Devilishly delicious eggs made healthy

I went to a cocktail party recently and brought along a platter of these EatingWell Deviled Eggs (recipe below). Let me preface this by telling you that I made a double batch with 24 eggs (48 halves) and I went to a party with about 10 people. I have a hang-up about not making enough food so I always overcompensate and usually end up with lots of leftovers. But not so this time. (Going to a party? Here are 6 light and easy makeovers of my favorite potluck recipes.)

When I walked in, people started rushing me…not to say "Hi," give hugs and kisses, etc. Instead it was more like a stampede with exclamations of "Oh my god, you made deviled eggs!" "I was going to make deviled eggs and I didn't. I'm so glad you did." People were grabbing the little puppies straight off the platter. I was just standing there, still in my coat, with my bottle of wine in the other hand, trying not to drop anything. That platter was clean 15 minutes later. I'm just glad I made this healthier version, as clearly my friends are lacking in portion-control skills.

Before this, we had debated in the EatingWell Test Kitchen whether making over deviled eggs was worthwhile. We all agreed that they're delicious, but we wondered if people really need another deviled-egg recipe. Then Brierley, our associate nutrition editor, told me that she loves them, but almost always avoids them at parties because she knows that they're typically loaded with fat and calories. So we decided to go for it.

And it's really not that hard to make them healthier. Here's how:

  • We only use two-thirds of the yolks. (The yolks have most of the calories and fat in eggs.)

  • We use nonfat cottage cheese to stand in for some of the yolks.

  • Instead of regular mayo we choose low-fat.

So the changes are easy, and you can barely tell the difference between our version and regular full-fat. My empty platter certainly attests to that.

Try these other delicious EatingWell deviled-egg variations:


EatingWell Deviled Eggs

12 large hard-boiled eggs (see Tip), peeled
1/3 cup nonfat cottage cheese
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives or scallion greens
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
Paprika for garnish

1. Halve eggs lengthwise with a sharp knife. Gently remove the yolks. Place 16 yolk halves in a food processor (discard the remaining 8 yolk halves). Add cottage cheese, mayonnaise, chives (or scallion greens), relish, mustard and salt; process until smooth.
2. Spoon about 2 teaspoons yolk mixture into each egg white half. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired.

Makes 24 servings.

Per serving: 34 calories; 2 g fat (1 g sat, 1 g mono); 71 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 0 g fiber; 85 mg sodium; 31 mg potassium.

Tip: To hard-boil eggs: Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook at the barest simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, pour out hot water and cover the eggs with ice-cold water. Let stand until cool enough to handle before peeling.


By Jessie Price

EatingWell deputy food editor Jessie Price's professional background in food started when she worked in restaurant kitchens in the summers during college. She started out testing recipes for EatingWell and then joined the staff here full-time in 2004 when she moved to Vermont from San Francisco.



Related Links from EatingWell: