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Chef Salad

This is my ultimate chef salad recipe loaded with classic ingredients like fresh veggies, deli meats, cheese, and hard-boiled eggs. It’s a satisfying, healthy lunch or dinner tossed with homemade dressing!

Chef salad in a large salad bowl dressed in Italian dressing, next to wooden salad tongs.

The Best Homemade Chef’s Salad

This delectable chef salad is one of my all-time favorite light and healthy meals. It starts with a bed of bouncy lettuce loaded with flavorful meats and cheeses, crispy bacon, crunchy cukes, tomatoes, and protein-rich eggs. I toss it all together with my favorite homemade Italian salad dressing. Safe to say, I could eat this hearty all-American, classic salad all day, every day. 

Why You’ll Love This Classic Salad Recipe 

  • Healthy. Many chef salad recipes call for croutons and dressings loaded with sugar. My healthier chef salad is full of flavor, texture, and fresh ingredients, minus the bread! It’s zesty, crunchy, and savory. Plus, it’s pretty to look at.
  • The ultimate salad-for-dinner. Chef salad has to be the main meal salad recipe for lunch or dinner. It comes fully loaded with healthy protein and veggies, tossed together with the dressing of your choice. It’s a meal in one, ready in 25 minutes!
  • Clean out the fridge. Chef salads use ingredients that I almost always have in the fridge, and they’re easy to customize with whatever you have on hand.
Hands use wooden tongs to toss a chef salad in a large bowl.

What’s the Difference Between a Chef Salad and a Cobb Salad?

Like a Cobb salad, a chef salad is a classic American salad, and at first glance, they look pretty darn similar. Both are considered main dishes, and they have many common ingredients– usually on display when the salad arrives at the table. The main difference is chef’s salad tends to have more humble ingredients, while a Cobb salad involves fixings like chicken, avocado, and blue cheese dressing. If I could live off of salad alone, it would be both of these classics!

A chef salad has been around for eons. The closest you’ll get to an original recipe is the one by Louis Diat, a chef at the Ritz Carlton in New York City in the 1940s. The idea was for the chef to make a salad with whatever was in the fridge! 

The ingredients for a chef salad.

Chef Salad Ingredients

I love making this salad when I know I have a fridge full of ingredients that must be dealt with soon. What goes into the best chef salad? Let’s discuss. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for a full ingredient list and detailed instructions.

  • Greens: Your choice of lettuce or mixed greens. I like to make my chef’s salad with sturdy lettuce, like romaine, that holds up with the other ingredients. Other good choices are iceberg, kale, spinach, escarole, and frisée lettuce.
  • Meats: I make this salad with roasted deli turkey and smoked deli ham, cut in julienne style, and crispy cooked bacon.
  • Cheeses: A classic chef salad calls for Swiss cheese and cheddar cheese, also julienned. I also top my finished salad with freshly shaved parmesan.
  • Veggies: Add plump, ripe halved cherry tomatoes and thinly sliced English cucumbers for color and crunch.
  • Eggs: Usually these are hard-boiled eggs like you’d find in a Caesar salad or Cobb salad. Boil the eggs in advance so they have time to cool, then peel and chop them.

The Best Dressing For a Chef’s Salad

I top my chef salad with my favorite homemade Italian dressing. It’s the best! A light vinaigrette keeps things fresh and zesty and doesn’t weigh down the ingredients. Of course, you can dress your salad any way you’d like, whether store-bought or homemade. Other good dressing choices for a chef salad are ranch dressing, Thousand Island, blue cheese, or this creamy avocado-lime salad dressing for something a little different.  

What Does “Julienne” Mean?

In cooking, julienne is a French method of cutting food into thin strips. Before you assemble your chef’s salad, slice both deli meats and the cheeses in julienne. It makes for an Insta-ready presentation, and the ingredients will be in perfect bite-sized pieces.

How to Make a Chef Salad

This colorful and crisp chef salad is perfect for busy weekdays, summer evenings, or really any time of the year when fresh veg is in season. And it’s SO easy to make. 

