Here is a classic, no fuss recipe for Egg Salad, a lunch option that I always forget about. No more! This is the perfect recipe to use up all those boiled Easter eggs.
I went to a surprise party for my cousin last week, a party thrown for her by her 11 year old daughter. Say whaaat? I’m pretty sure I was still picking food out of my braces and learning about deodorant when I was 11. Organizing a thoughtful surprise for my mom was not on my radar. I was too busy dying my hair red so that I could look just like Anne of Green Gables. (It turned orange. Now you know why I have hair-dying phobia. The struggle is real.)
I was talking to another cousin of mine at the party (hi Aaron!) who was telling me how excited he is about my Facebook page. “You’re almost to 10,000 followers!!” He told me that he’s going to unlike my page, wait until the moment I reach 9,999, and then be THE TEN-THOUSANDTH LIKE. I imagine him in his basement, sporting a 5 o’clock shadow and eating cheetos in front of the screen and refreshing over and over again to see if I’m at 9,999. Thanks for being my creepiest fan Aaron!
Are you guys hanging out with me on Facebook? Do you see the updates that I post? I’m not nearly as excited about 10,000 likes because I know how many people I’m actually reaching–it’s much lower than that. But still, Facebook is fun and I get to share lots of other blogger’s recipes along with my own. It’s a party! Rock on.
Can you believe Easter is less than a month away?? Just a few more weekends and it will be here, in all it’s Reese’s Egg glory. (let’s be real.) You should make this Spicy Slow Cooker Ham and these Gruyere Crisped Potatoes Au Gratin to impress your family. Throw in a Creamy Strawberry Banana Jello and you’ve got yourself a perfectly balanced meal! :)
But what to do with all the leftover hard-boiled eggs from the hunt?? I’ve got yo back. I made this really basic egg salad over the Christmas holidays for my family and it totally hit the spot. I always forget about egg salad when it’s not Easter, but it’s so good and cheap that I should totally make it more often. The perfect quick lunch. This recipe doesn’t have any surprises in it, and that’s the way I like it. No crunchies. Feel free to change it up however you like! It’s hard to go wrong.
Let’s talk about cooking eggs for a minute. I know, I know, boiling is what you are supposed to do. But I cannot for the life of me get it right. I was introduced to steaming eggs a while ago and I’m NEVER going back. Perfectly tender and bright yellow yolks, every time. And SO easy to peel. Try it out!
Classic Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon vinegar, *
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 1-2 tablespoon chives, minced
- pepper , to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill, optional
Instructions
- Begin by steaming your eggs. (Regular boiling works too!) Add about 1 or 2 inches of water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add eggs to a steamer basket. When the water is boiling, place the basket over the water and cover tightly. Set a timer for 12 minutes. Leave the burner on the whole time so the water continues to boil.
- Immediately plunge the eggs into very cold water. You're supposed to use ice, but I never do. I put the steamer basket in my plugged up sink and turn the faucet on cold. Remove the eggs from the basket (keep them in the water) as soon as you can, to get the hot metal out of the water.
- Let the eggs cool. You can peel them whenever they are cool enough to handle.
- Peel and slice the eggs. Or just add them to a medium bowl and smash them with a fork or pastry blender.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, adjusting to taste.
- You may prefer to chill the egg salad before eating.
Notes
Nutrition
More ideas for all those Easter eggs!
Feed your egg salad craving:
Egg Salad with Tuna and Sweet Pickles from Reluctant Entertainer
Avocado Egg Salad Recipe from Inspired Taste
Bacon and Cheddar Egg Salad from In My Red Kitchen
We always have so many eggs left over from Easter and wonder how we’re going to eat them all. Solution: this egg salad! :)
Same story over here Matea! :)
Hi – I love your recipe! Just a note about boiling eggs, though – you should never BOIL an egg! It’s makes more of the sulfur come out onto the yolk, which is what makes that green ring around the yolk. Ick.
