Cottage Cheese Egg Salad Boats (Printable)
Protein-rich egg salad with creamy cottage cheese served in crisp lettuce cups for a light, refreshing meal.
# List of ingredients:
→ Main Ingredients
01 - 4 large eggs
02 - 1 cup cottage cheese, low-fat or full-fat
03 - 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
04 - 1 celery stalk, finely diced
05 - 1/2 small cucumber, seeded and diced
06 - 1/4 cup fresh chives or green onions, thinly sliced
→ Dressing
07 - 1 tablespoon mayonnaise (optional)
08 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
09 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
10 - Salt and black pepper to taste
→ Serving
11 - 8 large romaine lettuce leaves or butter lettuce leaves
12 - Paprika or chopped fresh herbs for garnish (optional)
# Steps:
01 - Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 8–10 minutes. Transfer eggs to an ice bath to cool completely.
02 - Peel the cooled eggs and chop them into small, uniform pieces.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped eggs, cottage cheese, red onion, celery, cucumber, and chives.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise (if using), Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until smooth.
05 - Pour the dressing over the egg mixture and gently fold to combine. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
06 - Arrange lettuce leaves on a serving platter. Spoon the cottage cheese egg salad evenly into each lettuce boat.
07 - Sprinkle with paprika or fresh herbs if desired. Serve immediately while lettuce is crisp.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The cottage cheese creates this incredible creamy texture without making it feel heavy or weighed down like traditional mayonnaise-heavy versions
- You can assemble these boats in minutes and they somehow feel fancy enough for company but casual enough for solo lunch standing at the counter
02 -
- Overmixing the cottage cheese turns it into a uniform spread, but leaving some small curds intact gives you this amazing texture variation in every bite
- These boats are best assembled immediately before serving because the lettuce starts to wilt and the filling makes everything soggy if it sits too long
03 -
- Pat your lettuce leaves completely dry with paper towels before filling them, because any water droplets will make the filling slide right off
- If your cottage cheese seems especially watery, give it a quick drain in a fine mesh sieve before mixing to prevent a watery final result