I’ve never been a big salad person. I don’t know why. I just have to be in the perfect mood for one. I guess it is a combination of things…a lot of the time they can be boring. I mean, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, croutons…snoooooooze. Also, they tend to be expensive! I mean seriously! $10-$15 for a bowl of lettuce a handful of toppings and some dressing??? Am I the only one thinks this is INSANE? And, last but not least, whenever I have a salad, I tend to be hungry again an hour later. So, now I have paid an egregious amount for a salad that isn’t going to keep me full? No thanks!
However, if you make your salad at home, it is not only MUCH more cost effective, but, you can make it as huge and filling as you want. You guys, this salad is HUGE! It is an entree salad for sure. I mean, I served it on my GIGANTIC turkey platter. It has toppings galore, protein, and homemade dressing! Yeah, the homemade dressing on this salad is where its at! Its smoky and savory. Everything about this salad is ON POINT. And, to top it all off, this salad is a beautiful showstopper.
I found the salad on Heather Cristo’s blog. She claims her kids would NEVER eat this and so she made a separate meal for the kids. I don’t understand this at all. It has eggs, bacon, cheese…I mean come on! Not to mention when I was a kid, you ate what everyone else was eating or you didn’t eat. Can we go back to that? PLEASE???
I’m telling you, you can’t go wrong with this one. Go make it! Hurry!
Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 cups pumpkin (or butternut squash) peeled and large diced
- the pumpkin (or squash) seeds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast, cut into chunks
- 1 avocado, large diced
- 4 hardboiled eggs, cut into quarters
- 4 slices crispy bacon
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 2 ounces feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons finely minced flat leaf parsley
- Smoky Pumpkin Vinaigrette
- ½ cup roasted pumpkin chunks
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread the pumpkin (or squash) pieces on a sheet pan and toss them with 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle them with kosher salt. Roast them for about 20 minutes until golden and tender. Remove and set aside to cool. (You will need 2 1/2 cups for the salad and 1/2 cup for the dressing)
- On a separate sheet pan, toss the seeds from the pumpkin with ½ tablespoon of olive oil and a little kosher salt. Place the seeds in the oven and roast for about 7 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside to cool.
- For the dressing:
- In the jar of a blender, combine the pumpkin chunks, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika and salt and puree on high until well combined and smooth. Set Aside.
- First shred the lettuce finely and lay down on the platter.
- Arrange all of the ingredients in rows over the lettuce. Sprinkle the top with the parsley. Serve with the Smoky Pumpkin Dressing.
Preparation time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking time: 20 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
LaniGettingHealthy 