Ever meet someone that scoffed at the idea of eating a salad for dinner? I suppose a small salad comprised of greens and a little dressing isn't exactly "filling."

But no one in their right mind would ever say a cobb salad—at least the keto cobb salad recipe we're about to share with you—isn't a meal.

This low-carb cobb salad recipe is packed with fresh greens and other veggies, lean proteins, and delicious bacon and cheese. You can throw the whole thing together in 30 minutes, or prepare all the ingredients "deconstructed" so you can bring cobb salad to work all week.

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4 Benefits of this Cobb Salad

Here are four health benefits to this cobb salad recipe:

1. Vitamins and minerals: As a meal, this recipe isn't short of micronutrients. The lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes contain vitamins A, C, and K, as well as potassium and other trace minerals [1][2][3]. Add in B vitamins and iron from your protein sources, and you can see why this salad is something to feel good about.
2. Satiating fat sources: Healthy dietary fats help to suppress appetite and keep you full longer [4]. Between the crispy bacon, avocado, cheese, and blue cheese dressing, there's plenty of healthy fat in this recipe. Keto or not, this salad will keep you satisfied for hours. Healthy fats are an important part of your diet, especially if you're trying to lose weight; hunger plays a large role in the success of any weight loss routine [5].
3. Antioxidants: Antioxidants protect our body by removing cancer-causing free radicals and other damaged tissues [6]. Avocados gives you a nice antioxidant boost of lycopene and beta-carotene, two of the antioxidants you can get from food. The highest concentration of these carotenoid antioxidants are in the dark green flesh closest to the peel.
4. Muscle-building protein: Chicken thighs are packed with protein—each skinless piece has about 27 grams in it [7]. Whether you're trying to add muscle or lose weight, this is an awesome benefit. Like fat, protein has a satiating effect, helping you stay full longer [8]. And, diets that are high in protein stimulate the growth and repair of new muscle after workouts [9].

Last but not least, let's dispel one notion about cobb salads.

This Cobb Salad Recipe is Chock Full of Nutrients

It wasn't that long ago that people were hating on cobb salads. Why? Because some health "guru" got popular on the internet for saying there are just as many calories in a McDonald's burger as there are in a cobb salad. "You might as well eat the Big Mac," they said. From that point on, people stopped viewing cobb salads as a healthy option.

Also read: Showdown: Calories vs. Macros for Weight Loss

To be fair, bacon, chicken thighs, eggs, and avocados do pack a caloric punch. But calories give your body energy, so there's a lot more to the argument than that. The amount of calories is one this cobb salad is awesome as a meal instead of as a side or starter dish.

Ingredients in Cobb Salad

If you're holding onto the conventional notion that cobb salads aren't healthy, here's a suggestion. Look at each item on the ingredients list separately. Does anything pop off the page as "unhealthy"? Heapings of veggies, multiple protein sources, healthy fats, and spices comprise the whole recipe.Nope, nothing there.So sure, maybe a cobb salad recipe at a diner is "like eating a Big Mac". Maybe some recipes cut corners by using artificial preservatives and unhealthy ingredients. But this recipe? This cobb salad recipe is one you can feel good about, keto or not.Note: this recipe comes with our homemade blue cheese dressing. We highly recommend you try it, but you're also welcome to substitute with a full-fat buttermilk ranch if you prefer. Read labels and avoid any premade dressings that are carb-heavy.

Keto Cobb Salad

Ingredients:

• Cobb Salad:
• 1 head romaine, chopped
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/2 cup cheese (cheddar, blue, feta, etc.)
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and diced
• 1 chicken thigh, cooked and diced
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• Blue Cheese Dressing:
• tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• Dash hot sauce
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup blue cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation:

1. To make the salad: prep all ingredients and assemble the salad in the order of the ingredients listed.
2. To make the dressing: place all ingredients into a food processor and blend and pulse until smooth. If the dressing is too thick, thin it out with a couple of tablespoons of water. Toss with salad just before serving.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 2