Instead, fill the pot with water, add the eggs, THEN turn on the heat (usually for about 10 minutes) till your water comes to a FULL boil. Then turn OFF the heat, set a timer for 10 minutes, and let them cook in the hot water. After 10 minutes, put the pot in the sink and run cold water over them for a few minutes (unless you live in CA like I do :-D ) until they’re no longer warm. Now they’re ready to peel and eat. Just FYI.
Thanks for the tip Deborah! I’ve tried this method before and maybe I’m a total moron but they were still a pain in the rear to peel, though they were cooked nicely. And I TOTALLY hear you about the water–I’m in Sacramento!
I want to come over for the egg hunt and steal all the hard boiled eggs to make egg salad. (I could also just steam my own eggs, but that’d be way less fun than fighting Char for the last egg.) The “new Sarah” is loads of fun.
Uh, Facebook. But YAY for almost 10,000! There are too many people right now without your gorgeous food photos in their Facebook feed. Like these!
You are SO CLOSE to 10,000 likes! Huge milestone! And don’t you get so annoyed with the facebook reach? It’s like…maybe 10 percent…on a good day. I love this egg salad sandwich! It’s taking me back to being a kid. My mom would always make deviled eggs and egg salad sandwiches after Easter to use up all the hard boiled eggs. And I can personally attest to your steaming method! Works like a charm!
It’s noon, I’m sitting at my desk, and now this is ALL I can think about!
Haha! You’re welcome/Im’ sorry?
I had never thought of steaming the eggs before! To be honest, I wasn’t much of a hard cooked egg fan until recent years. A classic egg salad can be very satisfying :-)
I agree Connie! Sometimes it just hits the spot!
I’ve never heard of steaming eggs. I am going to have to try that! This sandwich looks so delicious and filling.
I’m never going back Jen!! I’ve never had a hard-to-peel egg from steaming, not once. So worth it!
Thanks for reminding me how much I love egg salad. I, too, forget to make it and to switch up my recipe for it. Yours looks lovely. Thanks for the suggestion about steaming eggs, too.
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who forgets about egg salad all the time! It’s like the forgotten sandwich. Thanks for commenting Melissa! Love hearing from you.
This looks so creamy and I love the chunky eggs.
I LOVEEEEE egg salad, like love love love. And nestled on a croissant?? Uh yeah, really wish I had one right now!
Yes! i’m glad I’m not the only one who goes weak at the knees for egg salad. Good ol comfort food.
Thanks for including my recipe here. This looks fabulous!!
Of course Sandy! I’m loving the tuna egg combo idea:)
I literally laughed out loud reading your conversation with Aaron. Such a dedicated fan! LOL. Love it. :)
And this egg salad? Um, LURVE it!! It looks so perfectly creamy and wonderful and spoon-worthy. Uh, totally. ;) Pinned!
Haha! It made me laugh too! It’s so nice having supportive family :) and thanks Sarah! Totally spoon-worthy :)
Time for dumb questions – how do you steam an egg?? And what kind/brand of steamer do you own? Seven years of marriage and I still don’t have one.
Hi Sarah!! Not a dumb question! I explain how in the recipe instructions. If you don’t have a steamer, you can google “how to steam without a steamer” and get some ideas. Just remember that the lid must be sealed in order to steam properly–if there is steam escaping you can’t trust it. My steamer came with my set of pots and pans that I got for my wedding, it’s Kirkland brand. Here’s a simple looking one from Oxo. A friend of mine mentioned that she loves her bamboo steamer, says it makes the house smell amazing.
so do I keep the water boiling as the eggs are sitting on top, in the steamer basket? Or do I turn the burner off? Is that a dumb question?! And how long in the cold water? Thanks!!
Hey Nichole! No, that’s a great question! I changed the recipe to be more clear. Keep the burner on the whole time to make sure the water keeps boiling. Leave the eggs in the cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Transfer them to the fridge before peeling if you want to speed it up. Happy egging!