  • Start with lots of salad greens. Rinse, dry, and chop up your lettuce and add it to a large bowl.
  • Add the other ingredients. Next, you’ll add strips of deli turkey and smoked deli ham, Swiss cheese, and cheddar cheese, along with crumbled bacon, boiled eggs, fresh cherry tomatoes, and crunchy cucumbers. Arrange all of the ingredients over top of the leafy lettuce. 
  • Finish and serve. Prepare one cup of Italian dressing (linked in the recipe card below), or the salad dressing of your choice, and drizzle it over top of the salad. You can leave your chef salad as is for serving or toss it all together and garnish it with fresh parmesan and green onions.
Chef salad in a large salad bowl dressed in Italian dressing next to wooden salad tongs.

Tips for Success

If you’re looking for an easy salad that’s going to keep you full and satisfied, this is it! Here are my last-minute tips for making the best chef salad:

  • Use quality ingredients. A chef salad is only as good as its components, people! That’s why I stock up on quality meats and good quality cheeses from my local deli. It makes all the difference.
  • If you don’t feel like cutting in julienne, don’t worry. This salad will turn out delicious any way you chop and slice your ingredients. 
  • Leave the dressing off until you’re ready to serve. If you’re not serving right away, it’s best not to add the dressing to the salad so it doesn’t get soggy. You can still prepare the dressing ahead so that it’s ready to go.
Close up of chef salad ingredients arranged over top of a large bowl of greens.

Variation Ideas 

It’s your salad – you be the chef! 👩‍🍳 Try these easy variation ideas to change up the ingredients in this classic chef salad recipe:

  • Swap cherry tomatoes for sun-dried tomatoes. This is my go-to solution when fresh tomatoes are out of season.
  • Try different cheeses. If you’re not a fan of Swiss cheese, switch things up with provolone, blue cheese, or even brie.
  • More meats. Instead of or in addition to turkey and ham, use a variety of deli meats such as sliced deli chicken, salami, bologna, and pastrami.
  • More add-ins. Add olives, avocado, radishes, pepperoncini, thinly sliced onions, grated carrots, or sliced celery. You can also add a nutritious boost of pumpkin seeds or chopped nuts, like walnuts or pecans.
  • Add croutons. Craving some crunch? Sprinkle on some crispy garlic croutons.
Close up of a chef salad topped with meats, cheeses, veggies, and microgreens.

How to Serve a Chef Salad

A chef salad can be served as a main dish or as a hearty side salad, and it makes a show-stopping centerpiece on the table at BBQs and family get-togethers. Serving it all on one platter lets everyone choose how much of which ingredient goes on their plates. I’ll usually leave additional dressing on the side, just in case!  As for what to serve with a chef salad, try these ideas:

Close up of two hands using wooden salad tongs to toss a chef salad in a large bowl.

How to Store Leftovers

Keep separate the salad ingredients from the dressing and store everything in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you’ve already dressed your salad, it’s still OK to store, but I recommend enjoying the leftovers within a day. 

More Easy Salad Recipes

ENJOY!

Chef salad in a large salad bowl dressed in Italian dressing, next to wooden salad tongs.

Chef Salad

Katerina | Diethood
This is the ultimate chef salad recipe made with classic ingredients like fresh greens, meats, cheese, and hard-boiled eggs tossed in homemade dressing.
4.83 from 69 votes
Servings : 6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 cups salad greens
  • 1 cup julienne cut oven roasted turkey deli meat
  • 1 cup julienne cut smoked ham deli meat
  • 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • ½ cup julienne cut Swiss cheese slices
  • ½ cup julienne cut cheddar cheese slices
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 English Cucumber, sliced
  • 4 hard boiled eggs, quartered
  • 2 tablespoons sliced green onions, for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese shavings, for garnish
  • 1 cup Italian salad dressing, (I use my Homemade Italian Dressing)

Instructions
 

  • Prepare salad greens by tearing or cutting them into bite-sized pieces, and transfer them to a salad bowl or large serving platter.
  • Top the greens with the deli meats , bacon, cheeses, tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggs.
  • Prepare one recipe of homemade Italian salad dressing – add to the salad and gently toss to combine.
  • Garnish with green onions and parmesan cheese and serve.

