Turkey Cobb Salad
Cubed leftover turkey breast in neat rows with chopped egg, avocado, crisp bacon, grape tomatoes, blue cheese and chives on romaine and watercress, every part tossed in its own share of a mustardy red wine vinaigrette.
Edited by JP Lambiase
Change the estimate
Swaps change the price only: cook any meat to its own safe temperature. Where these numbers come from
The Cobb may be the most famous dish said to have been made from leftovers. Wikipedia gives three stories. The best known says that in 1937 at the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, its owner, Robert Howard Cobb, hadn't eaten until near midnight, so he mixed leftovers from the kitchen with bacon from the line cook and tossed them in the house French dressing; accounts differ on whether Cobb or his chef, Paul J. Posti, made it. A second version says Cobb chopped it fine for the showman Sid Grauman, who had just had dental work. A third credits the restaurant's executive chef, Robert Kreis, with creating it in 1929 and naming it for Cobb. Whichever is true, a salad of chopped poultry, bacon, egg and avocado is a natural home for leftover turkey, and America's Test Kitchen's own Cobb recipe says cubed cooked turkey breast can stand in for the chicken.
🎬 The full story: 10 Leftover Turkey Recipes From Around the World (One Is a Sitcom Sandwich)
🇺🇸 This one is American
Cubed leftover turkey breast in neat rows with chopped egg, avocado, crisp bacon, grape tomatoes, blue cheese and chives on romaine and watercress, every part tossed in its own share of a mustardy red wine vinaigrette.
🇺🇸 The original
The oldest American leftover recipe here is 1896 scalloped turkey: cold turkey layered with buttered crumbs and gravy and baked. See the Scalloped Turkey (Fannie Farmer, 1896) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Dress each part separately
ATK tosses greens, turkey and tomatoes in their own share of dressing, so every row is seasoned instead of only the top.
Cold turkey suits it
The salad is meant to be served cold, so leftover turkey goes straight in from the fridge without drying out from a second cooking.
🧰 You'll need 7 items
Everything the steps call for. Tick off what you have before you start.
Pans and pots
Tools
Supplies
Step by step
- Step 1
Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients in a medium bowl, or shake them in a jar.
- Step 2
Put the eggs in a saucepan, cover with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Take the pan off the heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes. Move the eggs to ice water for 5 minutes, then peel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
✓ What it should look like - Step 3
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat about 7 minutes, until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
- Step 4
Toss the romaine and watercress with 5 tbsp of the vinaigrette in a large bowl and spread them on a very large platter.
- Step 5
In the same bowl, toss the turkey with 1/4 cup vinaigrette and arrange it in a row along one edge of the greens. Toss the tomatoes with 1 tbsp vinaigrette and arrange them along the opposite edge.
- Step 6
Cut the avocados now. Arrange the eggs and avocado in rows down the middle, drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and scatter the bacon, blue cheese and chives over the top. Serve right away.
Turkey Cobb Salad
Serves 6 · one large platter · 50 min total
Vinaigrette
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced to a paste
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
- 3 large eggs
- 8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
- 3 cups leftover roast turkey breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 large head romaine, torn (about 8 cups)
- 1 bunch watercress (about 4 oz), stemmed (or arugula)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 avocados, cut into 1/2-inch cubes just before serving
- 2 oz blue cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
- 3 tbsp minced fresh chives
Equipment: Saucepan, Skillet, Chef's knife and cutting board, Measuring cups and spoons, Mixing bowls, Whisk, Paper towels
Method
- Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients in a medium bowl, or shake them in a jar.
- Put the eggs in a saucepan, cover with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Take the pan off the heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes. Move the eggs to ice water for 5 minutes, then peel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat about 7 minutes, until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
- Toss the romaine and watercress with 5 tbsp of the vinaigrette in a large bowl and spread them on a very large platter.
- In the same bowl, toss the turkey with 1/4 cup vinaigrette and arrange it in a row along one edge of the greens. Toss the tomatoes with 1 tbsp vinaigrette and arrange them along the opposite edge.
