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Chef salad is an easy, healthy, and delicious way to enjoy leftover meat and vegetables. You are the chef and can make it any way you like!
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This light and tasty chef salad is just what you need to feel good with all the delicious toppings. Meat and cheeses with fresh vegetables are the perfect combinations for creating a light and refreshing salad. Add your favorite dressing like this homemade ranch dressing on top, and enjoy a delicious lunch or light dinner!
One of the best ways to enjoy lunch is with a light meal! Use this lettuce base and you will see how quickly this chef salad will become part of your weekly meal plan. Fresh vegetables, raw lettuce, cut cheese, and chopped meat are a great balanced meal. Grab a bowl and start adding toppings to your lettuce for the best combination!
Common Toppings for an Easy Chef Salad Recipe
Chef salad ingredients can vary greatly depending on who is making the meal. There is no one perfect way to make it. The easiest thing to do is just cobble up whatever ingredients you have, whether it be sandwich toppings or chicken dinner leftovers, and add it to a bed of lettuce. All the ingredients are cut into bite-sized pieces for easier eating with a fork. Here are some common toppings we like to use.
- Lettuce – Romaine, iceberg lettuce, or any kind of green leaf lettuce will work great for starting the bowl. Rinse your lettuce and use a clean paper towel to dampen all the wet moisture off the lettuce. Cut, chop, or pull apart with your hands the lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
- Meat/Protein – Ham, turkey, roast beef, bacon, strips of chicken (rotisserie, grilled, or fried), and/or hard boiled eggs are all great additives for your protein.
- Cheese – Cheddar, Swiss, or pepper Jack cheese is perfect for adding in a soft texture full of flavor.
- Vegetables – Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, carrots, roasted beets, pickled beets, and/or peas all bring in a crunch but also a healthy mixture of flavors and combinations.
- Croutons – Taste a bit of a crunch with store-bought or homemade croutons are a great way to add more flavor.
What Dressing is Best?
You can put any kind of dressing you like on a chef’s salad. From oil-based dressings to creamy dressings, you really can’t go wrong. Here are some common dressings that everyone loves to try!
- Ranch dressing – The classic dressing is fitting for this chef’s salad.
- Blue cheese – This bleu cheese dressing is a unique taste and texture. It is usually an acquired taste. You either love it or hate it with this dressing.
- Russian dressing – Thousand Island dressing is also considered Russian dressing too. Both have great flavor too.
- Honey mustard – This is more of a condiment but people do love filling their bowls of salad with this light honey mustard recipe.
- Balsamic vinaigrette – A light and tangy vinaigrette is perfect for a lighter version of a Chef’s salad.
- French dressing – You will love the blend of French dressing with large salad bowls filled will all the ingredients.
- Oil and vinegar – Simple and basic with lots of flavor and deliciousness!
“You can’t go wrong with this! Always a tasty and enjoyable salad that you can customize differently every time! Love, love, love!”
-Brandy
FAQs
A Chef Salad (or Chef’s Salad) got its name from restaurant chefs throwing together a salad from whatever was available in the kitchen. No one knows for certain which restaurant the first recipe originated in, but it is speculated that it was at the Ritz Carlton in New York. It usually consisted of lettuce, cheeses, deli meats, hard-boiled eggs, and vegetables.
Chef salad and cobb salad are very similar. In fact, some might argue the only difference is the addition of one avocado. A classic chef salad recipe doesn’t usually include avocado. It is also argued that chef’s salads also shouldn’t include tomatoes. Cobb salads may have more intense flavors like blue cheese and bitter greens.
Most salads are considered on the healthy side before adding any dressing. The lettuce, meat, cheeses, fruit, veggies, and occasionally mixed nuts all have great potential of being a healthy choice in a meal. Chef salads are loaded with meat and cheeses along with extra vegetables. Be careful with the amount of meat and cheese that you have, though. Processed meats can be unhealthy if not enjoyed in moderation.
What to Serve with Chef Salad
Chef salad can be an entire meal on its own. When going to a restaurant, the menu usually serves this chef’s salad as an entree rather than a side salad. However, if you want to serve it as a side salad, you can serve it alongside chicken, steak, fish, or as a co-entree (is that a thing?) with your favorite soup!
How to Store or Make Ahead
It is best to prepare the salad the day of. The fresher the ingredients, the better! Chop and slice the toppings, then place each ingredient individually in separate bags or airtight containers. Once you are ready to serve your salad, toss all the ingredients together or decorate the top of a chef salad bowl in a unique and creative way!
More Salad Recipes
These salad recipes are perfect for a side dish or a light and easy meal to enjoy! Salads are simple to put together and are filling in all the right ways. It is the perfect combination of healthy and delicious in one meal!
How to Make a Chef Salad
Chef Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups leafy romaine lettuce (coarsely cut or chopped)
- 1/3 cup chopped deli ham
- 1/3 cup chopped deli turkey
- 2 slices cooked bacon
- 1/4 cup cheddar cheese (cubed)
- 1/4 cup Swiss cheese (cubed)
- 1/3 cup cucumber (chopped or sliced)
- 6-7 cherry tomatoes
- 1 hard boiled egg (prepared and sliced)
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds (optional)
- 4 tablespoons ranch dressing (or your favorite dressing)
Instructions
- Prepare ham, cheese, and vegetables by chopping into cubes or bite-sized slices.
- Place lettuce in a bowl and top with your favorite toppings.
- Serve with ranch dressing or your favorite salad dressing.
You can’t go wrong with this! Always a tasty and enjoyable salad that you can customize differently every time! Love, love, love!
I made this for lunch this week, and ended up making it again, because it was so simple and yummy!