Notes

  • Ham & Cheese. For this recipe, I use Hormel Natural Choice Deli Ham and Turkey. For the cheeses, I use slices of Swiss cheese and slices of cheddar cheese. 
  • Pick quality ingredients. Your salad is only as good as what goes into it! Quality meats and cheeses from the local deli are worth it.
  • Chop and slice however you want. The salad is tasty regardless of how you cut the ingredients.
  • Hold off on the dressing. If not eating right away, wait to add dressing to avoid a soggy salad. Pre-make the dressing to have it ready.
  • Swap cherry for sun-dried tomatoes. This is great when fresh tomatoes aren’t in season.
  • Try a variety of cheeses. Not a fan of Swiss? Try provolone, blue cheese, or brie.
  • Mix it up with more meats. Add variety with deli chicken, salami, bologna, or pastrami.
  • Experiment with add-ins. Olives, avocado, radishes, onions, carrots, and celery can boost flavor. Pumpkin seeds or nuts add nutrition and crunch.
  • Croutons for crunch. Want some extra crispiness? Toss in some garlic croutons.

Nutrition

Calories: 438 kcal | Carbohydrates: 12 g | Protein: 28 g | Fat: 31 g | Saturated Fat: 10 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11 g | Trans Fat: 0.05 g | Cholesterol: 188 mg | Sodium: 1609 mg | Potassium: 547 mg | Fiber: 0.5 g | Sugar: 7 g | Vitamin A: 1179 IU | Vitamin C: 20 mg | Calcium: 227 mg | Iron: 2 mg

Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: best salad recipes, chef salad, chef salad recipe
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288 comments on “Chef Salad”

  1. Avatar photo
    Jessica Smith

    This Chef Salad is GREAT!! I love it because it tastes great and it’s good for you! The dressing is devine!

  2. Avatar photo
    Jerry Marquardt

    My favorite way to enjoy lunchmeats is to grill it a bit and serve up on toast, served with all the condiments including mayo.

  3. I like to use lunch-meat in wraps. I usually use whole wheat tortillas, lettuce, tomato, cheese and lunch-meat.

  4. I absolutely love making sliders with lunch meat on Hawaiian rolls. It’s a new meal I started making for my family… we all love it!
    pixelberrypie at yahoo dot com

  5. I like my lunchmeat in sandwiches with some mayo, lettuce and tomatoes and sometimes cheese

    tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

  6. My quick lunch is a salad with whatever is in the fridge including some lunchmeat.
    Thanks for the contest.

  7. My go-to quick and easy lunch is leftovers from last night’s dinner. 🙂

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    wildorchid985 at gmail dot com

  8. Avatar photo
    Jennifer Reed

    I love lunchmeats wrapped up in french bread for a sub with lots of vegetables and oil and vinegar.

  9. Avatar photo
    shelly peterson

    I enjoy lunchmeat in a sandwich with cheese, lettuce and tomato.
    cshell090869 at aol dot com

  10. Lately, I’ve been eating Hawaiian pizza fairly often. Ham and pineapple make such a great flavor combination! I also add macadamia nuts, coconut, Swiss cheese and arugula!

  11. My favorite lunches are sandwiches! I like to spread mayo and mustard on a French roll and add ham and cheese! Turkey and roast beef are always delicious as well! You can’t beat a good sandwich!

  12. My favorite way to enjoy lunch meats is on Salads, as Sandwiches, on crackers with or with out cheese, just by itself as a snack. Any way I can think of.

  13. I am a classist, I like a ham sandwich with German mustard and cheddar cheese ever single time it’s offered. I do like the look of your salad though and obviously influenced by you I made a very similar one yesterday. So, I can now say that I really like ham and Cardini’s dressing too,

  14. My favorite way to enjoy lunch meat is putting them in salad as well. Quick and easy…and super yummy too.
    amy [at] uTry [dot] it

  15. Avatar photo
    Wanda McHenry

    I like lunchmeats in my delicious monstrous sandwiches with cheese, tomato, red onion and lettuce!

