Fresh mixed greens tossed with honey mustard dressing, a hard-boiled egg, and a slice of chewy sourdough grilled to perfection. This simple side salad or quick lunch is on your table in about 15 minutes.
Crunchy romaine or iceberg, slightly bitter escarole or radicchio, soft Bibb or Boston lettuce, and spicy arugula or baby kale—all dressed up in a homemade honey mustard vinaigrette—need very little else.
But of course, there can always be more! Eggs and toast are the ultimate comfort food, so why not incorporate them into a salad?
Make some hard-boiled or jammy boiled eggs, and toast some bread on top of the stove. Set them atop your greens and you have an appealing salad that you could serve all by itself as a light meal. If you happen to be grilling or roasting a chicken, this salad would be a standout accompaniment, too.
HOW (AND WHY) TO GRILL BREAD ON THE STOVE TOP
Instead of popping that bread into the toaster, make the toast for this salad extra special by grilling it on top of the stove.
The bread, brushed with olive oil, turns golden and crunchy on the outside but stays deliciously chewy in the middle when cooked in a hot pan on top of the stove. If you have an outdoor grill, then, by all means, toast it outside.
I love to use sourdough bread for its tangy flavor, but you could use thick slices of baguette or slices of any rustic loaf.
HOW TO MAKE THE EGGS
The general rule of thumb for cooking hard-boiled eggs is to place them in gently boiling water and time them for 10 minutes, starting from the point you place the eggs in the water. This should yield a yolk that is fully cooked, pale, and almost dry.
But my personal sweet spot for boiled eggs is at 8 minutes. At this point, the yolks are mostly cooked yet still a little soft in the middle, and they are bright yellow. If you’re in the mood for a jammy yolk, cook the eggs for six to seven minutes.
Have a bowl of ice water ready and waiting before you put the eggs in the boiling water so you can stop the cooking as soon as they’re done to your liking. Stored in their shells, jammy eggs will keep in the refrigerator for up to two days, while hard-boiled eggs will keep for four days or longer.
NEED MORE LETTUCE IN YOUR LIFE? WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED!
- If you want all the vegetables, this Spring Vegetable Salad is for you!
- Roasted radishes make a crunchy salad that pairs beautifully with salty feta.
- Add something sweet with this Watercress Salad with Strawberries and Feta.
- Need something quick, easy and full of flavor? Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Chickpeas and Parmesan is where it’s at!
Mixed Green Salad with Honey Mustard, Eggs, and Toast Recipe
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 8 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings
This salad is the perfect take-to-work lunch. Divide everything into four containers, and wait to add the dressing until you get to work. Four weekday lunches prepared in about 15 minutes—yes, please!
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 4 slices of 1/2-inch thick rustic sourdough bread
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- About 1 pound mixed greens, such as baby romaine, frisee, radicchio, arugula or baby kale
- 3 to 4 tablespoons honey mustard dressing, store-bought or homemade (to taste)
Method
1 Cook the eggs: Set a bowl of ice water nearby. You will add the eggs to this after they’ve finished cooking.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Gently lower the eggs into the water with a slotted spoon making sure they are completely submerged. Cook them at a steady bubble for 6 to 7 minutes for jammy eggs or 8 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.
With a slotted spoon, transfer them to the bowl of ice water and leave for 10 minutes while you prepare the greens and toast the bread. When cool, peel the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise.
2 Make the toasts: Brush the bread slices on both sides with olive oil. Heat a cast iron pan or grill pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the bread slices and cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until browned and toasted on the outside but still chewy in the center. If using a grill pan, press the bread into the pan with a spatula to achieve grill marks.
3 Dress and finish the salad: In a large bowl, combine the greens. Toss with 3 to 4 tablespoons of dressing, or to taste. Divide among 4 plates and top each salad with 2 egg halves. Sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little more dressing. Serve with toasted bread, drizzled with more dressing, if you like.
