I Replaced Mayonnaise in Egg Salad With Cottage Cheese and Will Never Go Back
I don’t often write recipes for what I consider “diet” foods. I believe that everyone’s journey to health, strength or weight loss is personal and, like most personal things, nuanced; It’s not for me to tell you what’s good for you and what’s not. However, I’ve been working on my own nutrition goals lately. Most of my efforts involve increasing the amount of protein in a dish while still being able to eat foods that I enjoy. And this egg salad recipe fits the bill.
I call this recipe my Accidentally High Protein Egg Salad because on that fateful day I was planning on making regular old egg salad. Not only are eggs my favorite food, but I’m already planning the 2025 New York City Marathon, and eggs are a lean source of protein. I’m trying to get these legs into the shape they need to be in to run for five hours straight, so I’m looking to keep the muscle there and make it easier in other places.
(I should note that I’ve never run a marathon before. Snacks like this make me feel like I’m not crumbling into a pile of jelly at the end of a long training run. And if you’re interested in a marathon or long-distance running, check out the training logs our Senior Finance Specialist, Meredith Dietz.)
Anyway, here’s how it all went down: I often boil a half dozen eggs and store them in the refrigerator for easy snacking, but I haven’t been keeping track of my mayonnaise supply. I went to make egg salad and found the jar was empty. I had to improvise.
Sorry Mayo, you’ve been replaced
I was about to give in and crush a couple of plain hard-boiled eggs when my eyes happened to fall on a tub of curd. Well, I thought, it’s kind of creamy, like mayonnaise. Of course there are small pieces of cheese, but I love cheese! I put a couple tablespoons in a bowl of chopped eggs and the results were fantastic. Dare I say this was the perfect egg salad? The mixture needed almost no seasoning because the curds are already slightly salty and have a tangy flavor. Add some chopped garlic or celery and you’re good to go.
I make this egg salad often now. I haven’t even bothered to buy mayonnaise again because I don’t miss it. As a bonus, the cottage cheese mimics the texture of egg whites, so it looks like there are even more eggs than usual.
As for my nutritional goals, this substitution results in an egg salad with significantly fewer calories (28 vs. 180) and three extra grams of protein (mayonnaise adds zero). Overall, this quick snack contains 15 grams of protein, or more if I want more cottage cheese. Enjoy it with a pile of arugula or between two slices of bread for a truly satisfying egg salad sandwich.
Accidentally High Protein Egg Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
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2 eggs, boiled and peeled
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2-3 tablespoons of fat cottage cheese
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A pinch of chopped herbs (try garlic, cilantro or parsley)
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A few pinches of pepper
1. Chop the eggs into pieces into a bowl. Add cottage cheese. Add herbs and pepper. Enjoy as is, on toast or mixed with a fresh salad.