Go beyond the egg salad sandwich with this egg + salad sandwich. Hard cooked eggs, vinaigrette, and abundant veggies make a delicious and economical meal for Sandwich Night.
Be sure to check out other Recipes to Use Hard Boiled Eggs or What to Make with Eggs.
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This is such a simple recipe, in a way it seems silly to mention it. But, years ago my sister insisted we share our homemade version of her favorite baguette sandwich from France. She regularly ordered un crudité nature from the university canine.
Or in other words, an egg sandwich.
What is an egg sandwich?
Truly a simple recipe, this egg sandwich is a split baguette or roll, layered with slices of hard cooked egg and vegetables, doused in vinaigrette.
It’s simple, oui. Economical? Bien sur. Delicious? Absolument.
Sometimes we need these frugal nudges. A meatless sandwich loaded with fresh veggies? What’s not to like? Adding avocado or cheese gives it a little more oomph while still staying meatless. And this is a great way to use up those dyed eggs you might have in abundance in a few weeks.
Serving instructions
You can definitely eat this on your own or serve this with a side salad, like this Carrot Salad with Cilantro and Pepitas or a simple couscous salad for a nice light dinner or lunch. This would be great with a cup of vegetable soup, veggie dippers, or seasonal fruit salad.
Ingredients
This is pretty simple as far as ingredients go.
- Bread Roll – In France, it was served on a crusty baguette. Those are harder to come by in the States, so we’ve subbed in a general sub roll. If you’ve got baguettes, go for it.
- Hard Boiled Egg – You can use 1 or 2 per sandwich. Sure, you could make Egg Salad, but this is a different kind of sandwich… an egg plus salad, if you will. Boil older eggs first. Fresher eggs are harder to peel.
- Veggies – Janel’s cafe stuck with butter lettuce and tomato; we’ve added cucumber, sweet onions, and peppers. Use whatever fresh veggies you have on hand. This is a great way to use up what’s laying around in the fridge.
- Vinaigrette – you can use a bottled variety or make your own like this tangy Lemon Herbed Vinaigrette or the more traditional Dijon Vinaigrette.
Instructions
Not much to say here. Layer hard cooked eggs and fresh vegetables on a roll or baguette and douse it with vinaigrette. Oh la la! Ca? C’est bon.
Make ahead instructions
- Boil the eggs ahead of time. This will make the sandwich come together quickly. Had cooked eggs are good, refrigerated, for up to a week.
- Prep all the veggies and store them in airtight containers in the fridge for up to four days. It’s okay to store the peppers and onions together, but the greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers are best stored separately.
- You can assemble these egg sandwiches the day before (minus the vinaigrette) and wrap them in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Layer the drier ingredients, the egg and lettuce, on the top and bottom with the wetter ones in the middle. This will help the bread not get soggy. Add the vinaigrette right before serving.
Recipe costs
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
- sub rolls – $2.00
- eggs – $1.20
- tomatoes – $0.50
- lettuce or spinach – $0.25
- bell pepper – $0.99
- cucumber – $0.50
- sweet onion – $0.15
- vinaigrette – $0.20
With non-sale ingredients purchased at a mid-range grocery, this recipe costs $5.79 or $1.44/sandwich.
Seems pricey, doesn’t it? That’s because of the non-sale eggs and bread. But compared to what you’d pay at a restaurant, it’s a steal at this point, but you can do better.
How to save even more
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this sgg sandwich recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. Like the rolls and eggs. Shoot for buying eggs at $1.20/dozen or less.
- Bake your own bread. For such a simple ingredient, sandwich bread and rolls can be pretty pricing. Baking your own isn’t difficult and can garner you the homemade sub rolls pictured for less than 21 cents each.
With those two changes, you can get the price point down to $4.23/batch or $1.05 per serving.
Kitchen equipment
These egg sandwiches are pretty straight-forward. You don’t need any fancy equipment. However, having some good basic kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.
- plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
- Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
- salad spinner – I have this one and love the salad bowl bottom.
- electric pressure cooker – I love cooking my eggs in the pressure cooker. So easy!
- my kids swear you need an egg slicer, like this one.
Egg Plus Salad Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 4 Italian sub rolls kaiser roll, or 6-inch baguette
- 8 eggs (hard-cooked) sliced (see note)
- 2 tomato sliced
- 4 lettuce leaves spinach or shredded lettuce
- 1 bell pepper (any color) cored and sliced
- 1 cucumber sliced
- 1 red onion sliced
- vinaigrette dressing
Instructions
- Split the roll or baguette. Layer on the egg slices, tomatoes, lettuce, bell pepper, cucumber, and onion.4 Italian sub rolls, 8 eggs (hard-cooked), 2 tomato, 4 lettuce leaves, 1 bell pepper (any color), 1 cucumber, 1 red onion
- Douse with vinaigrette. Top the sandwich and serve.vinaigrette dressing
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on April 3, 2014. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Molly
I just put this on our meal plan for next week. I want you to know that when I’m in need of some meal plan inspiration, I go to this site and start browsing. Those mini pizzas are on the menu next week, too! I’ll let you know how everything works out.
Jessica Fisher
I’m so glad to hear it. Thanks, Molly!
Sandi
Yep, we do these, too. I often do them on bagels like the fancy $5-7 sandwich shops sell. Another favorite (that I realize I haven’t done in a while) is similar to what you list above. Pan cook some eggs, layer the egg and tomato and any other veggies – along with sliced ham or bacon if desired – on a bagel or english muffin. Leave it open-faced and place a slice of cheese on top and broil until the cheese melts. Yummy! I prefer it with a little cream cheese on the bread part to help the egg stick it as it otherwise sometimes slides off. It’s totally filling enough that only one half is needed, so one large bagel serves two people.
Jessica Fisher
Sounds very yummy. It’s almost time for elevensies. 🙂
Cheri A
I love this idea!
Jennifer Hoffman
II hate egg salad (and so does my husband- we just don’t like mayo) so I LOVE this alternative!! Thank you!! (By the way- where are you going in europe? We are headed to gerrmany this summer for medical treatments!)
Jessica Fisher
We are doing France and the UK.
Claire
This is such a good idea! My children loves egg salad but I hardly ever make it because I don’t buy mayo & haven’t aced making it. Lol. Thank you for this splendid idea.
Jessica Fisher
I like this better than traditional for most days. It’s a bit lighter and fresher.