Healthy Vegetarian Russian Potato Salad Recipe (Gluten Free)

This healthy vegetarian Russian Salad recipe is easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time.  Smart twists and substitutions lighten the classic recipe without compromising on flavour.   Naturally gluten free, easily adaptable to be vegan.  Serve with crunchy salt and vinegar Popchips for an exciting and interesting office lunch.

A working lunch at your desk at your desk can be really dispiriting. A flabby sandwich, or bowl of fridge leftovers is no way to set you up for the afternoon, and all too frequently results in a trip to the vending machine for a guilty mid afternoon chocolate bar. But with a bit of thought and preparation, you can brighten your day with a delicious and healthy meal.

This healthy Russian salad is packed with flavour and texture. There’s crunch from carrots, gherkins and radishes, sweetness from frozen peas, a carbohydrate boost from boiled potatoes and an added dose of protein for afternoon wakefulness from chickpeas. Using raw carrot and peas adds to the healthiness of this salad, and gives a crisp, fresh flavour too.

The folks at Popchips are on a mission to put an end to boring and disappointing office lunches and get everyone eating a genuinely interesting desk lunch and enjoy more by adding a bag of their favourite flavour of Popchips of course!  We’ve created this recipe for this veggie packed Russian Salad   As well as being packed with colour and crunch this salad is perfect for impressing  and inducing envy in your colleagues.  The ingredients were put together to be served with a packet of salt and vinegar Popchips – the salty vinegary dressing and gherkins pair perfectly here.  Serve with the Popchips on the side, or use them as a canape base with a spoonful of salad on each one, or just scoop the salad straight from the jar with each Popchip.

Popchips are the delicious crunchy, potato based snack that haven’t been deep fried so have 50% less fat per serving than crisps, and are available in fourteen different styles or flavours, so there’s sure to be one you’ll love!

The Russian salad started life in Moscow as rich dish with a strongly emphasis on meat and shellfish, with up to 100 different ingredients. It changed to its current vegetable recipe it spread around the world. It’s particularly popular in Spain, where it’s served as a tapas called ensaladilla Rusa. Our version is healthier than usual, as we have lightened up the dressing by using yogurt as well as mayonnaise. Use a little vinegar from the gherkins to thin the dressing to make it go even further, and coat each ingredient evenly.

How do I make this Vegetarian Russian Salad?

This is a great dish for office lunches. A bit of preparation the night before will save masses of time in the morning.

In the evening, open a tin of chickpeas, rinse, drain, spread out on a silicone mat and freeze. We keep cooked beans and pulses ready in the freezer at all times. Perfect to add to soups or stews, as a base for a bean dip or, as here, in a salad.

Boil 50g of waxy potato per person until just cooked.

Make the dressing by mixing yogurt and mayonnaise, then thin it down with a spoon of the gherkin juice for a lighter dressing than 100% mayonnaise.

Mix cubed carrot, cubed potato, frozen peas and chickpeas with sliced gherkin, sliced radish and the dressing. Transfer to a pot or jar garnish with some dill, and you’re ready to go! Grab a packet of Popchips to add extra crunch – salt and vinegar flavour goes really well with this recipe.

Using frozen chickpeas and peas means that this salad will keep cold until lunchtime if you don’t have an office fridge, then they will gently defrost on your desk all morning.

This healthy Russian salad will keep for 3 days in the fridge so make a big batch for a few day’s worth of work lunches.

How can I vary this Vegetarian Russian Salad?

You can change the vegetables according to what’s available. How about adding sweetcorn or beetroot?

A vegan version of this vegetarian Russian potato salad is easy; just make the dressing using vegan mayonnaise and yogurt.

Or, go the other way and add some cubed cooked chicken, ham, bacon, sausages, hard boiled egg or flaked smoked fish.

Why is is this Vegetarian Russian Salad Healthy?

It is packed with vegetables – including the raw carrots and radishes

It contains extra protein from the chickpeas – which will help keep you fuller for longer

We have replaced half the boiled potatoes with chickpeas which reduces the glycemic load

The dressing is lighter and reduced in fat by substituting low fat natural yogurt for most of the mayonnaise.  As we have thinned the dressing using the vinegar from the pickles you need less of it to coat all the ingredients.

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Vegetarian Russian Potato Salad Recipe

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

10 mins

 

This healthy vegetarian Russian Salad recipe is easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time. Smart twists and substitutions lighten the classic recipe without compromising on flavour. Naturally gluten free, easily adaptable to be vegan.

Course: Light Meal, Salad

Cuisine: Russian, Salad

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 323 kcal

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Ingredients

For the dressing

• 50 g yoghurt low fat
• 20 g mayonnaise
• 1 tsp vinegar from the gherkins. Adjust to taste.
• 1 sprig dill (chopped)

For the salad

• 100 g potato preferably a waxy variety, boiled and cubed
• 60 g frozen peas
• 1 carrot large
• 0.5 can chickpeas
• 2 gherkins
• 2 radishes

UK Metric - Cups

Instructions

1. The night before, mix the dressing ingredients; use a little vinegar from the gherkins to thin to a suitable consistency.
   

2. Boil the potatoes until just cooked.

3. If you're going to eat immediately, defrost the peas in some boiling water. Otherwise use frozen.
   

4. Cube the carrot and potato, slice the gherkins and radishes. Mix all the ingredients and dressing.
   

5. Transfer to a jar or plastic pot. Garnish with dill and you're ready to go.
   

6. 
   

Recipe Notes

This will keep for a few days in the fridge.

The salad is infinitely variable.   Make it vegan by making the dressing with vegan mayonnaise and yogurt.

Change the ingredients around or leave some out - add different vegetables  - sweetcorn of beetroot would be delicious.

Add different proteins  - swap in different beans or pulses.   Add cubed tofu or slices of hard boiled egg.

For a non veggie version add cubed leftover meats - chicken, sausages, ham or bacon.  

Serve with a packet of salt and vinegar Popchips.

Nutrition Facts

Vegetarian Russian Potato Salad Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 323 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 10g 15%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Cholesterol 5mg 2%

Sodium 240mg 10%

Potassium 738mg 21%

Total Carbohydrates 43g 14%

Dietary Fiber 11g 44%

Sugars 9g

Protein 14g 28%

Vitamin A 107%

Vitamin C 30.6%

Calcium 11.8%

Iron 28.6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Recipe for healthier vegetarian Russian potato salad commissioned by Popchips. All opinions are our own. Find out more about Popchips here.