This is a seriously beautiful salad, so colourful and positive! Needless to say, it's tasty and visually appealing.
Kim Peterson says
Thanks so much, Ben! Has something for everyone!
Velva- Evening With a Sandwich says
Holy cow! This looks fantastic. An amazing array of colors and textures. Perfect!
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Velva
Kim Peterson says
Thanks so much!
Michelle says
Such a beautiful salad for Easter! Cobb salad is my favourite -- love your twist on the classic!
Kim Peterson says
Thanks Michelle! Love the bright, fresh flavors of spring!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen says
Kim, this is one of the most beautiful salads I've ever seen (And I know what I'm saying cause I make some of the beautiful salads too haha!) Indeed, I was considering making an Easter-inspired Cobb Salad, but I just run out of time. Awesome combination of textures of flavours and so enjoyable colours. I've literally stared at it for a minute, and I could keep going - so many beautiful details. I particularly love these watermelon radishes (which I've never tried.)
Kim Peterson says
Thanks so much, Ben! I wanted to get this posted sooner but as always time becomes an issue. Watermelon radishes are a special treat when you can get them. 🙂