Asparagus Cobb Salad

Sure, you can make a regular Cobb salad, and it will taste great. But adding asparagus ramps up the color, nutritional value, and seasonal appeal. If you don’t usually have salads for dinner, this satisfying plateful might win you over. (Bonus recipes included!)

You can absolutely make this as a regular Cobb salad, but adding asparagus adds a hint of seasonal appeal. Beyond this choice, there is much flexibility within the recipe in terms of how you can prepare the components. I like to prep some of the ingredients ahead for easy assembly at dinnertime－and make enough for a repeat meal another day!

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Servings entrée servings (easy to scale up or down)

Ingredients

12 ounces (or 1 nice bunch) asparagus
4-6 cups spring greens or 1 large head romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped (or a mix)
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered (I like this easy peel method)
12-16 ounces cooked chicken (or 2 medium to large boneless, skinless breasts), sliced, diced, or shredded (may grill, sauté, roast, or use rotisserie; easy baked option included below)
6 slices bacon or prosciutto, cooked until crisp and crumbled*
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives (could substitute ~¼ cup slivered red onion)
Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe in notes)

Instructions

For the asparagus: wash, dry, and snap off the tough ends. There are several cooking options here. For any of them, I very lightly coat with olive oil (olive oil spray works especially well for this) and season with salt and pepper. Oven method: roast in a 425℉ until tender. (This may take 4 minutes for pencil thin asparagus or up to 15 for thicker spears; check doneness with the tip of a sharp knife.) Stovetop: alternatively, you can sear/sauté the asparagus in a lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat until tender. Grill: cook over medium-high heat until tender. Air fryer: cook at 400℉ for 7 minutes, give or take a few depending on thickness of spears. Again, with any of these methods, precise time will vary based on thickness of asparagus and desired level of doneness.
Assemble the salad: add the greens to a large bowl, and drizzle with enough dressing to lightly coat. Toss well. Distribute the greens among plates or over a large platter. Then add asparagus, chicken, hard-boiled egg, bacon or prosciutto, avocado, tomatoes, blue cheese, and sunflower seeds.
Lightly drizzle with additional dressing, and garnish with chives.

Notes

*To cook prosciutto: you can cook prosciutto in a skillet, as you would bacon, until crisp. Or you can bake it on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 400℉ until crisp, about 10 minutes, give or take a few depending on how thinly the prosciutto is sliced. (Shortcut: I recently draped the prosciutto over the asparagus while roasting at 425℉ and it worked well. If you do this check early and be prepared to remove it early if cut paper thin－or to give it a few extra minutes beyond the asparagus if the asparagus is pencil thin.) Prosciutto also grills to crisp perfection in a flash. Cooked prosciutto will keep for several weeks in an airtight container in the fridge. To re-crisp, gently heat in a skillet for a few minutes over medium heat or in a 325-350℉ oven.

*When opting for bacon, I often add the strips to the side of the baking sheet when roasting the chicken according to the method below. The timing is close, but it’s easy to remove the chicken and give the bacon an extra minute or two, or vice-versa, depending on size of the breasts and desired level of crispness for the bacon.

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