Za'atar Egg Salad Sandwich Recipe

Plain egg salad can be kind of, well, plain, and isn't the kind of lunch that's guaranteed to inspire excitement. With a little bit of spice, though, egg salad is transformed from blah to brilliant and lunchtime is saved! Za'atar, a Middle Eastern spice blend, is known for working miracles with plain foods such as potatoes and it has a similar effect on eggs, as well. Recipe developer Michelle McGlinn says it also goes well with creamy foods such as this salad, the reason being, as she explains, "It adds a nutty, lemony flavor to all the fat."

Speaking of the creamy component in this egg salad, this comes from mayonnaise plus either labneh or Greek yogurt. McGlinn tells us, "Labneh is more dense, rich, and a little more tangy" than yogurt, but notes that "they are very similar in taste," so you can use either one. You can also, should you feel so inclined, strain the moisture out of your yogurt for a day or two to essentially turn it into labneh. McGlinn does say, though, that if you have or are willing to make labneh, this ingredient can also be used in more traditional egg salads. "It works really, really well with sesame seeds and sumac," she says, but adds that it "would also work well if you were using paprika, salt, or pepper instead." As an added bonus, labneh's also extra-healthy with all of the protein, calcium, and other nutrients it contains.

The basis of this egg salad is hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise plus either labneh or Greek yogurt. To flavor the salad, you'll need Dijon mustard, thyme, oregano, sesame seeds, and sumac. No sumac where you shop? No biggie. While McGlinn does note that "sumac is a staple of za'atar seasoning," she adds, "You can certainly omit it if you can't find it and it won't hurt the dish." She also says that a squeeze of lemon juice will help add some tang in the absence of sumac, or you could go with pre-made za'atar and skip the sesame seeds as well as the sumac.

There's one more thing you'll need in order to turn the egg salad into sandwiches, and that's some sliced bread. While McGlinn is using white bread here, she says a multigrain bread with seeds would be nice, too, as would pita bread pockets.

Unless you're in the habit of keeping hard-boiled eggs on hand at all times (or else it's the week after Easter), you'll probably need to start out by boiling your eggs. There are a number of "fool-proof" methods for making hard-boiled eggs, so go ahead and use whichever one you prefer. Allow the eggs to cool, then peel them and chop them. There's no need to dice them too finely, though, as a rough chop will work for egg salad.

Combine the chopped eggs with the mayonnaise, labneh or yogurt, mustard, thyme, oregano, sesame seeds, and sumac. Don't over-stir the mixture as egg salad is supposed to be lumpy and chunky, not a smooth paste.

Spread ¼ of the egg mixture over a slice of bread, then repeat the process until all of the egg salad is gone. You should have covered four of the bread slices, so this means you'll have four slices left. Use these to cover the sandwiches, then you're pretty much done. You may want to cut the sandwiches in halves or quarters, though. Diagonal or horizontal? The choice is entirely up to you.

If you'd like a Middle Eastern-inspired side to complement the za'atar seasoning, McGlinn suggests a salad made with pine nuts or perhaps some hummus with pita bread. Of course, you can also just lean into the egg salad sandwich side and go with a handful of potato chips, instead.