A combination of savory, flavorful, crispy and a little sweet – this is quite simply the best egg salad recipe you could ever need for a convenient meal!
As much as we try to slow down, there are times when we need a little comfort and ease to be able to support ourselves in the best possible way, especially on busy days.
When we think of groceries and convenience, options like frozen meals, processed foods, and take-away may come to mind.
But this egg salad is a great example of a practical but nutritious meal made from ingredients you are likely to always have on hand.
You can also create versions of the same recipe that swap eggs for salmon, tofu, or chickpeas. So you have numerous options for whatever you fancy or have on hand.
The main ingredient in egg salad – good eggs.
The key to making the best tasting, nutritious egg salad is in high quality eggs. There are so many ways to buy eggs these days and the labels can be pretty confusing knowing what you’re really getting – do you choose cage-free or natural, or get organic? My rule of thumb when buying eggs or animal protein is to get as close to the source as possible.
The next time you see a local farmers market, be sure to visit the farmers in your area, ask them about their farming practices, or visit them in their room! Another way to get the best quality eggs is to shop around local cooperatives or CSAs, or when shopping at the grocery store, look for those organizations and third-party certifications when it comes to labeling human-grown eggs free of antibiotics and organic: Food Alliance Certification, United Egg Producers, Certified Humane, Animal Welfare Approved, and American Humane Certified.
Now that we’ve identified the key ingredient in making the best egg salad – eggs, let’s move on to the other key components that make up the egg salad, dressing, crunch, and the way you serve it.
The dressing for egg salad
I’m not the biggest fan of mayo, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. For me, it’s a texture thing, but if you’re making egg salad, mayo is a must. There are so many whole food companies out there making great mayonnaise in store. Here are a few I can recommend: Sir Kingston’s, Just Mayo, Primal Kitchens.
In addition to mayo, you will need a good quality mustard, horseradish, a good amount of black pepper, and salt. Egg salad is mostly soft texture until you add some crunch, and one crunch in this salad makes it the best! Use chopped celery, chopped cucumber, and fresh dill and chives.
Tips for the best egg salad
Since you are using hard-boiled eggs, make sure you have the right time to cook the eggs. I recommend placing your eggs in cold water and covering the eggs about an inch, bring to a boil, then cover with a sturdy lid, remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain the eggs and rinse them with cold water. This can also help you peel the eggshells.
The next thing that makes this salad the best egg salad is the way you chop the eggs. No hacking is actually required! I took this tip from my sister-in-law who makes her traditional egg salad recipe from Russia and always grates the eggs – it’s awesome! The end result is an insanely fluffy, light and airy egg salad. Of course, you can go the classic route of chopping your hard-boiled eggs, but try this method at least once and see what you think.
If you have leftovers, which probably won’t take long since it’s so tasty, store it in an airtight glass container for up to 2-3 days.
On to nutrition!
CREATING A FOUNDATIONAL FIVE NOURISH MEAL WITH THE BEST EGG SALAD RECIPE
A Foundational Five Nourish Meal is a meal that contains all 5 elements of our Foundational Five system: non-starchy carbohydrates, starchy carbohydrates, healthy fat, protein, and the flavor factor.
The Foundational Five will help you nourish your physical body so you can learn what to eat. This is the first step in mindful eating. The rest is knowing how to eat and how to positively experience your food.
By including these 5 elements in your meal, you are supporting your physical body on a cellular level and ensuring that you are consuming the nutrients you need for sharp focus, calm digestion, sustained energy, healthy sleep, and long-term vitality achieve health.
Here are the following five basic elements in this egg salad recipe:
1 • Non-starchy carbohydrates
- celery
- Optional: serve over a green bed
2 • Starchy or sugary carbohydrates
- Optional: Serve with gluten-free bread or crackers or quinoa
3 • Healthy fat
4 • protein
- Eggs
- If you or someone in your household doesn’t eat eggs, you can still make this recipe using organic tofu (15 ounces, diced or crumbled) or 2-3 cups of cooked chickpeas!
5 • Taste factor
- Dijon mustard
- horseradish
- dill
- chives
- salt
- pepper
Vitamins and minerals
Eggs are powerhouses when it comes to nutrients – they contain all of the essential vitamins and minerals needed to make a baby chicken! An egg contains calcium, vitamins A, D, E and K, folic acid, phosphorus, selenium, vitamins B5, B6 and B12 and zinc.
Healthy fats:
One egg contains about 5 g of healthy fats. Healthy fats help store energy, isolate our bodies, and protect our vital organs. They also help us digest fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K to keep our brain, cells, hormones, tissues, hair, skin and nails healthy and to provide the structural component for many important cell membranes for the cellular Development.
Protein:
The average egg contains around 6-7 grams of high quality protein. Both the egg white and the yolk provide protein, although the egg white contains mostly protein while the egg yolk contains mostly fat.
