California Cobb Pasta Salad

This California Cobb Pasta Salad combines tender pasta with crisp bacon, grilled chicken, creamy avocado, juicy tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and tangy blue cheese for a fresh twist on the classic dish. It’s a hearty, flavor-packed pasta salad that’s perfect for summer lunches, potlucks, or meal prep.

If you love a classic Cobb salad but want something more filling and picnic-ready, this California Cobb Pasta Salad is the perfect twist. Packed with all your favorite ingredients like grilled chicken, crispy bacon, creamy avocado, blue cheese, and hard-boiled eggs, this recipe transforms a traditional Cobb into a satisfying, flavor-forward pasta salad.

It’s an ideal make-ahead dish for potlucks, BBQs, or a hearty lunch that keeps well in the fridge. Fresh, colorful, and easy to customize, this is your go-to summer salad with West Coast flair.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Balanced flavors and textures: Creamy, crunchy, tangy, and savory all in one bite, thanks to the variety of Cobb-inspired ingredients.

Perfect for meal prep or gatherings: Holds up well in the fridge and can be made ahead for easy entertaining or grab-and-go lunches.

Customizable and crowd-pleasing: Easy to swap proteins, dressings, or cheeses to suit your taste or dietary needs.

Supplies Needed

• Large Bowl
• Large Pot
• Colander
• Small Bowl
• Knife & Cutting Board
• Rubber Spatula
• Whisk

What is in a California Cobb Salad?

Here are the common ingredients you find in a classic cobb salad:

• Chicken Breast: While any chicken works for this recipe, I prefer grilled chicken for maximum flavor. Check out my guide to making the best grilled chicken, too!
• Lettuce: A classic Cobb uses romaine lettuce. While you can add romaine to this pasta salad and it adds a nice crunch to this dish. The salad does get slightly softer over several days, but I do not think it gets mushy. If you’re concerned about the texture, add it into your individual serving to prevent this, or omit it entirely if desired.
• Tomatoes: Dice the tomatoes for this recipe and remove the seeds (this works better for serving). You can also use cherry tomatoes for this, but I prefer diced ones to keep all the ingredients uniform in size.
• Red Onion: I like the crunch and slight sweetness of a red onion. Slice and dice it small. Swap with green onions as an alternative if you prefer.
• Bacon: Precook your bacon and let it drain on a paper towel to remove excess grease. Swap with turkey bacon or ham as well if desired.
• Hard Boiled Eggs: Cook, peel, and dice up your eggs for this recipe.
• Cheese: Classic cobbs use blue cheese. Cheddar cheese, goat cheese, or even feta cheese are all great options here as well (I know blue cheese isn’t for everyone).
• Fresh Avocado: If you plan on keeping this salad for a few days in the fridge, toss your avocado slices in some lemon juice to prevent browning.

What pasta should I use for this recipe?

Any smaller pasta noodle works great for this recipe; I used ditalini noodles. You can use penne, bow tie pasta, or fusilli pasta. A pasta that has ridges grabs onto the dressing nicely, too!

Standard dried pasta, gluten-free pasta, or any other pasta type will work well here. I used the Banza brand of higher-protein chickpea pasta for this recipe.

Cobb Salad Dressing:

This dressing recipe is a simple way to tie this whole pasta salad recipe together.

Here is what you need:

• Dijon Mustard
• Mayo (or avocado mayo)
• Red Wine or Rice Wine Vinegar
• Honey
• Salt and Pepper
• Chives (optional)

Simply whisk all the ingredients together and taste test. Adjust seasonings as desired.

Pour the dressing mixture over all the ingredients and fold it in until everything is evenly coated.

While I prefer to whip up this easy base dressing, I do also love a good store-bought or homemade ranch dressing for this, too.

Try my recipe for homemade BBQ ranch dressing or my quick and easy avocado dressing as an alternative, or simply drizzle with a balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil.

Quick tips for cooking, serving, and storing:

• While in most cases rinsing your pasta is frowned upon, I do encourage you to rinse and cool your pasta noodles for this recipe. Shake them out well in a colander and let them air dry a bit before tossing everything together.
• Need to whip this salad up faster? Use precooked store-bought chicken or a rotisserie chicken for the protein base if needed.
• If using standard pasta, you may need to add a little more dressing (it naturally soaks some of it up).
• Serve in a large bowl or serving platter. Garnish with some fresh chives for color.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge. This salad keeps best within 3-5 days, but is good for up to a week.

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