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My husband’s family makes a salad they have, for decades, called “Aspen Village Salad” – a delicious Southwest Cobb Salad with a Creamy Cumin Dressing – and it has become one of my absolute favorite easy dishes to make when we have people over for lunch.
This salad comes together really quickly, has sweet, salty, creamy, and hearty components – for a really filling and delicious salad that works as either a side, or a main!
Why you’ll love Aspen Village Salad
- Dinner in 10 minutes. Especially if you grab a rotisserie chicken.
- Sweet, salty and creamy all in one bite. It’s the mandarins and pepperoni, trust me.
- That dressing. Creamy, tangy, a little smoky. You’ll want to double it.
- Filling. 35 grams of protein per serving, so it actually holds you over.
- Pretty enough for company. The cobb style rows look so good on a platter.
Creamy Southwest Cobb Salad Ingredients
For the salad
- Romaine. One head, washed, dried really well and chopped. Dry lettuce = dressing that actually sticks.
- Chicken. Two cooked chicken breasts, cubed. Poached, roasted, grilled or rotisserie all work.
- Pepperoni. Cut into quarters. Weird? Maybe. Delicious? Yes.
- Monterey Jack cheese. Cubed. Pepper Jack if you like a little kick.
- Avocado. Cube it right before serving so it stays green.
- Mandarin oranges. One can, drained. They add little sweet pops that balance the salty stuff.
- Black olives. Sliced.
For the creamy cumin dressing
- Sour cream and mayo. Equal parts for the creamy base.
- Fresh lemon juice. Brightens it all up.
- Roasted green chile sauce or salsa. This is where the southwest flavor comes from.
- Ground cumin. Warm and a little smoky.
- Garlic powder, salt and pepper. To taste.
How to make the creamy cumin dressing
Whisk the mayo, sour cream, lemon juice and green chile sauce in a small bowl. Add the cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Taste it.
- Need more zip? Add more lemon.
- More heat? More green chile.
- Pop it in the fridge while you put the salad together so the flavors can get to know each other – it tastes better with time for the flavors to truly meld together.
How to make Aspen Village Salad
Prep
Chop chicken and prep pepperoni, avocado, mix together dressing.
Assemble
Add ingredients to a bowl – I like to arrage the toppings in little rows before dressing for a pretty presentation, but you can just toss them on top, too!
Dress
Cover in dressing just before serving, toss.
My best tips
- Dry your lettuce. A salad spinner is worth it. Wet lettuce makes watery salad.
- Avocado goes last. Cut it right before serving and toss it with a little lemon juice so it doesn’t brown.
- Make the dressing first. Even 15 minutes in the fridge makes it taste better.
- Cold chicken. Let the chicken cool all the way so it doesn’t wilt the lettuce.
- Serve dressing on the side. Leftovers stay crisp and everyone gets their perfect amount.
Salad Make Ahead and Meal Prep
This is one of my favorite salads for meal prep. Cook and cube the chicken, chop the lettuce, and cube the cheese up to 3 days ahead. Keep everything in separate containers with the dressing in its own jar. When it’s lunchtime, just pile it in a bowl and add the avocado fresh.
Mason jar version: Dressing on the bottom, then chicken, cheese, olives, pepperoni and mandarins, with the romaine packed on top. Shake it into a bowl when you’re ready to eat.
5 Ways to Switch Up This Salad
- Make it a classic cobb. Swap the pepperoni for crumbled bacon and add chopped hard boiled eggs.
- Go full southwest. Add black beans, roasted corn and a handful of crushed tortilla chips.
- Grilled chicken. Season the chicken with a little cumin and chili powder and grill it for smoky flavor.
- Shrimp. Swap the chicken for grilled or sautéed shrimp.
- Vegetarian. Skip the chicken and pepperoni and use black beans and roasted corn instead.
Other Ways to Use Cumin Dressing
I always make a double batch because it goes on everything:
- Drizzle it on tacos or burrito bowls
- Use it as a dip for veggies or tortilla chips
- Spread it on a chicken wrap or sandwich
- Spoon it over grilled chicken, steak or fish
- Toss it with shredded cabbage for a quick southwest slaw
Salad To Feed a Crowd
This recipe serves 4 as a main dish or 6 to 8 as a side.
For a party, double everything and build it on a big platter in rows. Set the dressing next to it in a bowl. It looks gorgeous on a table and people can grab what they want.
What to Serve With Aspen Village Salad
Warm cornbread or cheesy garlic bread
Tortilla soup or black bean soup
Fresh fruit and a big pitcher of iced tea or lemonade
How to Store Leftovers
Store the salad and dressing separately. The dressing keeps 5 to 7 days in the fridge in an airtight jar. Undressed salad (without the avocado) keeps 2 to 3 days.
Creamy Southwest Cobb Salad FAQ:
It’s a southwestern take on a classic cobb salad, with chicken, avocado, Monterey Jack, pepperoni, mandarin oranges and olives arranged in rows over romaine, served with a creamy cumin dressing.
Rotisserie chicken is a great timesaver for this recipe – you can shred the chicken meat instead of dicing it.
A classic cobb has bacon, hard boiled eggs and blue cheese with a red wine vinaigrette. This version swaps in pepperoni, Monterey Jack and mandarins, with a creamy southwest cumin dressing.
Yes! It’s my favorite shortcut. Shred or cube it.
5 to 7 days in an airtight jar in the fridge. Give it a stir before using.
Not really. It’s more tangy and warm than hot. For more heat use a hot green chile sauce or add a pinch of cayenne.
Sure. Swap the mayo for plain Greek yogurt. It’ll be a little tangier.
A spoonful of canned diced green chiles or salsa verde works great.
Yes, prep the parts up to 3 days ahead and keep them separate. Add the avocado and dressing right before serving.
It can be. Check the labels on your pepperoni and green chile sauce.
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Aspen Village Salad With Southwestern Cumin Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 head Romaine Lettuce washed, and chopped
- 2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked
- 10 slices pepperoni, cut into fourths
- 6 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, cut into cubes
- 1 Avocado peeled and cubed
- 8 oz mandarin oranges, drained
- 8 pitted ripe olives, drained, and sliced
- For the dressing:
- ¼ Cup Sour Cream
- ¼ Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons Roasted Green Chile Sauce
Instructions
- Cut and clean your romaine lettuce.
- Chop cooked chicken.
- Open and drain the olives and the mandarins.
- Cut up the salad ingredients. Cut the pepperoni slices into quarters. Cut the chicken breast, cheese, and avocado into cubes, and the olives into slivers. You can pull the mandarins in half with your fingers.
- For the Southwestern Cumin Dressing
- In a bowl, combine the wet ingredients – mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, and green chili salsa.
- Add the dry ingredients (salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin) to the bowl with the wet ingredients.
- Whisk thoroughly to combine. Your goal is to thoroughly mix the sour cream and the mayo and the seasonings. The green chili salsa will provide some chunks of chili and tomato for texture.
- Plate lettuce in the bottom of a salad bowl. Arrange the ingredients in rows on top of the lettuce like a cobb salad.
- Serve the salad with the dressing on the side. Keeping the dressing on the side allows your guest to use their preferred amount of dressing. By not dressing the salad it’s easier to refrigerate the leftovers with the dressing making the lettuce mushy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