  16. Avatar photo
    Amber Ratliff

    My favorite way to enjoy lunchmeat is what my family calls a tortilla roll up. You take a large tortilla and smear cream cheese all over. Then a layer of whichever lunch meat you prefer ( I love ham!). After that, you top with the diced green chiles you get in a can. Then roll it up and cut it into 1 inch pieces. You can eat it like that, but to make it even more delicious, we dip it in our favorite salsa! So yum!

  17. Avatar photo
    Linda Szymoniak

    My favorite way to eat lunch meat is still sandwiches. My all-time favorite sandwich is the Monte Cristo.

  18. My favorite way to enjoy lunch meats is in a sandwich with whole wheat bread, dark leafy lettuce, sharp cheddar, fresh avocado, slice tomato, low-fat or non-fat mayonnaise and mustard. I love Hormel’s Natural Choice Smoked Deli Ham on my sandwiches! It’s my favorite!

  19. my favorite way to use deli meats are definitely in a chef salad. but use them in sandwiches when i have to pack a lunch and there are no leftovers.

  20. I love to enjoy lunch meats in a wrap with roasted veggies.

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    wildorchid985 at gmail dot com

  21. I like to cut up lunch meat and put it in my pasta salad. I also like it on croissants with honeycup mustard, lettuce and tomato. So good!

  22. Avatar photo
    Debbie Welchert

    I love lunchmeats on salads but my absolute favorite way to eat lunchmeats is on a sandwich grilled with cheese and mayo.

  23. I love a good chef salad! I like to change up the ingredients with seasonal favorites and dressings to keep them interesting. The various choices of flavored lunchmeats also make it easy to make memorable meals!

  24. Looks like the salad I eat a lot on my LC diet plan and the comment of adding beets is a great idea, making sure they do not have any added sugar.

  25. My favorite way to enjoy lunchmeats is to grill the meats on the grill and add to salads or meat casseroles!

  26. I usually like my lunch meats in a big, hero sandwich! Mix and match the meats with some cheeses, tomato, lettuce, mayo… 🙂 but this salad has me thinking I can have more variety with my lunch meat meals! 🙂

  27. I”m a big fan of subs, and make them fairly often, with all different lunch meats and toppings, but my fave lunch meat sandwich always has on it turkey and avocado.

  28. Avatar photo
    Margaret Smith

    I love to make wraps using lunch meats. Ham, turkey and Swiss cheese is my favorites. Thanks so much.

  29. Avatar photo
    ROSEMARIE GRANT

    I like to cut in strips and add to stir fry and noodle dishes. Easy quick lunch that I can warm up at work with just of the right amount of protein.

  30. I have two. My healthy way is in a salad like this one. I love a good salad. My favorite not so healthy way is a club sandwich. Delicious.

  31. This looks fantastic. I love a great salad.

    We love their deli meat. I dig making them into kebabs for the kids. So fun.

  32. I love this recipe! I almost always use lunch meat in my salad. It’s so quick and easy, and tastes great.

  33. Avatar photo
    Sarah Phillips

    My favorite way to enjoy lunch-meat is on a homemade sandwich or grilled panini! I love using fresh whole wheat or rye bread and adding deli cheese slices (pepper jack, colby jack, or mozzarella), kale, baby spinach, onions, and mayo! The lunch meats I usually enjoy are ham or turkey! Now I’m hungry 🙂

  34. Lunchmeat? Too many options! But big salads like the one from this post are definitely at the top of my list!

  35. We have a very simple appetizer that we use during holidays that has lunch meat in it. It is ham or turkey lunch meat with cream cheese all rolled up with a small slice of pickle on top. So simple but so delicious!

  36. I love ham and turket and fix it in a variety of sandwiches with different cheeses, mostly on sourdough bread, melted until the cheese runs. This salad is definitely going into my rotation – brilliant combo of ingredients!

