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I love a good salad that’s crips, delicious and full of great ingredients, like bacon! I mean, put bacon in any salad and you’ve got a winner in my book but this salad, is on the healthier side too. It’s also great as a main meal for lunch or dinner. My husband almost had a fit when he saw salad for dinner because salads are usually a side for us, but as he started eating it, he loved it and he was actually very full after.
What’s the difference between a chef salad and a cobb salad?
At first glance these two salads may look a bit identical. First of all, both are main dishes, and both have lettuce. A cobb salad is typically made with chopped green, tomatoes, bacon, chicken, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, blue cheese and a vinaigrette dressing. A chef salad is a more generic salad made with more generic salad ingredients such as cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, then meats such as ham, bacon and cheddar cheese.
Ingredients
Dressing:
- Mayonnaise – The base of any good dressing, in my opinion.
- Vinegar – Just a bit for a little acidity.
- Paprika – You can use smoked or sweet.
- Sugar – You can substitute with honey or agave if you wish.
- Salt & Pepper – To taste.
Salad:
- Lettuce – I love Boston lettuce for this salad, but you can use Romaine or iceberg lettuce as well.
- Eggs – Large, hard boiled.
- Bacon – Cooked until crisp and chopped.
- Ham – Store bought and chopped.
- Veggies – You’ll need peas (frozen are fine), carrots, cucumber, green onions and cherry tomatoes.
- Cheddar Cheese – Shredded. No salad is complete without a little bit of cheese.
How to make chef salad
- Make the dressing: Add all the dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Add all the salad ingredients to a bowl and toss everything together. Drizzle with the dressing, toss and serve. Alternatively, you can arrange the ingredients in rows as seen in the pictures with the lettuce as a base.
What to serve with it
Chef salad really is a meal on its own but why not try pairing it with some nice, homemade bread! Try these recipes:
- No Knead Bread
- No Knead Skillet Bread
- Butter Biscuits
- Feta Fry Bread
- Honey Rolls
- Best Ever Dinner Crescents
- Quick Yeast Dinner Rolls
Leftovers
Your chef salad can last anywhere between 1-5 days. Depending on if you have already dressed the salad or not, is a factor. Undressed salad will keep for a few days longer, typically 3-5 days, than if the salad already has the dressing incorporated.
If the salad is already dressed, it’s best that day, and might last another day in the fridge but the lettuce will get soggy.
