Caesar salad was the first salad I ever ate. And besides raw carrots slathered in ranch dressing and corn (if you can even call that a vegetable), it was definitely one of the first “real vegetables” I ate. And by real vegetables, I totally mean that my version of a caesar salad (most likely as a college freshman) meant a few romaine leaves, covered in croutons and cheese, and slathered in caesar dressing. Mom, you must be so proud of how far I’ve come from not eating a single vegetable until college. (not. kidding.)

Now, you all know I’m totally obsessed with all things Cobb salads. (Umm have you tried my Sriracha Ranch Cobb Salad?? Life. Changing.) It’s my go-to order whenever I’m traveling and there aren’t a ton of options on the menu, especially if I’m doing a Whole30. Because even though I do love salads (and vegetables) now, when I eat a salad, I’m not trying to eat just a bunch of leaves. You better load that baby up with allll the goodies, and then dump that on top of some leaves with a dang tasty dressing.

Which is obviously why I combined two of my favorite salads: the Caesar and the Cobb. A couple years ago, it was near freaking impossible to find a store-bought Caesar that didn’t have 1) dairy 2) soy 3) a bunch of chemical sh*t inside. But now, we even have OPTIONS, people. And they’re goooood. My two faves: Primal Kitchen Foods Caesar and Tessemae’s Caesar.

But, you know, if you’re a ranch person…you could totally douse this salad in some of my homemade Paleo Ranch Dressing. I won’t judge. In fact, I’ve done it before and it is freaking DELICIOUS.

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Dana: Real Food with Dana

Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients

2 servings leftover chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces
About 10 spears of asparagus, roasted
½ cup chopped cherry or grape tomatoes
½ cup chopped cucumber
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
½ avocado, sliced
¼ cup minced red onion
2 large slices bacon or prosciutto, cooked and chopped into bits
3-4 cups salad greens (try kale, spinach, spring mix or arugula!)
Caesar dressing, for serving (my favorites: Primal Kitchen Foods+ Tessemae’s) or Paleo Ranch Dressing

Directions

Assemble and chop all your ingredients - if the chicken and asparagus aren’t cooked yet, do that! (Follow these instructions for the asparagus: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Wash and trim the asparagus - chop about 1 inch off the firm (lighter) end without the buds. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; toss the asparagus in 1 Tbsp oil. Season evenly with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes, until the asparagus begins to brown.)
Set aside to cool while you assemble the rest of the salad.
Make your salad! Start with your favorite salad greens, then add your chopped chicken, asparagus, tomatoes, sliced cucumber, eggs, avocado slices, and bacon, then top it all off with a drizzle of some caesar or ranch dressing!
Faceplant.