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First it was the “Rachel” Haircut, Now it’s Jennifer’s Salad. This is all about the One Where We Made Jennifer Aniston’s Viral Cobb Salad!

We gave into the viral trend this week and decided to try the Jennifer Aniston Cobb Salad. After scrolling through countless posts on our social media feeds showing recreations of this salad, and we had to give it a try. There is not a salad we did not like, so we had to see if this deserved all the praise it has received!

Jennifer Aniston’s Cobb Salad starts a base of grains and is tosses in fresh herbs, chopped purple onions and cucumber, chickpeas and pistachios and drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. Traditionally, this salad calls for quinoa or bulgur wheat but we swapped those options for farro because it was what we had available and has a similar taste and texture to bulgur. Farro, quinoa, and bulgur all add an earthy and nutty flavor to this salad that other grains wouldn’t provide! And is so delish!

The Story Behind the Salad

If this is your first time hearing of this salad, let us fill you in. First it was the Rachel haircut and now it’s Jennifer’s Salad. Jennifer Aniston seems to not only be a trend setter for hairstyle, but now it seems she sets the diet trends. Years ago in 2010, in a published Los Angeles Times article, one of the Friends cast-mates and Jennifer’s costar referenced a Cobb Salad that Jennifer ate almost every day throughout 10 year taping of the sitcom. Some years later, details of the salad were released by Jennifer. And now, the salad has gone viral on social media platforms. We are sharing the recipe and our thoughts with you.

Why We Love This Salad

Apart from all the high reviews and popularity, we really loved the simplicity and bulk of this salad. It is a good balance of veggies, protein and grains with strong flavors from the herbs. It kept us feeling full for hours. The recipe makes a very large bowl of salad that could also be a great dish to meal prep throughout the week. Or it could make a great side dish for a dinner party.

Jennifer Aniston’s Viral Cobb Salad

What’s in this Recipe?

Farro: The traditional recipe calls for bulgur, but since farro adds the same nutty taste that bulgur does, it was an easy substitiute. The texture of the farro pairs well with the fresh chopped veggies.

Cucumber: Chopped cucumber adds a nice crunch to this salad!

Purple Onion: Purple onion add a nice pop of color and strong flavor. Purple onions are great because they their flavor is subtle enough to be eaten raw, like in this salad.

Chickpeas: Chickpeas are the perfect addition to this dish because they add they help to enhance that nutty flavor of the grains. Chickpeas are one of our favorite salad toppings! Check out our Warm Winter Chickpea Kale Salad recipe.

Fresh herbs: The more herbs in this salad the better! This salad would taste bland without the nice kick of the fresh chopped parsley and mint leaves.

Pistachios: Add just the right amount of crunch and texture. If you do not have pistachios, this salad would also be good with slivered almonds.

Feta: Feta is great for topping salads, like this one, because it is light and rich in flavor.

Lemon Juice and Zest: This salad would have been bland without a tart punch of lemon juice and flavorful zest.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A drizzle of olive oil can go a long way in this salad. It helps to combine the salad and keep it moist.