Name: Vegan Cobb Salad with Poblano Ranch Dressing
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 lb brussels sprouts (trimmed and halved); ½ tsp kosher salt; ½ tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 2 cups shredded kale; 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce; ½ cup cashew poblano ranch dressing (click link for recipe); ½ cup cherry tomatoes (halved); ½ cup red onion (thinly sliced); ½ cup canned garbanzo beans (drained & rinsed); ½ avocado (sliced); 1 tsp hemp seeds

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This Vegan Cobb Salad recipe is packed with healthy greens, like kale, romaine lettuce, brussels sprouts and avocado! It's tossed in a Vegan Poblano Ranch Dressing, which adds even more flavor to this superfood salad!

It's gluten free, dairy free and takes less than 30 minutes to toss together. I guarantee, this will become your new favorite plant based salad!

Vegan cobb salads in bowls with gold forks

Inspired by True Food Kitchen's Good Earth Kale Cobb Salad and Cheesecake Factory's Vegan Cobb Salad, I created a delicious combination of the two that you can easily make at home.

The great thing about this salad is that it can be adjusted for seasonality. Check out my suggestions below for which veggies to use during which season of the year!

How to make it

Start by preparing the Poblano Cashew Ranch Dressing. The cashews need to soak for 8-10 hours to make this dressing, so if you're hoping to make this salad like RIGHT NOW, then I recommend trying this Vegan Ranch Dressing instead.
Once the salad dressing is prepared, it's time to cook the brussels sprouts on the stove. If you use my technique, you're guaranteed to get perfectly caramelized brussels sprouts every time! Heat olive oil or avocado oil in a large skillet. (Preferably cast iron, if you have it!) Make sure that the oil is covering the entire bottom of the pan, lift and move the pan in circles to help make sure it's completely covered. Add the halved brussels sprouts cut side down to the pan and DO NOT TOUCH for 8 minutes. By not moving them around, this is how you get that perfect caramelized crust on the brussels sprouts! After 8 minutes, sprinkle salt and pepper over the sprouts, then toss them in the skillet and continue cooking for an additional 6-8 minutes. Remove the brussels sprouts from the heat, add lemon juice, toss together and set aside.
Now it's time to assemble the salad. In a large bowl combine shredded kale, chopped romaine lettuce and poblano cashew ranch dressing. To shred the kale, simply use a sharp knife on a large cutting board and chop the kale into shreds.
Divide the dressed greens between four bowls.
Top each bowl with the brussels sprouts, red onion, cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans and avocado. Sprinkle hemp seeds on top.
- QUICK TIP! Garbanzo beans can be placed on the salad after draining and rinsing them straight from a can, as they're already cooked during the canning process.

Seasonal salad additions

Spring and summer
- Replace the brussels sprouts with asparagus. Trim 1 pound of asparagus and cut each stem of asparagus into 1-2" pieces. Add the olive oil to the skillet, just like with the brussels sprouts, then add the asparagus. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and cook on the stove over medium hight heat for 6-8 minutes total, while stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and set the asparagus aside.
- All other vegetables found on this kale salad are easy to find year-round, but there are some other veggies that you can add to the salad in the spring and summer months.
  - Radishes: thinly sliced radishes (especially watermelon radishes!) add a beautiful burst of color on top of this cobb salad in the spring and summer.
  - Beets: already peeled & steamed beets can be found in the produce section of most major grocery stores and make an easy addition to this salad. Simply open the package, slice up the steamed beets and add them to the salad.
  - Corn: when summer corn comes into season, strip the kernels off of a fresh cob of corn, then cook them on the stove with the asparagus. There's really nothing better than fresh summer corn!
  - Cucumbers: while cucumbers can generally be found year-round, they really peak in the summer months. A diced, crispy, cool cucumber is a delicious addition to this salad!
- Fall and Winter
  - Fresh brussels sprouts are easily found in the fall and winter, but avocados may be harder to find depending on where you live. To replace the avocado (if you absolutely have to!) or to add more veggies to the salad, try these fall and winter varieties.
    - Butternut squash: toss 1 cup of small cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. (Maybe even add a little ground cinnamon and nutmeg for all the fall feels!) Roast the butternut squash in a 425°F oven for 15 minutes. The butternut squash can easily be roasting, while you're preparing the brussels sprouts on the stove.
    - Apples: diced apples can be added to the salad raw or roasted with the butternut squash.

Cobb salad in bowl topped with brussels sprouts, garbanzo beans and avocado

Make It Low Carb

Leave off the brussels sprouts to make this salad low carb. While brussels sprouts are delicious, they also contribute a significant amount of carbohydrates to this salad. By removing the brussels sprouts, it reduces the carbs per serving of the salad from 26 carbs down to 15 carbs.

Meal Prep It

For storage: prepare the brussels sprouts according to the recipe instructions. Set aside to cool. Toss the kale and romaine lettuce together (but DO NOT add the ranch dressing) divide the kale and lettuce between four plastic storage containers. Top with the cooled, cooked brussels sprouts, garbanzo beans, sliced red onions and whole cherry tomatoes. Do not slice the cherry tomatoes in half until right before serving the salad. Wrap the avocado in plastic wrap and place it in the container. Place them hemp seeds in a small plastic container or ziplock bag and into the container with the salad. Place the vegan ranch dressing in a small salad dressing container and into the container with the salad.
To reheat and eat: if meal-prepping this salad, I recommend not reheating the brussels sprouts when it's time to eat. The entire salad is just as delicious when all of the ingredients are served cold. When ready to eat the salad, slice the cherry tomatoes in half, unwrap the avocado from the plastic wrap and toss the salad in the poblano ranch dressing. Sprinkle the hemp seeds on top and you're ready to dig in! If you'd like to reheat the brussels sprouts before eating the salad, keep them in a separate container and reheat them in the microwave for 90 seconds before adding them to the salad.

Add A Protein

Add black lentils. To keep these salads vegan and add a boost of plant-based protein, add one cup of cooked black lentils to each serving of salad. This will add 10 grams of protein to each serving, for a total of 19 grams of protein per serving.
Add chicken - grilled chicken makes a great addition to this salad. Adding 2 ounces of grilled chicken to each serving adds 17 grams of protein. To prepare the grilled chicken, I recommend marinating a ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts in 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 3 teaspoons fresh herbs (dill, parsley, basil and/or rosemary), ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Marinate the chicken for 20-30 minutes, then toss it on the grill for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Slice or dice the chicken and add it to the salad.
Add salmon - this Lemon Herb Salmon recipe is the perfect addition to this salad. The recipe makes 2 pounds of salmon. I would recommend cutting it in half for 1 pound of salmon or by ¼ for ½ pound of salmon. Adding 2 oz salmon to each serving adds 13 grams of protein.

Salad with brussels sprouts, garbanzo beans, avocado and onions in bowl

More plant based recipes

Looking for more plant based recipes to try? Check out these vegan bowls and salads!

Overhead image of salad in bowl with roasted brussels sprouts, tomatoes and avocado

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5 from 3 votes