Yoghurt Russian Salad
This Yoghurt Russian Salad is kindly brought to you by Bean’s mum!
The original Russian Salad
Russian salad, also known as Olivier Salad, is a hearty side dish or appetiser, traditional in many Eastern European countries. There are many different versions but the most popular is made with various cooked vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and peas, a pickled vegetable, meat of choice – usually ham – and a base of mayonnaise and mustard.
The Russian Salad also has an action-packed history.
1860s. Russia. A master chef with his perfect creation, an incredible boom in popularity, a jealous sous-chef stealing the recipe, the failure of one of Moscow’s best restaurants and the accidental worldwide spread! I would watch the film if anyone decides to make one.
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I’m not 100% sure how Russian Salad became so common in Italy but when I was a kid I saw first-hand how to prepare it from one of our family friends from Romania. She made the mayonnaise from scratch, and added freshly boiled eggs and diced thick ham together with all the boiled vegetables and pickled cucumber and onion. It was delicious and so creamy. I could – regrettably – eat a whole bowl of it with crackers or crostini!
A Lighter Russian Salad
However, it is not the lightest side dish – and let’s be honest, with constant acid reflux I couldn’t even eat a spoon of it nowadays – so my mum decided to take the original recipe, strip it back to the core ingredients and make it a bit more approachable for everybody.
This Yoghurt Russian Salad recipe uses very little mayonnaise and substitutes the bulk with Greek yoghurt instead. We use fresh cucumber instead of pickles and avoid onion, mustard and meat. This makes the salad a bit lighter and healthier while retaining its creamy and flavorful goodness!
Why Greek Yoghurt? It’s a great source of protein, calcium, and probiotics, the live bacteria that are beneficial for gut health. They can help improve digestion, boost the immune system, and reduce the risk of some chronic diseases. It’s also low fat!
Greek yoghurt is creamier and thicker in consistency which makes it a perfect ingredient for a fluffy and soft Russian Salad base. It has a slightly tart and tangier flavour that balances the sweetness of the peas and the freshness of the cucumber while the carrots and potatoes add body and texture.
Simple and evergreen
The Yoghurt Russian salad is easy to make and you can customize it to your liking. You can use other vegetables, such as green beans or celery, or if you fancy an even more traditional take with extra proteins, add a boiled hard egg.
This version is not only healthier for everybody but it’s now also a safer choice for all my fellow beans suffering from GERD!
This Yoghurt Russian salad is perfect for a summer picnic or potluck and it’s a great way to use leftover cooked vegetables, get your daily dose of nutrients and enjoy a classic dish!
Yoghurt Russian Salad Cheeky ingredients swap
- Vegan/Lactose-free: To make it vegan you can either get rid of the mayonnaise completely – I sometimes prefer it that way! or simply use vegan mayonnaise – soya or acquafaba should suit well. Instead of animal-derived Greek yoghurt, you can opt for a soya-based yoghurt – Alpro is my favourite!
- Pickles add a lovely kick to this recipe. Substitute the fresh cucumber with some delicious pickled cucumber or other vegetable.
- Meat: Some of the original versions call for a meaty ingredient so if that tickles your fancy, about 10gr of thick prosciutto (ham) cut into little cubes, should do the trick! For a lighter choice, I would use white meat like chicken.
Yoghurt Russian Salad
Equipment
- 1 Pot or Steamer to boil or steam the vegetables
- 1 Mixing bowl
- Knife and cutting board
Ingredients
- 2 Medium potatoes
- 2 Medium carrots
- 1 Cucumber
- 100 gr Peas
- 3 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp Mayonnaise
- pinch Salt
Instructions
- Peal, clean and cook all your veggies. I prefer steamed vegetables as they retain their taste and nutrients a bit better than boiling them but boiling works too! Cut them and the cucumber into small equal pieces of about 1cm each – or less according to your taste – and let them cool down for a couple of minutes.
- Add them to a big bowl and mix with the peas and cucumber. Add the mayonnaise, the yoghurt and a pinch of salt to your taste, and stir until all the vegetables are fully coated.
- Your Russian Salad is ready to enjoy!Keep refrigerated and consume within 2 days.
Cheeky tips
Try it with a toasted slice of our gluten-free Homemade Buckwheat Bread!
Leftover Vegetable scraps? Use them to make this earthy Homemade Vegetable Stock.
Discover the 5 best kitchen tools for a GERD-free diet.
