Total Time: 25 min

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Servings: 2 (1/2 cup each)

Nutrition Highlights (per serving)

138 calories

7g fat

11g carbs

8g protein

Show Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 (1/2 cup each)
Amount per serving
Calories	138
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g	9%
Saturated Fat 2g	10%
Cholesterol 187mg	62%
Sodium 1117mg	49%
Total Carbohydrate 11g	4%
Dietary Fiber 3g	11%
Total Sugars 5g
Includes 0g Added Sugars	0%
Protein 8g
Vitamin D 1mcg	5%
Calcium 82mg	6%
Iron 2mg	11%
Potassium 351mg	7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

When it comes to egg salad, the traditional recipe calls for eggs, mayonnaise, and not a whole lot more. Most recipes mix in about half a cup of mayo, which offers about 16 grams of saturated fat.

For those who'd like to lower their LDL cholesterol, the American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat to 6 percent of total calories (that's about 13 grams of saturated fat if you're eating 2,000 calories a day). It's difficult to keep track of specific amounts. Generally striving for healthier meals packed with vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and legumes helps.

This egg salad recipe is better for you in that it packs in five chopped veggies and flavorful greens alongside just enough mayonnaise to make it creamy and appetizing, but not heavy. In the end you'll only take in 2 grams of saturated fat per serving and more nutrients than you would in the traditional.

Ingredients

2 large eggs, hard-boiled and medium chopped
2 medium carrots, boiled and medium chopped
1 large pickle, diced small
1/4 cup green peas
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix together. Chill before serving.

Ingredient Variations and Substitutions

You can easily omit either the dill or cilantro in this recipe, but opt to keep at least one and double the amount if omitting the other—just a few tablespoons offer a nice texture and flavor to the dish.

Greek yogurt is often swapped in for mayonnaise as a way to lower fat and increase protein. You can swap it in if you wish, but note that the texture and flavor will be different than intended. And don't worry too much about using mayonnaise in a cholesterol-friendly recipe—it's just one tablespoon, and you're getting vegetables along with it.

Cooking and Serving Tips

Serve this egg salad as a side dish, or make it into a meal by using as a sandwich filling, as you would traditional egg salad.

To save cooking and cleaning time, boil the eggs and carrots together in one small pot. Eggs should be very well done—boiled for about 16 to 17 minutes—and you should be able to easily pierce the carrots with a fork before removing them from the water.

While the eggs and carrots are boiling, you can prepare the cilantro, dill, and pickle. Squeeze out the excess pickle juice as much as possible both before and after chopping the pickle to omit excess liquid in the final salad. You can also blot the chopped up pieces with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture.

If you're using canned peas, you won't be using the whole can. Store the leftovers in an air-tight container and use them to make other recipes throughout the week. Try

spring vegetable quinoa salad: combine the peas with cooked quinoa and flavorful seasonal veggies.
lemon and dill zested zucchini salad: toss peas with protein-rich black beans and a lemony dill dressing.
chicken fried rice with springtime asparagus: enjoy this healthy fried brown rice and veggies dish, complete in under 30 minutes.

Finally, store leftover dill and cilantro by wrapping the springs in a wet paper towel and placing in a plastic bag in the fridge.