This Pasta Cobb Salad Recipe is a sponsored post written for DaVinci®. The opinions expressed are honest.
This Pasta Cobb Salad is a fun, new twist on a classic salad recipe!
Even as a child, whenever we went to restaurants, I often ordered from the adult menu. I was never a chicken nugget/kids’ pizza type. I wanted adult flavor combinations, real food with fresh ingredients. One of my childhood favorites? Cobb salad from a local South Florida restaurant chain. It was so good. The salad itself was huge, loaded with avocado, bacon, grilled chicken, blue cheese, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg – yum! I would drown it in ranch dressing and enjoy every bite. As an adult, it’s still a dish that I love, so I decided to make a new twist on this classic, a perfect dish to bring to your next barbecue or picnic: Pasta Cobb Salad.
This recipe makes a large serving of Pasta Cobb Salad to serve at a party.
Pasta Cobb Salad ingredients:
- 8 ounces DaVinci® Elbow Macaroni
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 strips bacon
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes
- 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
- salt & pepper, to taste
- your favorite salad dressing
Pasta Cobb Salad directions:
Begin by gathering your ingredients. Because this is such a simple recipe, it is so important to select ripe tomatoes and avocados. I prefer the haas avocado variety {with the dark, bumpy flesh} because of its rich, creamy texture. These small grape tomatoes are perfect for this recipe, but you can use cherry tomatoes or even larger vine-ripened tomatoes. And with a recipe this flexible, you can substitute other ingredients – perhaps add carrots, cucumbers, olives, radishes, or garbanzo beans.
After you’ve grabbed all of your ingredients, cook your DaVinci® elbow macaroni. Follow the package directions to make your pasta al dente. If you’re not familiar with this term, al dente means “to the bite”, so basically, make sure the pasta is still firm. Boil, drain, and allow to cool.
Simply prepare your chicken by sautéing it with salt and pepper in a little olive oil. Cook your bacon as usual and boil the two eggs. I often share basic chef-y tips in my recipes. Not that I am a trained chef, but after watching hours a week of cooking shows for the last 35-ish years, I think I’ve learned a few things {perhaps worthy of an honorary culinary degree}. One tip I like to remind my readers of is this: when preparing your ingredients, remember to try to create consistent bites of food. You don’t want to eat a giant bite of avocado with a minuscule bite of tomato. Try to cut all of the ingredients for your Pasta Cobb Salad into bites about the same size.
Place your cooled pasta at the bottom of a large bowl. I prefer to use a large, shallow bowl to serve salads like this one. It makes it easier for guests to serve themselves. Plus, it’s attractive, and since you eat with your eyes first, that’s very important!
Now it’s time to layer your ingredients. Traditionally, pasta salads are tossed together, but I serve this one a little differently. I create rows of the ingredients so that they are separated from one another. This way, guests an select the ingredients they like and toss them together in their own bowls. Rather than tossing the pasta salad with dressing, I serve a few dressings – like ranch and vinaigrette – on the side, so guests can choose their favorite dressing as well! I love recipes that allow for that type of customization!
Visit your local Tops Supermarket to purchase DaVinci® Pasta in a variety of shapes along with all of the other fresh ingredients to create this simple, party perfect dish! Follow the DaVinci® Facebook page for additional unique pasta recipe ideas.
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Looking to prepare a delicious twist on a classic recipe for your upcoming barbecue, picnic, or other fun event?
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[tasty-recipe id=”27847″]
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