High-Protein Cottage Cheese, Egg and Tomato Salad

Cottage cheese, hard-boiled egg and tomato on a bed of leaves, ready in 10 minutes. Image source: Canva

Two hard-boiled eggs, a scoop of cottage cheese, cherry tomatoes and gherkins for crunch. Five minutes of chopping and you've got a lunch with enough protein to carry you through the afternoon.

This isn't the egg salad you mash into a sandwich filling. It stays chunky, with bite from the tomatoes and gherkins instead of going soft and uniform.

Good on its own with a spoon, or piled onto wholegrain toast if you want something more substantial.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes (using pre-boiled eggs) or 10 minutes if boiling eggs from scratch

Total time: 10-20 minutes

Servings: 1-2

Ingredients

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

3-4 tablespoons cottage cheese

Cherry tomatoes, chopped

1-2 spring onions, finely sliced

2-3 gherkins, chopped

Salt and black pepper

Optional additions

Salad leaves

Cucumber

Fresh herbs such as parsley or chives

A drizzle of olive oil

Method 

1.    Chop the eggs and combine with the cottage cheese, tomatoes, spring onion and gherkins.

2.    Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

3.    Serve on its own, on a bed of leaves, or with wholegrain crackers or toast.

Notes

• This keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days, though it's best eaten fresh while the tomatoes and gherkins still have their crunch.

• Swap the gherkins for chopped cucumber if you want a milder flavour.

Other recipes to try

• Garden Tomato Salad — perfect for warm sunny days

• Roasted Beetroot, Walnut and Feta Salad — packed with flavour and nutrients

• Create the Perfect Salad — how to build your own flavour combinations