Low-Carb Spring Egg Salad

This low-carb recipe was inspired by Yotam Ottonlenghis Warm Curried Egg Salad from his Simple Cookbook, which I tried a few months back and loved — is there any dish of his that doesn’t taste amazing!? Ottonlenghi’s salad had an Asian flavour profile whereas I’ve gone for more Mediterranean flavours with this vegetarian low-carb salad by using pesto, capers and feta.

This Mediterranean inspired warm egg salad is really easy to put together and can be stored in the fridge so you can have a healthy lunchbox option for the next few days.

If you follow a vegetarian keto diet, this meal is perfect for you. There are healthy fats from olive oil and pesto, protein from eggs and electolytes from veggies and seeds.

Eggs are a true keto superfood — they contain the highest biological value protein of any whole food. Feel free to double the amount of eggs for a more satisfying meal that will keep hunger at bay.

The topping includes crunchy pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas) that are a good source of magnesium and potassium, both of which are particularly important for those who just started following a keto diet.

How Many Serving Does This Salad Make?

This warm keto salad makes a great vegetarian meal in the cooler weather, or works well as an accompaniment to fish or chicken. It will be enough for 3 main meals, or 6 smaller meals, side dishes or appetizers.

How Can I make This Salad Dairy-Free?

This recipe contains dairy but if you can't have it, simply swap the feta for more crunchy pepitas or try with sliced avocado instead (more electrolytes!).

How Can I Reduce the Carb Count?

Finally, if you need to reduce the carb count in this warm egg salad recipe, swap the leek for more cauliflower, or use other low-carb veggies such as diced zucchini or broccoli.

Step-by-step

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C/ 355 °F (conventional), or 160 °C/ 320 °F (fan assisted). Cut the cauliflower into shall florets. Drizzle the oil over the cauliflower and season with salt. Bake for 15 minutes.

2. Stir, add the leek, and bake another 15 to 20 mins until the edges are golden and cooked through. Set aside to cool slightly.

   

3. Prepare the dressing by adding all ingredients to a bowl and mixing to combine.

   

4. Layer the slightly cooled veggies and use your fingers to roughly break up the eggs and scatter over the top.

   

5. Drizzle the dressing over the top. Top with the pepitas, capers and feta. Serve immediately.

   

6. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.

   

Recipe

Low-Carb Spring Egg Salad

★★★★☆4.4 (11 ratings)

This simple vegetarian low-carb salad makes a satisfying midweek dinner option. Warm veggie & egg salad ...

Hands on

15m

Overall

50m

Servings

3

8.5 g

Net carbs

13.7 g

Protein

35.9 g

Fat

412

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings

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Ingredients makes 3 servings

• Salad:
• 3 large eggs, hard-boiled
• ¹/₂ medium cauliflower (340 g/ 12 oz)
• 1 medium leek, white and light green parts only (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or ghee (15 ml)
• Lemony pesto dressing:
• ¹/₄ cup green pesto (63 g/ 2.2 oz) - you can make your own pesto
• 3 tbsp lemon juice (45 ml)
• 1 ¹/₂ tbsp paleo mayonnaise (23 g/ 0.8 oz) - you can make your own mayo
• ¹/₄ tsp sea salt, or to taste
• Toppings:
• 2 tbsp pepitas (16 g/ 0.6 oz)
• 2 tbsp capers (17 g/ 0.6 oz)
• ¹/₃ cup crumbled feta (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
• handful of shredded rocket (arugula) or herbs of choice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C/ 355 °F (conventional), or 160 °C/ 320 °F (fan assisted). Cut the cauliflower into shall florets. Drizzle the oil over the cauliflower and season with salt. Bake for 15 minutes.

2. Stir, add the leek, and bake another 15 to 20 mins until the edges are golden and cooked through. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Prepare the dressing by adding all ingredients to a bowl and mixing to combine.

4. Layer the slightly cooled veggies and use your fingers to roughly break up the eggs and scatter over the top.

5. Drizzle the dressing over the top. Top with the pepitas, capers and feta. Serve immediately.

6. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.

Nutrition per serving

Carbs 8%Protein 13%Fat 79% of calories

Net carbs

8.5 g

Total carbs

12.2 g

Fiber

3.7 g

Sugars

4.5 g

Protein

13.7 g

Fat

35.9 g

Saturated fat

8.1 g

Calories

412 kcal

Sodium

818 mg · 35.6% RDA

Magnesium

79 mg · 19.6% RDA

Potassium

576 mg · 28.8% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per serving	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Egg, whole, hard boiled (free-range or organic eggs)	0.4 g	6.3 g	4.8 g	72
Cauliflower, fresh	3.4 g	2.2 g	0.3 g	28
Leeks, fresh	2.1 g	0.3 g	0 g	10
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	4.5 g	40
Basil & Macadamia Pesto (KetoDiet blog)	0.8 g	0.7 g	13.8 g	127
Lemon juice, fresh	0.8 g	0 g	0 g	3
Mayonnaise	0 g	0.1 g	6.2 g	56
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)	0.3 g	1.6 g	2.6 g	30
Capers, canned	0.1 g	0.1 g	0 g	1
Feta cheese	0.7 g	2.4 g	3.5 g	44
Rocket (arugula), fresh	0.1 g	0.1 g	0 g	1
Total	8.5 g	13.7 g	35.9 g	412

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Nut free
• Nightshade free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free
• Pescatarian
• Vegetarian