This healthy vegetarian cobb salad has a red wine dressing and is perfect for an easy lunch or dinner. It's so simple with layers of kale, pasta, roasted chickpeas, cucumber and cherry tomatoes.
Check out this amazing salad 🥗
So this is a bit of a twist on the classic cobb salad but I decided it had enough of the elements to still deserve the name including hard boiled eggs, salad greens and tomatoes plus a tangy red wine dressing.
What is a cobb salad?
They're a traditional American dish usually using the ingredients mentioned above plus blue cheese, bacon, chicken and avocados.
As much as I love bacon we usually save it for a weekend treat and I'm not really a blue cheese fan so that was out. Instead I added smoky roasted chickpeas and plenty of chopped cucumber for crunch and then tossed it all with some cooked pasta to turn it into a super hearty weeknight dinner.
It basically became a cobb pasta salad which I am totally ok with. If you want a more classic version then try this simple pasta salad with balsamic.
Vegetarian Cobb Salad
So I don't eat a huge amount of meat and it was important to me to to make this recipe suitable for vegetarians so I purposely left out the bacon and chicken from the classic version. You could even leave off the boiled egg and you've got yourself a vegan dish.
Why we love this healthy recipe...
It's got loads of delicious elements but it's surprisingly easy to make and you can do all the chopping while the pasta and eggs cook then simply toss everything together
You can totally make it your own by adding any vegetables you like, using a different dressing or even adding some extra protein like meat, cheese or tofu
It's super hearty thanks to the addition of the carbs from the pasta and the protein from the egg and the chickpeas so it's totally filling enough to have as a meal on its own
It's also gluten free and dairy free
Cobb Salad Ingredients
Chickpeas: Roasted in a mixture of olive oil and smoked paprika until crunchy and delicious
Pasta: Not loads just enough to bulk out the salad
Salad Leaves: I went for a mixture of romaine and kale but you could use whatever you like
Eggs: Boiled to your liking, I prefer them hard boiled for this salad
Cherry Tomatoes: Halved
Cucumber: Chopped into chunks
Red Wine Dressing: Made from a mixture of red wine vinegar, olive oil, honey and dijon mustard
How to make cobb pasta salad
Roast the chickpeas: Toss the chickpeas with olive oil and smoked paprika and place in the oven for 40 minutes
Cook the pasta and eggs: Boil the pasta and eggs in separate saucepans until both are cooked to your liking. Run the pasta under cold water to cool, place the eggs in a bowl of ice water then peel
Make the dressing and finish the salad: Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Add all of the salad ingredients to a bowl and toss, top with the dressing
Expert tips for making this recipe
To make this recipe vegan simply leave the eggs off and switch the honey for maple syrup in the dressing
You can cook the pasta and eggs and roast the chickpeas ahead of time to make for easy meal prep on a weeknight
Want more? Try these other salad recipes!
- Deconstructed Lobster Roll Salad
- Orzo Pasta Salad with Salmon
- Couscous Salad with Oven Roasted Chickpeas
- Healthy Potato Salad with Greek Yoghurt
- Nectarine, Cherry and Almond Spinach Bowl
- Salmon Salad with Watercress & Edamame
- Tuna Pasta Salad
Cobb Salad with Pasta & Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 400g tin Chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 200 g Pasta cooked according to packet instructions
- 100 g Salad Leaves chopped, I used kale and romaine
- 2 Eggs boiled to your liking
- 200 g Cherry Tomatoes halved
- ½ Cucumber chopped
Red Wine Dressing
- 25 ml Red Wine Vinegar
- 50 ml Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200°C/400°. Toss the chickpeas with the olive oil and smoked paprika, spread on a baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes.
- While the chickpeas roast cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Drain and rinse in cold water until cooled. Also boil the eggs according to your liking then remove and place in a bowl of cold water until cooled then peel and halve.
- Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
- Place the lettuce in a large bowl and drizzle with a tablespoon of dressing, toss well. Top the lettuce with the roasted chickpeas, pasta, boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes and cucumber. Drizzle with a little dressing and serve the rest on the side.
Notes
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Jacqueline Debono says
I adore pasta salads because they really are a meal in themselves! I also love the addition of roasted chickpeas in this salad. I use chickpeas a lot but have never roasted them. Def want to try! Pinning for later!
Natalie says
I love Cobb salad! Looks so delicious and perfect for a quick dinner or lunch!
Sandhya Hariharan says
I love the idea of Cobb Salad. This bowl has got everything that I would love in my vegetarian salad.
Demeter says
This salad is fully loaded! Such a great idea to add pasta and roasted chickpeas for a fun new twist.
Ksenia Prints says
I could just see myself munching on those gorgeous chickpeas long before the salad is finished.... Oops! Beautiful creation.