Time for another edition of No More Sad Desk Lunch featuring your good friend and mine, mason jars! Maybe it’s my third cup of coffee talking, but is there anything mason jars can’t do?
What they’re currently doing best is housing these Make-Ahead BLT Egg Salad Jars for easy, protein-packed, grab and go lunches. There’s a reason bacon and eggs are always paired together, and egg salad + chopped bacon is a game changer. These portable, ready-when-you-are jarred lunches are AWESOME!!
Classic Egg Salad Made Even Better
I grew up eating my Mom’s egg salad for lunch at least once a week. She’d toast two slices of white bread then schlop a big scoop of cold egg salad in the center, slice it in half, and serve it to my brothers and me for a quick and easy, wallet-friendly lunch. I can take myself back to the experience even decades later. Hot toast. Cold egg salad. Just the right amount of mayo. So satisfying.
I’m making the classic lunchtime favorite even better by layering it in a mason jar with chopped bacon, juicy tomatoes, and lots of fresh greens and calling it BLT Egg Salad Jars. Never has the saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” been more true than when describing this dish.
Egg salad = Good!
Bacon = GOOOOOD.
Tomatoes = Good.
Lettuce = good.
The ingredients in BLT Egg Salad Jars are fab on their own, but once combined they knock it out of the PARK. This lunch is healthy, low-carb, and full of protein and fresh vegetables. Grab a fork, shake ‘er up, and dig in, or if you’re feeling fancy, overturn the jar onto a plate. Pinkies up!
How to Make This Dish
Start by cooking 5 strips of bacon. You can do this anyway you want, but my favorite method is to place the bacon strips on top of a cooling rack set atop a foil lined baking sheet then place in a cold oven and preheat to 375 degrees. The bacon bakes low and slow as the oven heats up, rendering it nice and crispy in the end. Perfecto!
Once the bacon has cooled, chop into bite-sized pieces then set aside.
Meanwhile, hard boil 6 eggs. Like the bacon, there are a few different ways to hard boil eggs. My favorite way is to cover eggs in a saucepan with water 1″ above the tops then bring the water to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat then cover and let the eggs sit for 11 minutes before scooping into a bowl of ice water.
Once cooled, crack the shells lightly all over then peel. Voila – perfect hard boiled eggs every time!
Chop the eggs then add to a bowl with mayonnaise, yellow mustard, paprika, salt, pepper, plus a drizzle of fresh lemon juice. Don’t skip the lemon juice – it REALLY makes the egg salad. Finally, stir in chopped green onions.
Last step = layering. Scoop 1/3 of the egg salad into the bottom of 3, 16oz mason jars then top with chopped Roma tomatoes, 1/3 of the chopped bacon, and 1 cup (ish) arugula or the greens of your choice. Screw the lid on then stash in the fridge. So easy, right? I hope you love these healthy, yummy gluten-free lunches – enjoy!
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BLT Egg Salad Jars
Description
BLT Egg Salad Jars are SO easy and delicious, plus they're packed with protein and fresh vegetables. Assemble for easy grab-and-go lunches!
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper
- fresh lemon juice
- 2 thin green onions, chopped
- 3 Roma tomatoes, seeded then chopped
- 3 cups arugula or baby spinach
- 3, 16oz mason jars
Directions
- Cover a sheet pan with foil then place a cooling rack on top. Lay bacon strips on top of cooling rack then place baking sheet into a cold oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Let bacon bake as the oven warms up, then continue baking until bacon is crispy. Chop when cool enough to handle then set aside. Alternatively you could microwave bacon between paper towels until crisp.
- Meanwhile, fill a medium-sized bowl with ice then water and set aside. Add eggs to a 2 or 3-quart saucepan then cover with water 1" above the tops. Bring water to a boil then place a lid on top and remove pan from heat. Let sit for 11 minutes then remove the lid and scoop eggs into the bowl of ice water and let cool. Peel eggs then chop and add to a large bowl.
- To the chopped eggs add the mustard, paprika, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon) then stir to combine. Add green onions then stir to combine.
- Scoop 1/3 of the egg salad into the bottom of each mason jar then top with 1/3 of the tomatoes, 1/3 of the bacon, and then fill the to the top with arugula. Screw on lids then store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
What size of jar did you use for this?