Thanksgiving Cobb Salad.
This Thanksgiving cobb salad recipe is loaded with crispy pancetta, roasted squash, pomegranate, apples and more. It’s crispy and crunchy and drizzled with a warm maple bacon dressing. Delicious!
I’ve got one more Thanksgiving recipe here for you this week!
This is a special one. It’s a fancy salad that can work all fall long, one that you can serve for any fall holiday and it’s even simple enough to make for dinner one night.
I love those ones!
Cobb salad has my name all over it. The traditional cobb salad with crispy chicken, eggs, bacon, avocado, blue cheese… wow. Lots of my favorite things!
This isn’t exactly that – in fact, we don’t have any chicken (but you can add leftover turkey!) or eggs but we do have so many delicious ingredients that come together to create a loaded fall salad that is a showstopper on any table.
And everyone loves it!
Because this over-the-top salad is great for two things: it can be your fancy Thanksgiving salad (or even meal!) or, it is the perfect platter to use up Thanksgiving leftovers. Either way, grab a few of the ingredients so you can have it on or after the holiday!
Here’s how I throw together the fall cobb salad:
First up, a big bed of chopped romaine. I like to get the stalks of romaine and chop the lettuce myself. It’s perfect.
Next, bacon! In this case, pancetta. You can use whatever bacon-ish product you have on hand. And then we’re using the bacon fat to make a warm maple bacon dressing.
Squash is the name of the game here. I like to roast acorn squash and I love to keep it in the skin, which becomes so chewy and delicious. However, any variety of roasted squash works for this recipe. Whatever you love!
Sliced apple for crisp tart and sweetness. You could also do sliced pear!
Avocado, for extra creaminess.
Pomegranate arils, for that jeweled tangy pop of flavor and color.
Blue cheese, because it’s my favorite salad cheese. You can do cheddar if you wish!
And finally, toasted pecans. I love the buttery, nutty flavor of pecans with fall produce like squash and pomegranate. Pepitas would also work here!
Then I just layer everything on in the pretty cobb salad way! No special or exact way – I place everything on top of the romaine.
The dressing may just be my favorite part. Warm bacon dressing is something I grew up – it was my grandma’s favorite dressing for spinach salads. It was definitely a special indulgence and something we rarely had, but when we did have it… oh boy. It was delicious!
I took my favorite warm bacon dressing recipe and added a bit of maple syrup. Oh my deliciousness. It is so wonderful. I love this dressing! It is one that you want to make right before serving – and you do serve it warm. But if you happen to have leftovers, they reheat pretty well on the stovetop.
And that’s that. The most delicious, crisp and crunchy fall salad that is incredibly satisfying too.
Thanksgiving Cobb Salad
Thanksgiving Cobb Salad
Ingredients
warm maple bacon dressing
- 2 tablespoons bacon/pancetta fat
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Roast the squash for 15 minutes, then gently flip and roast for 10 to 15 more minutes.
- While the squash roasts, cook the pancetta until crispy. Keep the fat in the pan to make the maple bacon dressing recipe below.
- Once the squash is done, you can assemble the salad!
- I make a big bed of romaine (seasoned with salt and pepper) on a platter and then do stripes of squash, avocado, apples, pancetta and so on. You can add the toppings on however you’d like!
- Drizzle with the maple bacon dressing and serve!
warm maple bacon dressing
- Add the bacon fat, minced garlic, vinegar, maple syrup and mustard to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until the dressing slightly emulsifies. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Before serving, add in the crumbled pancetta. You can keep this over low heat while stirring occasionally until ready to serve. You can also store it in the fridge. I suggest reheating it in a saucepan. This is the combo I’ve come to love over the years, but you can experiment with different vinegars, more bacon fat and other spices too!
Did you make this recipe?
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The perfect plate of fall.
5 Comments on “Thanksgiving Cobb Salad.”
somebody please review this, and not just about how pretty it is–did you really eat it?
i just posted this recipe this morning, so no one has made it yet. except for me, and we love it.
We loved this salad! So tasty. Sweet and salty and creamy! Made a version without the lettuce for my 10 month old and he even ate it up! Definitely one to make again.
I’m so excited to make this!! Is it ok to pre-roast the squash and serve cold, or do you recommend serving warm. (Acorn squash is new to me!)
Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!
i love squash both warm and cold, so i don’t think you can go wrong!