Healthy Harvest Cobb Salad
This hearty fall/winter Healthy Harvest Cobb Salad features roasted butternut squash and crunchy pecans that adds seasonal freshness to the traditional Cobb salad ingredients and the delicious honey mustard dressing really ties the whole thing together.
HEALTHY HARVEST COBB SALAD IS A MEAL PREPPER’S DREAM!
Nearly all of the ingredients for this salad can be prepared at once and assembled as your week progresses. Roast your squash and whip up the honey mustard dressing. Hard-boiled eggs can be cooked, cooled and peeled. Cook and dice your chicken, fry the bacon and chop the nuts. Then simply bag individual portions and toss together with your already chopped and portioned salad greens when ready to eat.
The nice thing about salads like this is how adaptable they are, and this one in particular has lots of options for toppings. Next time I may add chopped apple to the mix and some dried cranberries for added sweetness. Sliced avocado and/or crumbled feta cheese would also make great additions. I have to say, though, this particular combo was out of this world delicious. The crunchy salty bacon and pecans were the perfect pairing with the creamy honey mustard dressing and tender squash.
In addition to being a salad that satisfies, this Healthy Harvest Cobb Salad feels special enough to grace a holiday table. If you’re looking to add a little green to round out your Thanksgiving or holiday menu, consider the Cobb. It would even be the perfect salad to whip up using holiday leftovers. Use turkey instead of chicken and sweet potato instead of butternut squash. Feel free to use your favorite ingredients or ingredients that you happen to have on hand to make this salad your own.
There’s a bit of roasting to do and of course there’s chopping. But really this salad comes together fast. And I love that everything is so easily divided into 4 individual servings. I hope you all love this salad as much as I do! It’s so festive, cozy, hearty, savory-sweet, protein and veggie-packed, nutrient-rich and SO delicious!
Looking for other healthy fall-inspired salads, try these:
Autumn Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
Holiday Honeycrisp Salad from Five Heart Home
Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
I’d love to know if you make this (or any) recipe! Tag @kimscravings on Instagram and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Healthy Harvest Cobb Salad
Ingredients
- 8 cups chopped spinach or other preferred green leafy lettuce
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
- 4 ounces grilled, baked or rotisserie chicken
- 4 slices turkey bacon, cooked and chopped
- 4 tablespoons chopped pecans or other preferred nut/seed
- 4 cups cubed and roasted butternut squash
- Salt & pepper to taste
Honey Mustard Dressing:
- 1/4 cup low fat mayo
- 3 tablespoons raw honey
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Grill or broil chicken, boil eggs, cook or bake bacon and roast butternut squash. To roast butternut squash, preheat oven to 350ºF. I buy cubed and peeled butternut squash in the produce department. Much easier! Place it on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper in a single layer. Spray the tops with cooking spray and sprinkle with sea salt and any other favorite spices. I sprinkled on a little pumpkin pie seasoning! Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until golden and tender. Flip every 20 minutes while roasting.
- For each serving, layer 2 cups spinach, 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 ounce chicken, 1 slice bacon, 1 cup squash and 1 tablespoon pecans.
- Blend all dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth. Alternatively, ingredients can be shaken in a small jar until smooth. Divide dressing into 4 equal portions (about 2.5 TBSP each) and drizzle one portion over each salad. Top with sea salt and ground black pepper.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @kimscravings on Instagram and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy and delicious recipes straight to your inbox!
I feel like salad always gets forgotten about this time of year – what a great recipe to keep it fresh and seasonal – I love it!
OOH I love the addition of the roasted butternut squash on this!
I love this salad! What a fantastic combination especially with the roasted butternut squash. It’s adaptablility makes this a salad that I can use for a lunch or a dinner side. I’m going to try it with some cranberries and sweet potatoes for lunch this week.
Wow! This salad looks so rich, hearty and full of great Fall flavors. Love a good salad that makes a satisfying dinner. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I could eat big salads like this every day. I need to get better about prepping ingredients in advance – that’s my only barrier. I love all the ingredients in this salad – looks great!
this may be my new favorite salad. I need to eat more and love how healthy this is and delicious it looks
I love a salad at Thanksgiving and this looks like the perfect addition. I like the idea of swapping sweet potato and turkey for the squash and chicken. Beautifully done!