Cobb Macaroni Salad
Pasta salads like this Cobb Macaroni Salad can be served as a side dish or as a light meal. It’s filled with chicken, bacon, tomatoes, and a generous helping of fresh avocados all dressed with a homemade dressing. Enjoy it for a quick meal on busy days or those too-hot-to-cook nights.
Easy Cobb Macaroni Salad Recipe
This Cobb macaroni salad can also be served this on a bed of mixed salad greens as a main dish. How to make Cobb Macaroni Salad: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)
- Pasta – Cook the pasta in salted water per the directions until al dente. Drain well.
- Dressing – Whisk together the dry buttermilk ranch dressing, 1 cup mayo and 1 1/2 cup buttermilk. Set aside.
- Combine – Mix the drained pasta with the dressing, cubed chicken, crumbled bacon, cherry tomatoes, chopped purple onion, diced eggs, bleu cheese crumbles and green onion. Save some bleu cheese, bacon and green onion for garnishing. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your taste.
- Refrigerate – Chill thoroughly. Add the diced avocado just before serving.
How to Make the BEST Cobb Macaroni Salad Recipe
- Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Cobb Macaroni Salad: Elbow macaroni, rotisserie chicken, Ranch salad dressing mix, mayonnaise, buttermilk, salt and black pepper to taste, green onions, boiled eggs, avocado, cooked and crumbled bacon, bleu cheese crumbles and cherry tomatoes.
- Kitchen tools you’ll need: Pasta pot, colander, sharp knife and chopping board, whisk, measuring cups and spoons.
- You can use any cooked chicken for this recipe. Poached chicken, roasted chicken or grilled chicken.
- I like to use jumbo elbow macaroni for this pasta salad for the hefty size and ridges that give the dressing something to cling to.
- It can serve a crowd as a side dish, but if you’re planning on serving this cobb salad it as a main dish consider the appetites of those you’re serving and adjust accordingly.
- You can fully assemble this salad in advance with the exception of the avocado. Place it into an airtight container and chill then add the avocado just before serving.
- I prefer real mayonnaise for the dressing and don’t recommend using Miracle Whip due to the sweetness.
- You can enjoy this salad as a side dish or on a bed of lettuce for a light meal on a busy day.
- Store Cobb Macaroni Salad well chilled in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More Macaroni Recipe to the Make
Pasta is inexpensive and can be dressed with a simple homemade pesto or turned into a feast adding beaten eggs and bacon. Other inexpensive ways to enjoy it:
- Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Pie does double duty as an entree or a side dish.
- Air Fryer Macaroni and Cheese is a game changer for busy day meals.
- Nacho Beef and Macaroni features all of the festa flavors we love.
- Tuna Macaroni Salad is a retro salad that always hits the spot.
- Fried Mac and Cheese Balls like the ones you pay top dollar for at Cheesecake Factory.
- Chicken and Bacon Ranch-A-Roni is a childhood favorite that the family will love.
- Cheeseburger Macaroni from Love from the Oven.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Cobb Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz box jumbo elbow macaroni [i.e. Mueller's]
- 1 0.4 oz package dry Buttermilk Ranch Dressing mix [i.e. Hidden Valley]
- 1 cup real mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 cup rotisserie chicken cubed
- 1/2 lb bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 medium purple onion chopped
- 4 oz bleu cheese crumbles
- 3 large hard boiled eggs peeled, diced or quartered
- 4 medium green onion thinly sliced
- salt & black pepper to taste
- 2 medium avocados peeled and cubed
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water per the directions until al dente. Drain well.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry buttermilk ranch dressing, 1 cup mayo and 1 1/2 cup buttermilk. Whisk until fully combined. Set aside.
- Combine: To the dressing add the drained pasta, cubed chicken, crumbled bacon, cherry tomatoes, purple onion, diced eggs, bleu cheese crumbles and green onion.
- Save some bleu cheese crumbles, bacon and green onion for garnishing. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your taste.
- Chill thoroughly. Add the diced avocado just before serving.
- Serves: Main dish [4-6] Side dish [8]
I love cobb salad, so this sounds amazing! What a great idea!
I do as well Carlee, thanks!
Linda, this salad is a whole meal for sure. Thanks!
I could snack on this salad non-stop Melissa. Going through the posts I’ve recently missed, you’ve helped me make up my next shopping list. Thanks for your creative ideas.