  37. My favorite way to use lunch meat is by making a knock off mcmuffin sandwich. Toast the English muffins, fry eggs (breaking the yolks slightly), fry deli ham, piece of cheese (Swiss is yummy!), and build the sandwich.

  38. Just move down to Indy and feed me on a daily basis! This salad looks fabulous!!! I’d eat it morning, noon and night!

  39. This salad looks wonderful and is making me hungry! One of my favorite ways to enjoy lunch meat is on crackers with cheese!

  40. My favorite is to roll up a slice of Swiss cheese with a slice of honey ham, and eat with my favorite crackers and red grapes. Mmmm!!

  41. In our house, it’s grilled ham and cheese all the way! (My hubby also takes cold cut sandwiches to work daily.)

  42. This chef’s salad looks amazing. I love salads, you can make them taste different by just changing a few ingredients.

  43. This time of year I am craving salads nonstop! Your Chefs Salad looks absolutely AMAZING…I could go for one right now!

  44. Hubby has a lunch meat sandwich in his lunch box everyday.
    I like your recipe..and this is generally how I eat lunch meat.
    And, we love this brand..hopefully they will come out with more choices soon.
    Thanks

  45. I love to make a salad with lunch meats or a wrap! Also like them in omelets

    The chef salad looks awesome!

  46. Avatar photo
    Karen Bechtol

    These meats look good, will be picking them up next grocery trip. Recipe looks yummy.Usually I take some meat put a dot of mustard on it and eat it as a between meal snack.

  47. I made a julienne salad for dinner tonight, but I didn’t put everything that this salad. I’m planning on doing many, many more of these salads over the coming summer months! What better way can you get fresh veggies, with lots of protein and fibre!

    I’m going to definitely check out your website.

  48. I love to take a slice of meat and a slice of cheese and add a little mustard or mayo and roll it up. My absolute favorite is roast beef, provolone, and a slice of bacon with mayo, YUM!!

  49. I like toasted ham and cheese on a buttered ciabatta bun that has honey mustard spread on the top.

  50. My favorite way to have lunch meat is to have a pita pocket with lettuce, tomato slice and mayo, thanks!

  51. Avatar photo
    Deborah Stiegman

    I’ve been buying Hormel’s Natural Choice Lunchmeats for many years now. You’re chef salad is absolutely delicious. I’ve made it, & highly recommend it. I like to use ham & turkey in either salads; such as chef salads. I also occasionally enjoy ham & turkey with spicy mustard on slices of multi-grain/whole grain organic bread. I try to eat “organic” 100% of the time. The taste of fruits & veggies is remarkably so much tastier, as well as everything else “organic!”

  52. Avatar photo
    Ronald Gagnon

    Definitely cooled paprika added egg salad sandwichs….great for summer lunch or supper…with soup or just alone

  53. Avatar photo
    Elizabeth Tarlow

    Hormel’s Natural Choice Lunchmeat is my new favorite Brand! Your Chefs Salad recipe looks so yummy!

  54. Avatar photo
    Christy Peeples DuBois

    Besides making a traditional sandwich with lunch meats I can’t think of a better way to enjoy them than this chefs salad. It looks so good I could eat one now.

  55. My favorite way to enjoy lunchmeats is either on a sandwich or on a meat tray with cheese and veggies.

  56. My favorite way to use lunch meats is to make an Italian hoagie. Usually with ham, pepperoni and salami and banana peppers.

  57. I love to chop up lunch meat and add it to my “salads in a cup” for work lunches. I put fresh veggies, lettuce, nuts and lunch meat in a cup and bring dressing on the side.

  58. I like to put shredded or sliced cheese in the center of slices of deli meat and roll them up for a quick protein snack after work outs!

  59. My favorite way to enjoy lunchmeats is with some cheese, fruit and wine! A very easy and fun picnic lunch!

  60. Our favorite way to eat lunch meat is to make my healthy sandwiches on whole wheat bread, lettuce, mayo, pickles and tomatoes!

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