Chef Salad

This beautiful and delectable Chef Salad brings all the best hearty protein together with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and seasoned croutons.  This main meal salad is perfect for those busy spring nights and hot summer days.

May is here and there is just so much to do.  There are graduations, spring concerts, field days, school award ceremonies, baby showers, and weddings.  Sometimes a great salad recipe is all you need to satisfy your awesome family.  This fabulous Chef Salad will fit that bill perfectly!

What is a Chef Salad?

This traditionally America salad combines hard-boiled eggs, and several varieties of meats such as ham, turkey, roast beef or chicken, cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  It is a gorgeous salad and is usually presented with the ingredients aesthetically placed before it is tossed.

How to make a chef’s salad

First hard boil a few eggs. Please see my helpful tips for hard-boiled eggs. Once completely cooled peel and cut into quarters lengthwise. Meanwhile, cook four slices of bacon either in a skillet or in the oven until crispy. Coarsely chop and set aside for a few minutes.

Next, chop and rinse a large head of romaine lettuce.  Feel free to add a couple of handfuls of spring greens or torn iceberg lettuce.  Shake or spin the lettuce as dry as you can and place it in a large salad bowl.  Top the bowl with the hard boiled eggs, crispy chopped bacon, Swiss cheese, ham, turkey, cucumbers, tomatoes, and croutons.

Top with your favorite salad dressing!  Some of our favorites are ranch, chipotle ranch, avocado ranch, bleu cheese, Italian, and even a honey mustard vinaigrette. There is really not any wrong dressing for this beautiful salad.  Even thousand island and French dressing would be delicious on this salad.

Recipe notes and helpful tips

• For best results choose eggs that are as close to expiration as possible for easier peeling.  Try steaming the eggs for even more ease in peeling.  I have had a lot of success with this method.
• Purchase good quality deli meats and cheeses.
• If you don’t like swiss cheese try cheddar, bleu cheese, or provolone.  It is your salad so fix it to your liking.
• Sun-ripened tomatoes always take this salad over the top but in the winter months, I use grape tomatoes.  They seem to have the most flavor during the cold chilly months.
• Other fruits and vegetables to include are olives, pepperoncini, avocado, red onions, and carrots.
• Homemade Croutons are always a huge hit and really bring out the best that the salad has to offer.
• Do you have a favorite creamy homemade dressing?  This salad is great with ranch, bleu cheese, thousand island, and even Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing.

Other Salad Recipes to try

Classic Chef Salad Recipe

This beautiful and delectable Chef Salad brings all the best hearty protein together with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and seasoned croutons.  Top with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.

5 from 47 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 371kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 1 small head romaine chopped
• 2-3 cups spring greens or iceberg lettuce torn into bite-sized pieces
• 4 hard boiled eggs peeled and quartered lengthwise
• 4 slices crispy cooked bacon
• 1/2 cup julienne strips deli style Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup julienne strips deli style ham
• 1/2 cup julienne strips deli style turkey
• 1 cup sliced English cucumber about 1/3 English cucumber
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 1 cup seasoned croutons
• 2/3-1 cup salad dressing ranch, chipotle ranch, avocado ranch, bleu cheese, Italian, honey mustard
• kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

• Add romaine and spring greens to a large bowl.
• Top the lettuce with eggs, bacon, Swiss cheese, ham, turkey cucumbers, tomatoes, and croutons.
• Drizzle with your favorite salad dressing and toss to coat. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Notes

• For best results choose eggs that are as close to expiration as possible for easier peeling.  Try steaming the eggs for even more ease in peeling.  I have had a lot of success with this method.
• Purchase good quality deli meats and cheeses.
• If you don't like swiss cheese try cheddar, bleu cheese, or provolone.  It is your salad so fix it to your liking.
• Sun-ripened tomatoes always take this salad over the top but in the winter months, I use grape tomatoes.  They seem to have the most flavor during the cold chilly months.
• Other fruits and vegetables to include are olives, pepperoncini, avocado, red onions, and carrots.
• Homemade Croutons are always a huge hit and really bring out the best that the salad has to offer.
• Do you have a favorite creamy homemade dressing?  This salad is great with ranch, bleu cheese, thousand island, and even Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 233mg | Sodium: 833mg | Potassium: 448mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1541IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 2mg

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