This is a Monday salad. Mondays are the kind of day where everything is busy and frazzled around here and I have a to do list as long as my arm. When 4 o’clock rolls around and the kids are home and completely crazy I start thinking about dinner (yes- we eat at like 5 on school nights sometimes!). Lots of times, uh, to my shame, I am feeding the kids something different than I am feeding Pete and myself.

IMG_6520.jpg

Lets get real- they won’t eat this salad. Not by a long stretch. But that’s fine- there is just more for me. And in the weirdness of my brain (and my husbands) if it’s a salad then we can eat as much as we want. Pete always asks “can I just east as much as I want of this?” and despite the fact that there is a little bacon and feta on this salad, it is really so healthy so I say “YES!!” and then we seriously eat this whole salad between the two of us. Normal people could probably split this between 4. No one said we were normal.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

Pete and I actually have a place in our neighborhood that the kids like to go to for lunch sometimes, and we always order the traditional Cobb Salad. I have been meaning to make a great basic one for you guys for ages, but then I thought I would tweak it for the season. When I saw this delicious salad, I knew I had to make my own version of the Autumn Cobb Salad.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

The smoky Pumpkin Dressing is also a new favorite. I have been putting it on all kinds of salad and I feel like it could be a great dairy free spread on a sandwich too.

By the way, you could absolutely make this a wonderful vegetarian salad by skipping the chicken and bacon and going for some white beans or kidney beans for a shot of protein.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread the pumpkin (or squash) pieces on a sheet pan and toss them with 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle them with kosher salt. Roast them for about 20 minutes until golden and tender. Remove and set aside to cool.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

On a separate sheet pan, toss the seeds from the pumpkin with ½ tablespoon of olive oil and a little kosher salt. Place the seeds in the oven and roast for about 7 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside to cool.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

For the dressing:
In the jar of a blender, combine the pumpkin chunks, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika and salt and puree on high until well combined and smooth. Set Aside.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

First shred the lettuce finely and lay down on the platter.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

Arrange all of the ingredients in rows over the lettuce.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

Sprinkle the top with the parsley. Serve with the Smoky Pumpkin Dressing.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

 

Recipe: Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

Ingredients

  • 3 cups pumpkin (or butternut squash) peeled and large diced
  • the pumpkin (or squash) seeds
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 head iceberg lettuce
  • 2 cups cooked chicken breast, cut into chunks
  • 1 avocado, large diced
  • 4 hardboiled eggs, cut into quarters
  • 4 slices crispy bacon
  • 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 2 ounces feta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons finely minced flat leaf parsley
  • Smoky Pumpkin Vinaigrette
  • ½ cup roasted pumpkin chunks
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • kosher salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread the pumpkin (or squash) pieces on a sheet pan and toss them with 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle them with kosher salt. Roast them for about 20 minutes until golden and tender. Remove and set aside to cool. (You will need 2 1/2 cups for the salad and 1/2 cup for the dressing)
  2. On a separate sheet pan, toss the seeds from the pumpkin with ½ tablespoon of olive oil and a little kosher salt. Place the seeds in the oven and roast for about 7 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside to cool.
  3. For the dressing:
  4. In the jar of a blender, combine the pumpkin chunks, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika and salt and puree on high until well combined and smooth. Set Aside.
  5. First shred the lettuce finely and lay down on the platter.
  6. Arrange all of the ingredients in rows over the lettuce. Sprinkle the top with the parsley. Serve with the Smoky Pumpkin Dressing.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Print Recipe  
Categorized: Dinner, Poultry, Recipe Index, Salad
Tagged: , , , , ,

This is a Monday salad. Mondays are the kind of day where everything is busy and frazzled around here and I have a to do list as long as my arm. When 4 o’clock rolls around and the kids are home and completely crazy I start thinking about dinner (yes- we eat at like 5 on school nights sometimes!). Lots of times, uh, to my shame, I am feeding the kids something different than I am feeding Pete and myself.

IMG_6520.jpg

Lets get real- they won’t eat this salad. Not by a long stretch. But that’s fine- there is just more for me. And in the weirdness of my brain (and my husbands) if it’s a salad then we can eat as much as we want. Pete always asks “can I just east as much as I want of this?” and despite the fact that there is a little bacon and feta on this salad, it is really so healthy so I say “YES!!” and then we seriously eat this whole salad between the two of us. Normal people could probably split this between 4. No one said we were normal.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

Pete and I actually have a place in our neighborhood that the kids like to go to for lunch sometimes, and we always order the traditional Cobb Salad. I have been meaning to make a great basic one for you guys for ages, but then I thought I would tweak it for the season. When I saw this delicious salad, I knew I had to make my own version of the Autumn Cobb Salad.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

The smoky Pumpkin Dressing is also a new favorite. I have been putting it on all kinds of salad and I feel like it could be a great dairy free spread on a sandwich too.

By the way, you could absolutely make this a wonderful vegetarian salad by skipping the chicken and bacon and going for some white beans or kidney beans for a shot of protein.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread the pumpkin (or squash) pieces on a sheet pan and toss them with 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle them with kosher salt. Roast them for about 20 minutes until golden and tender. Remove and set aside to cool.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

On a separate sheet pan, toss the seeds from the pumpkin with ½ tablespoon of olive oil and a little kosher salt. Place the seeds in the oven and roast for about 7 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside to cool.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

For the dressing:
In the jar of a blender, combine the pumpkin chunks, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika and salt and puree on high until well combined and smooth. Set Aside.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

First shred the lettuce finely and lay down on the platter.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

Arrange all of the ingredients in rows over the lettuce.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

Sprinkle the top with the parsley. Serve with the Smoky Pumpkin Dressing.

Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

 

Recipe: Autumn Cobb Salad with Smoky Pumpkin Dressing

Ingredients

  • 3 cups pumpkin (or butternut squash) peeled and large diced
  • the pumpkin (or squash) seeds
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 head iceberg lettuce
  • 2 cups cooked chicken breast, cut into chunks
  • 1 avocado, large diced
  • 4 hardboiled eggs, cut into quarters
  • 4 slices crispy bacon
  • 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 2 ounces feta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons finely minced flat leaf parsley
  • Smoky Pumpkin Vinaigrette
  • ½ cup roasted pumpkin chunks
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • kosher salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread the pumpkin (or squash) pieces on a sheet pan and toss them with 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle them with kosher salt. Roast them for about 20 minutes until golden and tender. Remove and set aside to cool. (You will need 2 1/2 cups for the salad and 1/2 cup for the dressing)
  2. On a separate sheet pan, toss the seeds from the pumpkin with ½ tablespoon of olive oil and a little kosher salt. Place the seeds in the oven and roast for about 7 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside to cool.
  3. For the dressing:
  4. In the jar of a blender, combine the pumpkin chunks, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika and salt and puree on high until well combined and smooth. Set Aside.
  5. First shred the lettuce finely and lay down on the platter.
  6. Arrange all of the ingredients in rows over the lettuce. Sprinkle the top with the parsley. Serve with the Smoky Pumpkin Dressing.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Recipe by Heather Christo (http://heatherchristo.com)