I love a classic salad, just sans lettuce! This meal prep Cobb Salad takes away the lettuce and adds chickpeas as a hearty base, making it perfect to make ahead for your backyard barbecue or for lunches to enjoy throughout the week.
No Lettuce Salad
After I developed this pizza night salad recipe, I thought: what other mainstream salad recipe can I replace the base with a bed of beans. With summer coming, I immediately thought of a cobb salad.
Crispy bacon, crunchy chickpeas, fresh vegetables with zetsy ranch dressing?! SIGN ME UP. To no one’s surprise, I made this salad for meal prep and ate it with a ¾ cup cottage cheese (cottage cheese x lettuce-less salad’s are my thing lately – with this Cannelini Bean Salad was where my obsession began). Bring this recipe to your next BBQ and watch guests devour.
It varies from a classic cobb salad as we’re skipping the lettuce base, making it a filling salad perfect for meal prep because it won’t get soggy. We’re also skipping the chicken and adding chickpeas.
Recipe Ingredients
- Eggs – Hard-boiled for 8 minutes.
- Bacon – I used hardwood thick cut, but opt for turkey bacon if you’d like a lean protein.
- Chickpeas – The base of our salad, in place of lettuce.
- Veggies – Arugula, dill, cherry or grape tomatoes and green onions.
- Toppings – Crushed pistachios and cheese (feta or blue cheese crumbles)
- Dressing – I used ranch but sub blue cheese dressing if that’s your thing.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Fresh Veggies: In addition to or in place of any of the veggies try bell peppers, red onion, cucumber or beets in this delicious salad.
- Protein: Add diced chicken breast or rotisserie chicken if you want an even higher protein healthy salad.
- Dressing: I used store bought ranch for simplicity’s sake, but you could make a homemade ranch dressing from greek yogurt or cottage cheese ranch. You could also do a homemade vinaigrette with red wine vinegar and olive oil if you prefer a less creamy dressing.
- Sub any crunchy nut: slivered almonds or roasted cashews would be a great alternative.
How to Make This Recipe
1. Hard boil the eggs. Heat a sauce pot with 4 cups of water. Once boiling, gently add the eggs into the water. Set a timer for 8 minutes. Fill a large mixing bowl with ice and water making an ice bath. Once the eggs are done, strain from the boiling water and transfer to the ice bath to immediately start cooling them!
2. Prep the bacon. Heat a skillet to medium-low heats. Once warm, place the strips of bacon in the pan. Cook until crispy, flipping halfway through.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the rinsed & dried chickpeas (dab with a paper towel if still slightly wet). Sprinkle ranch seasoning, fresh dill, and arugula. Toss together.
4. Prep the other ingredients: remove the shells from the eggs & dice, prep other vegetables, chop cooked bacon into small pieces.
5. Build the salad: add chopped bacon, cherry tomatoes, green onion, hard boiled eggs, green onions, crumbled cheese. Toss together and garnish with more fresh dill and crushed pistachios. Drizzle with dressing and toss. Enjoy!!!
PRO TIPS
- Peel the hard boiled eggs IN the ice bath! It helps remove the shell quickly and efficiently. I like to nestle a spoon under the shell and lift outward and can usually get the majority of the shell in just a few pieces.
Recipe FAQs
Store your perfect cobb salad the fridge for up to 3 days. Storing with the dressing is totally fine. The arugula will soften but sine we’re just adding half a cup, It’ll take on a more herb like role rather than a lettuce base so you don’t have to worry about it getting soggy. I like to keep individual portions in large mason jars when I’m making this during my meal prep routine.
The Cobb salad is named after Robert Howard Cobb, owner of the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood. In 1937, he threw together leftovers—lettuce, chicken breast, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, creamy avocado, and more—for a late-night meal. It became popular and was added to the menu, named in his honor.
I find an 8 minute egg followed by an ice bath is perfect for this recipe. The yolk is set but not dry with this cooking time. If you like a runny yolk you can boil for 6-7 minutes, but I suggest using less ranch, as the yolk will contribute to dressing as well.
Serving suggestions
I love serving this with a ¾ cup cottage cheese for an extra protein boost. It also makes a great summer side dish for a summer meal. Consider making these California Burgers, Sweet Potato French fries, and some Cornflake Rice Krispies for dessert for a complete summer meal.
If you do prefer a salad with crunchy lettuce, you can make this cobb salad meal prep style then when it’s time to serve you can plate over chopped romaine lettuce.
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Meal Prep Cobb Salad
Equipment
- skillet
- Large mixing bowl
- sauce pan
- strainer
- knife and cutting board
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 8 strips bacon, hardwood thick cut
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried (30oz)
- 1 tsp ranch seasoning
- ½ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- ½ cup Arugula
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- ½ cup green onions, finely chopped
- ¼ cup pistachios, crushed
- ¼ cup crumbled cheese, feta or blue cheese
- ¼ cup ranch dressing, or sub blue cheese dressing
Instructions
- Hard boil the eggs. Heat a sauce pot with 4 cups of water. Once boiling, gently add the eggs into the water. Set a timer for 8 minutes. Fill a large mixing bowl with ice and water making an ice bath. Once the eggs are done, transfer to the ice bath to immediately start cooling them.
- Prep the bacon. Heat a skillet to medium-low heats. Once warm, place the strips of bacon in the pan. Cook until crispy, flipping halfway through.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the rinsed & dried chickpeas (dab with a paper towel if still slightly wet). Sprinkle ranch seasoning, fresh dill, and arugula. Toss together.
- Prep the other ingredients: remove the shells from the eggs and chop, dice remaining vegetables, chop cooked bacon into small pieces.
- Build the salad: add chopped bacon, cherry tomatoes, green onion, hard boiled eggs, green onions, crumbled cheese. Toss together and garnish with more fresh dill and crushed pistachios.
- Drizzle with dressing and toss. Enjoy!!!
Nutrition
Video
Notes
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I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
Meal prepped it for the week, but accidentally ate three days’ worth in one sitting. It’s hearty, delicious, and honestly, I didn’t miss the lettuce one bit
oooo, we love this one in this household!! The crispy bacon is TASTY.
Great for meal prep. super fresh and satiating