It's the classic Cobb Salad turned up a notch! This Cobb Pasta Salad features perfectly cooked pasta, crisp bacon, ripe tomatoes, cubed chicken, chopped eggs, creamy avocado, and blue cheese dressing. Delish! It takes less than 30 minutes to put together.
If you're craving the classic Cobb salad, why not take it up a notch and make it a hearty meal! Prepping the ingredients for a Cobb Pasta Salad always makes your mouth water!
There’s something about the combination of flavors. The perfectly cooked pasta, crisp bacon, ripe tomatoes, cubed chicken, chopped eggs, creamy avocado, and blue cheese come together to make a fresh and filling meal in a short amount of time.
This is a wonderful and fresh 30-minute meal!
We do love our salads! This Shrimp Salad is a tasty winner, too!
Other incredible and easy summer salads include Pesto Pasta Salad with Avocado and 10-minute Pineapple Cucumber Salad.
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Ingredient Notes
To create this unique and delicious dish, you'll need a few key ingredients.
- Bow Tie Pasta - we like using farfalle pasta (the bow ties are so cute) as the base of the recipe, but you could substitute any type of medium-sized pasta like penne or fusilli.
- Cherry Tomatoes - not only do these add color, but they're bursting with taste.
- Cooked Chopped Chicken - chicken adds a lean protein to the salad and pairs well with the other flavors.
- Cooked Crumbled Bacon - bacon makes everything a little better!
- Hard Boiled Eggs - a classic staple in Cobb salads.
- Avocado - gives this salad some healthy fat and tastes amazing.
- Green Onions - These are not quite as pungent as a standard white or yellow onion, so they make a nice complement to the salad.
- Crumbled Blue Cheese - Blue cheese adds a bit of a salty and bright taste.
- Ranch Dressing - the topper for the salad that most everyone enjoys. You can use a bottle variety or make your own ranch dressing.
Variations
- Protein. Swap out the bacon for some diced ham or prosciutto for a different flavor. You could even try adding in some grilled chicken or shrimp for a heartier dish.
- Mix up the veggies. Don't be afraid to add in some other ingredients like chopped bell peppers, chopped cucumber, or sliced radishes. You could even throw in some corn or black beans for a southwestern twist.
- Play around with the dressing. If you're not a fan of Ranch, try using blue cheese or Caesar dressing instead. Or, if you're feeling adventurous, make your own vinaigrette with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard.
- Try different pasta shapes. While fusilli works well for this recipe, you could also try using rotini or farfalle for a fun, new texture.
How To Make A Cobb Pasta Salad
One of the wonderful things about this pasta salad recipe is that you can customize it to your liking.
Step 1 - Cook Your Pasta. Cook your pasta per the package directions. We often use bow-tie pasta because it has a little personality, but you can use any medium-sized pasta (1 pound) for the recipe.
PRO TIP: Once it’s cooked al dente (which means cooked firm to the bite), run it under cold water to cool it down and make sure it doesn’t stick together.
Step 2 - Cook Bacon and Prep Other Ingredients. Next comes the fresh ingredients that really make this pasta sing. While your bacon is cooking (8 slices), cut up your tomatoes (1 ½ cups) and avocado (1 large), chop your cooked chicken (2 cups) and hard-boiled eggs (4 eggs), slice the green onions (3 medium), and crumble your blue cheese (⅓ cup).
Tip: To keep the smell and mess to a minimum, cook your bacon in the oven.
When bacon is done and cooled, chop or crumble it. You can do this ahead of time for easy prep.
Step 3 - Mix All Ingredients. Finally, place the cooked and cooled pasta in a large bowl.
PRO TIP: Reserve a few of the add-in ingredients to place on top if you wish. Garnishing always makes a recipe better!
Add all remaining ingredients and pour dressing (1 cup) over the salad, and toss lightly to coat. Top with reserved add-in ingredients. Your salad will look super appetizing at this point!
Wow! This is such as easy pasta salad to assemble.
Try to resist eating a bite or two until it gets to the table if you can!
Tips & Tricks
- We like using farfalle pasta (the bow-ties are so cute), but you could substitute any type of medium-sized pasta like penne or fusilli.
- You can make up this salad a day ahead of time. However, we recommend adding the avocado and dressing just before serving.
- If your pasta salad is being made ahead of time, add a little extra dressing because it soaks in and will become a little dry.
Storing
And if you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or so. The pasta may absorb some of the dressing overnight, so you may need to add a little extra when you're ready to enjoy it again.
This innovative recipe will take your salad game to the next level. Don't be afraid to experiment with different ingredients or add your own twist to make it uniquely yours.
Easy Summer Recipes
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This recipe originally appeared on The Slow Roasted Italian.
Printable Recipe
Cobb Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound (16-ounces) farfalle (or other medium-sized pasta)
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 2 cups cooked (chopped chicken)
- 8 slices bacon (cooked & crumbled)
- 4 hard-boiled eggs (peeled & chopped)
- 1 large avocado (peeled & chopped)
- 3 medium green onions (sliced)
- ⅓ cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1 cup ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente per the package instructions. Run under cold water to cool and rinse starch off.
- Cook bacon and prepare all other ingredients. If desired, reserve a few of each add-in ingredient to place on top of pasta salad for garnish.
- Place cooked and cooled pasta in a large bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and pour dressing over the salad and toss lightly to coat.
- Garnish with reserved ingredients. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to a day.
Notes
- MAKE-AHEAD: You can make this salad a day ahead of time. However, we recommend adding the avocado and dressing just before serving.
- VARIATIONS: Feel free to swap out the protein and add as many other fresh vegetables as you like. While fusilli works well for this recipe, you could also try using rotini or farfalle for a fun, new texture.
- STORING: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or so. The pasta may absorb some of the dressing overnight, so you may need to add a little extra when you're ready to enjoy it again.
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