Is there a more iconic American salad than Cobb salad? It's well-known across the country, but especially in the South. All you need to do to impress dinner party company is present a large bowl of this salad before the main course. The colorful rows of corn, bacon, avocado, tomato and blue cheese will immediately draw everyone's attention. And, as a bonus, the recipe below gets a Southern-style upgrade with an amazing sweet onion dressing. Yes, please!
The beautiful thing about Cobb salad is you can customize it. Don't have blue cheese? Swap in cheddar. Want to add some protein? Add chicken or hard-boiled eggs. Or go the opposite way and make it vegetarian by sauteeing some tofu and adding crispy chickpeas. The point is the possibilities are endless, so make the salad however you want and don't worry about substitutions too much.
Southern Cobb Salad with Sweet Onion Dressing
4
10 minutes
20 minutes
30 minutes
2 large sweet onions, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup canola oil
8 cups romaine lettuce
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, diced
1 cup corn kernels (thawed if using frozen)
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 cup cooked, chopped bacon
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place sliced onions on the baking sheet.
Drizzle them with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Bake for 20 minutes, until they are cooked through and caramelized. Set aside until cooled.
When the onions have cooled, place them in the blender with the apple cider vinegar, sugar, and mustard. With the blender running at high speed, slowly add the canola oil until it is well-incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To make the salad, place the lettuce in a large bowl.
Place the remaining ingredients in long rows on top of the lettuce.
Serve with the dressing on the side.