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Cobb Pasta Salad

This Cobb pasta salad is chuck full of the vibrant flavors and colors you love in a Cobb salad. It's perfect for a hearty, satisfying and protein packed side dish for any event this summer.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: California Cobb Pasta Salad, Cobb Pasta Salad Recipe, Cobb Pasta Salad with Chicken
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 1/2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Cobb Pasta Salad

  • 1 lb short grain pasta such as bowtie, penne or rotini
  • 2 cups cooked and diced chicken
  • 3 hard boiled eggs peeled and chopped
  • 4 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 1 avocado diced
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup minced red onion
  • 1/2 cup gorgonzola or bleu cheese

Instructions

  • In the base of a small blender, combine oil, vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, honey, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Blend dressing for 10 seconds, or until emulsified, and set aside.
  • Cook pasta according to package instructions in heavily salted water. Strain pasta and toss with a small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking.
  • In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta with cooked and chopped chicken, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, red onion, crumbled bacon, avocado and gorgonzola cheese. Pour over about 1 cup of the dressing and toss until everything is well coated. Reserve remaining dressing to redress leftover pasta salad. 

Notes

Notes: 
Use rotisserie chicken to save time.
Soak red onion in cold water for 10 minutes. You will still get flavor from the red onion, but soaking in water removes the harshness from it. 
Cook pasta to al dente, or until it has a slight bite. Overcooked pasta will become mushy when tossed with the dressing. 
Do not rinse the pasta. It will wash away the salted pasta water and nutrients from the pasta. Plus, hot pasta will also absorb more dressing than cold pasta.
Over time, the pasta will absorb more dressing. Use leftover dressing to redress pasta salad, as needed.