- Cut the avocados now. Arrange the eggs and avocado in rows down the middle, drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and scatter the bacon, blue cheese and chives over the top. Serve right away.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen (Cook's Illustrated, May/June 2003), "Classic Cobb Salad", as written for 6 (ATK says 6 to 8 as a main dish), using ATK's own note that cubed cooked turkey breast can replace the chicken. With leftover turkey there is no chicken to broil, so ATK's broiling step is dropped. The 3 cups of turkey is our amount, about what ATK's three 6 oz raw breasts would yield cooked. America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Use turkey within 3 to 4 days of the holiday meal, straight from the refrigerator (UGA Extension).
- Cut the avocado last; ATK warns it browns fast.
- Arugula, chicory or curly endive can replace the watercress (ATK).
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- The Cobb was invented from leftovers at midnight in 1937. Disputed: Wikipedia gives the midnight leftovers story (by Cobb or his chef Paul J. Posti), a version made for Sid Grauman's sore teeth, and a 1929 creation by chef Robert Kreis.
- A Cobb must have Roquefort. Disputed: Wikipedia says blue cheese, often Roquefort, but some versions use cheddar or Monterey Jack, or no cheese.
- The ingredients go in neat rows. Documented as typical (Wikipedia; ATK).
- It was first dressed with French dressing. Folklore: part of the 1937 story only.
Every other leftover turkey recipe
Scalloped Turkey (Fannie Farmer, 1896)
The oldest American leftover-turkey casserole we found in print: cold roast turkey in a simple white sauce made with stock from the bones, between layers of buttered cracker crumbs, baked in a hot oven until brown.
The Moist Maker Leftover Turkey Sandwich
A double-decker of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce with an extra slice of bread soaked in hot gravy hidden in the middle. Inspired by a 1998 sitcom episode, not official.
Leftover Turkey Pho
The day-after carcass becomes pho: toasted star anise, cloves, coriander and cinnamon, charred-sweet onion and ginger, a little apple and cabbage, simmered into a clear broth and ladled over rice noodles, sliced turkey and fresh herbs.
Turkey Pot Pie with a Stuffing Crust
A creamy skillet filling of leftover turkey, onion, celery, peas and carrots, topped with wedges of leftover stuffing bound with an egg and baked crisp at 475°F, in about half an hour and one pan.
Diner Hot Turkey Sandwich with Gravy
The diner classic, open-faced: toasted white bread, leftover turkey warmed in stock, a scoop of mashed potatoes and a peppery, egg-enriched gravy ladled over everything.
Croquetas de Pavo (Spanish Turkey Croquettes)
Spain's favorite way to stretch leftover meat: finely chopped turkey cooked into a very thick bechamel of milk and turkey broth, chilled, shaped into little logs, coated in egg and crumbs and fried until crisp outside and creamy inside.
Turkey Korokke (Japanese Potato Croquettes)
Japan's home-style croquette with Thanksgiving leftovers inside: fluffy mashed russet potatoes folded with leftover turkey and slowly cooked onion, shaped into ovals, rolled in flour, egg and panko and fried golden, with tonkatsu sauce.
Stuffing Waffles with Turkey and Gravy
Leftover stuffing bound with egg and parsley, pressed into a hot waffle iron until crisp in every square, then topped with turkey warmed right in the iron, hot gravy and cranberry sauce.
Turkey Chilaquiles Verdes
Mexico's own leftover rescue with turkey: a broiled tomatillo and serrano salsa simmered with broth and shredded turkey, tortilla chips stirred in and softened for 4 minutes, finished with crema, aged cheese, onion, cilantro and a fried egg.
Turkey Carcass Noodle Soup
The last thing the bird gives you: the roast turkey carcass simmered four hours with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, white wine and herbs into a rich stock, then made into soup with fresh vegetables, pasta shells and the meat picked from the bones.
Leftover Turkey Banh Mi
Twenty minutes to a Vietnamese-American holiday snack: crisp warm baguette spread with mayo and a splash of Maggi or soy, filled with peppery reheated turkey, tangy daikon and carrot pickle, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeño.
Turkey Bubble and Squeak
Britain's day-after fry-up with turkey: leftover mashed potatoes, chopped Brussels sprouts and shredded turkey bound with egg yolk, pan-fried in oil and butter until browned on both sides and finished in the oven.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.