Everything Bagel Salad With A Cream Cheese Schmear
We’ve taken a classic New York style everything bagel & turned it into a hearty salad! There’s bagel croutons, a schmear of cream cheese, fresh veg & a soft boiled egg.
I’ve spent the last couple of week developing my overnight New York style bagel recipe so naturally I’ve ended up with quite a few bagels that need to be used up. So this salad was developed as a way to use up bagels that are starting to go a bit stale (or pretty much any bread really).
The idea behind this salad is that it’s basically a deconstructed everything bagel, like you would find in New York. It contains all the components of this classic style of sandwich, including a schmear of lightly seasoned cream cheese, fresh veg that’s dressed with dill, lemon juice & capers, a fudgy soft boiled egg, crunchy bagel croutons & a sprinkling of everything bagel seasoning. This one’s seriously tasty & makes for a hearty lunch or dinner.
For some more lunchtime inspiration, take a look at our ever growing collection of lunch recipes! There’s something for everyone here, from tasty salads, scotch eggs, pies & next level sandwiches.
Why You’ll Love This Salad!
- It’s a great way to use up bagels that are going stale.
- The salad components are based on a New York bagel, so it’s packed full of flavour.
- It’s surprisingly filling so makes for a hearty lunch or dinner dish.
- You can customise the salad however you like! You could top it with some smoked salmon, pastrami, salt beef or add in some avocado.
Salad Components
This salad is basically a deconstructed New York bagel! There’s a schmear of cream cheese on the bottom of the plate then on top, there’s a fresh veg salad that’s dressed with lemon juice, capers & dill. To finish, we’re adding a fudgy soft boiled egg to the side of the salad then sprinkling over some homemade everything bagel seasoning.
Bagel Croutons
We’re making regular croutons but with bagels instead of sliced bread. You can use pretty much whatever type of savoury bagel you like for your croutons. I used some of my overnight New York style bagels that we’re topped with everything bagel seasoning!
To make our croutons, we chop bagels into 1″ chunks then mix in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil & a good pinch of salt & pepper. Once mixed, we tip the croutons onto a baking tray then bake at 175°c/350°f for 15-20 minutes, until they are crisp & golden. To ensure that they colour evenly, we need to give the tray a shake every 5 minutes or so.
New York Style Bagel Salad Filling
This salad takes inspiration from the ingredients that you’d find in a New York bagel. We’re talking tomatoes, cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, capers & dill, which we’re dressing in lemon juice & olive oil.
Feel free to customise this salad however you like though! Some chunks of smoked salmon, pastrami or salt beef would work great when mixed through the salad. Or to keep things veggie, some avocado would be a good addition.
Cream Cheese Schmear
Underneath the salad there’s a schmear of cream cheese that’s lightly seasoned with salt, pepper & lemon juice. Like you’d get inside a New York bagel! This is super easy to make, simply mix the ingredients together until combined & smooth.
Fudgy Soft Boiled Eggs
I like my soft boiled eggs to have fudgy yolks, which means cooking them for exactly 7 minutes in constantly boiling water (this is for large eggs). The key to avoid overcooking these is to place them into a bowl of ice & water as soon as your timer goes off. I also like to add a splash of white wine vinegar into the boiling water, which makes the boiled eggs easier to peel.
For the best flavour, I like to season the yolks with sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper just before serving.
Everything Bagel Seasoning
We’re making a homemade everything bagel seasoning which we’re going to be sprinkling over the top of our salad, like you would with a homemade bagel! Feel free to use a ready made bagel seasoning if you’d prefer. The homemade one does only take a few minutes to make though; we simply toast sesame & poppy seeds until fragrant then mix with garlic granules, onion granules & a pinch of sea salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, everything bagel seasoning can be made in advance & will keep for several weeks when stored in an airtight container.
Bagel croutons will keep for up to a week when stored in an airtight container.
To cook soft boiled eggs with fudgy yolks, boil them for exactly 7 minutes then refresh them in a bowl of ice & cold water. You’ll need large eggs for this method.
A cream cheese schmear is a thin layer of cream cheese that is spread onto bagels. The cream cheese can be left plain or mixed with flavourings like fresh herbs, lemon, smoked salmon & many more.
More Salad Recipes To Try!
- Za’atar Lamb Salad With Hummus & Green Tahini Dressing
- Roast Chicken & Giant Couscous Salad
- Tuna & Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
- Watermelon, Honey Glazed Halloumi & Za’atar Salad
- Vermicelli Noodle Salad With Nutty Sesame Dressing
- Butter Bean Hummus Bowls
- Panzanella Salad With Burrata
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Everything Bagel Salad With A Cream Cheese Schmear
Equipment
- Baking Tray
- Mixing Bowls
- Juicer
Ingredients
Bagel Croutons
- 150 g Bagels (See Notes)
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Everything Bagel Seasoning
- 1 tsp Sesame Seeds
- 1 tsp Poppy Seeds
- ½ tsp Garlic Granules
- ½ tsp Onion Granules
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
Soft Boiled Eggs
- 4 Large Eggs
- A Splash Of White Wine Vinegar
Cream Cheese Schmear
- 165 g Cream Cheese (At Room Temperature)
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
Salad
- 200 g Cherry Tomatoes (Cut In Half)
- 1 Red Onion (Thinly Sliced)
- Half A Large Cucumber (Sliced)
- 2 tsp Finely Chopped Dill
- 2 tsp Capers
- 1½ tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Instructions
Bagel Croutons
- Preheat an oven to 175°c/155°c fan (350°f/311°f).
- Cut your bagels into 1" pieces then add into a mixing bowl. Drizzle over the olive oil, season with salt & pepper then toss to coat.
- Tip the croutons out onto a baking tray then bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until crisp & golden brown. Make sure to give the tray a shake every 5 minutes so that the croutons colour evenly.
- Once cooked, set the croutons to one side & let them cool completely.
Everything Bagel Seasoning
- Add the sesame & poppy seeds into a small frying pan then cook over a medium heat until lightly toasted. This will only take a minute or two.
- Add the toasted seeds into a small mixing bowl, leave to cool then stir in the garlic granules, onion granules & sea salt. Set this aside for now.
Soft Boiled Eggs
- Set a large pan of water over a high heat, add in a splash of white wine vinegar, bring to a rolling boil then carefully add in the eggs. Cook for 7 minutes then refresh in a bowl of ice water. Peel once cool then store in the fridge until needed.Make sure that your water is boiling at all times!
Cream Cheese Schmear
- Place the cream cheese & lemon juice into a mixing bowl, season with salt & pepper then mix with a spatula until combined & smooth. This is best made just before you make & serve the salad!
Salad
- Add the tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, dill, capers & croutons into a large mixing bowl then drizzle over the olive oil & lemon juice.
- Season the salad with salt & pepper then gently mix to combine.It's best to dress the salad just before serving.
Plating Up
- Divide the cream cheese between 4 bowls then spread out into an even layer with the back of a spoon. Top each schmear of cream cheese with an equal amount of salad.
- Cut each boiled egg in half & season the yolks with salt & pepper. Place a boiled egg into each bowl of salad.
- To finish, sprinkle a generous amount of everything bagel seasoning over each salad then serve.
