An easy and healthy lunch that’s great for sandwiches or big potlucks. This Pesto Egg Salad is filled with flavor and nutritious ingredients!
One of the things that I discovered about catering is that it completely sucks the life out of you. I mean that in the best way possible, but for 3 days straight I looked like a chicken with its head cut off in the kitchen. Simultaneously trying to bake 2 batches of granola, hard boil eggs, process my Orange Cranberry White Chocolate Bars all while trying to maintain my sanity is unbelievably challenging. Admittedly I still loved every minute of it.
But after it was done the kitchen and I needed a break from each other. Fortunately I went a bit overboard on the Pecan Pie Granola so I had enough leftover to live off of it for the next week. This is also kind of a problem since granola is my weakness and while I’d like to consider the half a cup of pumpkin in the recipe as my “salad a day“, I think a nutritionist may say otherwise. Thankfully I still have 5 days left living with my roommates (by that I mean parents) who took pity on me and fed me my veggies and protein.
Pesto Egg Salad
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 9-12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- For the pesto:
- 1 cup basil, packed
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup pine nuts (you can use a cheaper nut like cashews or walnuts too)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 12 eggs
- ¼ cup greek yogurt
- 2 celery sticks
Instructions
- Combine all pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside
- To hard boil eggs, place them in a large pot and cover with 1 inch of water. Bring water to a boil.
- Once water starts to boil remove pot from heat, cover and let sit for 12 minutes.
- Remove eggs from pot with a slotted spoon and place in a colander. Run cold water over eggs until eggs are no longer warm.
- Once eggs have cooled to room temperature peel them and slice them into small chunks, or use this egg slicer.
- Slice celery in half length-wise and then chop into small chunks.
- In a large bowl combine eggs, celery, greek yogurt, and all of the pesto. Mix well.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve or store in refrigerator for several days.
Do you ever have days or weeks when you need a break from cooking? What do you eat on those days?
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58 Comments
Kelly @ Kelly Runs for Food
January 26, 2014 at 11:10 amI need a break from cooking all the time! My method is just to wait until my husband gets really hungry cause I know he’ll do all the work for me! I love egg salad and this looks like a really yummy twist on it. Hope your crazy schedule calms down soon!
Danielle @LabelsAreForTinCans
January 26, 2014 at 10:59 amI love that picture of the stacked sandwiches! Everytime I go home to my parents’ house I am always happy for a break from cooking – but then my Mom gets me to cook! Haha at least the grocery shopping is already done
Amanda
January 26, 2014 at 10:51 amI don’t even eat eggs (unless it’s mixed in with something. But I’d eat a an ASS if it had parmesan on it!
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
January 28, 2014 at 10:14 pmNoted.
Heather @ Run Like a G!
January 26, 2014 at 10:44 amI always need a break from cooking 🙂
Sometimes the things we love the most we need a break from! The egg salad looks yummy and I don’t like egg salad!!
Christine@ Apple of My Eye
January 26, 2014 at 10:44 amI can only imagine how stressful (but fun!) catering must be! These look delicious and your photography is on point as always 😀
Alex @ Kenzie Life
January 26, 2014 at 10:42 amI never would’ve thought to combine pesto and eggs, but I’d be down to try it! Hope you have a great rest of your weekend, beautiful!
Nikki @ will run for pizza
January 26, 2014 at 10:18 amOh my gosh, PECAN PIE GRANOLA?! If you could only see the list of new recipes I want to try – and have wanted to try for MONTHS – you would die from laughing. Now I have to hunt this granola recipe down and pin it too….
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
January 28, 2014 at 10:13 pmHere you are love! https://www.thehealthymaven.com/recipage?recipe_id=6058251
Consider yourself warned, it’s addictive!
Ang @ Nutty for Life
January 26, 2014 at 9:54 amHomemade pesto is wonderful. Guarantee it’d be so yummy as an egg salad. I also really love to use guacamole as a component of egg salad. I went through a weird phase of eating that for lunch repeatedly last year.. lol
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
January 28, 2014 at 10:11 pmGENIUS and goes well with your ugly green turkey meatloaf color scheme…just sayin’ 😉
Sarah & Arkadi
January 26, 2014 at 9:38 amthis is excellent! i love the colors!
[email protected]
January 26, 2014 at 7:58 amOh yes, as Jessie, I will have tp keep this recipe in mind for after my 16 weeks! It looks delicious and definitely includes my most favorite foods.
I feel you on the need of a break with the kitchen – unfortunately i need to prep my food every week, but then it’s just oats and chicken/veggies – if possible raw! 🙂
meredith @ The Cookie ChRUNicles
January 26, 2014 at 7:54 amLast spring, I mentioned on my blog that I needed a foodcation – as in a vacation from cooking and preparing our meals. I never really took it but it sounded like a good idea at the time lol….I totally hear you though – especially when I was in the midst of my “baking business” I was completely burned out and exhausted from the baking of so many cookies. It is extremely tiring mentally and especially physically.
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
January 28, 2014 at 10:09 pmMust be harder to take a foodcation when you have a little one to cook for! Thankfully I’ve found my cooking mojo again but I legit did not make a single thing for 6 days…Don’t know what I would have done without my Mom there. Guess I’ll be finding out soon enough!
Jessie
January 26, 2014 at 7:23 amOh man! I just decided to go egg free w/ Lucie. I’ll have to remember this recipe in a couple months 🙂
For some reason, this sandwich reminds me of something that should be served @ a St. Patty’s Day party. I’m assuming it has to do w/ the green color 🙂
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
January 28, 2014 at 10:06 pmSorry for torturing you with this! Will you be back on the egg-train by st.patty’s??? Hope so! Try this!
Amber
April 7, 2016 at 8:30 amChickpeas could be a good substitute for the eggs in this recipe! The texture won’t be the same of course but would be equally delicious. I’d mash them up a bit first.
Davida Kugelmass
April 8, 2016 at 9:36 amAgreed!