Hard-boiled egg protein boxes
Perfect hard-boiled eggs with cheddar, hummus, almonds, grapes and crunchy vegetables, a grab-and-go gluten-free lunch box that keeps you full all afternoon.
- 30 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $3.16 a serving
- 550 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: It’s ready in 30 minutes, start to finish.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 8 large eggs
- 6 oz cheddar cheese, cubed
- 4 mini cucumbers, cut into spears
- ½ cup hummus
- ½ cup almonds
- 2 cups grapes
- 2 cups sugar snap peas
Each serving has about 550 calories, 31 g protein, 29 g carbs and 36 g fat, and costs about $3.16 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No cheddar cheese? Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican blend cheese works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Bring a of water over high heat, then lower the eggs in gently with a spoon.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Turn the heat to medium and for 11 minutes.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
Medium heatTimer: 11 min
Dolly’s tip: Keep the water bubbling gently, not crashing around, so the shells don’t crack.Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Move the eggs to a bowl of ice water and leave them for 10 minutes.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: The cold bath stops the cooking and makes them much easier to peel.Tap each egg all over on the counter, roll it gently, and it under running water.
Peel. Peeling means removing the skin with a vegetable peeler or a small knife. It takes off tough or bitter skins, though potato and carrot skins are fine to leave on unless the recipe insists.
How you’ll know: The color underneath is even all over, with no patches of skin left behind.
the cheddar and cut the cucumbers into spears.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Divide the eggs, cheddar, cucumbers, hummus, almonds, grapes and snap peas among 4 containers, with the hummus in a small cup.
Dolly’s tip: They keep 4 days in the fridge. Pack each one with an ice pack.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop plans your lunches along with the week’s dinners, puts what you need on the same grocery list, and walks you through each step.
