Healthy green shakshuka recipe with eggs
Shakshuka, that delicious and healthy dish that took the country by storm. Or at least that is how it feels! One minute I had never heard of this dish and the next minute everyone was posting shakshuka recipe variations.
Green shakshuka recipe
Now the usual shakshuka recipe you will find it with a rich tomato sauce with either canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes. Which is totally delicious. But I like to think that this green version of the shakshuka is somewhat healthier as it contains so many vegetables. And the good news is that you can very easily vary the contents of the shakshuka. Originally the recipe is from the book Simplicious by Sarah Wilson. Which I love for so many different reasons. If you’ve not checked out the book before you should. It’s filled with awesome tips on how to be more sustainable and how to eat healthier too. You’ll like it. This easy shakshuka recipe is by her hand and we might have changed it over the course of the years since we first made it. But the basics is always the same.
Table of Contents
What you need to make this green shakshuka
As with any shakshuka you will need eggs. I like to use large eggs but any egg will do.
Than it is time for the vegetables. Now there is no right or wrong here. For this dish we tend to use courgette, sugar snaps, asparagus, fennel, spinach and/or kale. So that’s a good starting point. Apart from the greens you also need spices which in this case are cumin, chili flakes and pesto. And obviously salt and pepper.
In addition to that I love adding some cheese. Usually it’s parmesan cheese but feta cheese is absolute perfect in this dish as well. You can serve it with crusty bread, pita bread or no bread at all. Again, the dish itself is pretty flexible.
Where does shakshuka come from?
Now as with a lot of the origins of dishes this one is also one that is all over the place. I tend to consider it to be a Middle Eastern dish but if you google it you will also see mentions of it being an African dish. Either way, you will find it a lot in the countries around the Middle East. It’s also used for breakfast a lot too but dinner is equally suitable.
How to make the green shakshuka
Now in order to make the green shakshuka, you start with a large skillet (a deep skillet is ideal) or a cast iron pan which will fit all the vegetables. Start the process by adding some olive oil to the pan and add the vegetables that will take the most time to cook. I like to precook my sugar snaps for a few minutes just to make sure they are cooked. You can also slice them into smaller pieces to make sure they cook in the pan. Whichever works for you.
You sautée the vegetables all for around 7 minutes or so until they start to soften. At that point you add the spices in, the red pepper flakes and the leafy greens. Here I’ve used kale and spinach and sautée the veggies until they are wilted. Stir through the pesto and make sure you season the whole dish.
Make 2-3 wells in the vegetables and break an egg in each hole. You can sprinkle some feta over the top if you want and do that later. Same for any other kind of cheese you might want to use. Now once the egg whites are set the dish is ready. The egg yolks can still be runny but you can also leave them until they are set as well. Which should take about 10 minutes.
Make sure to place them on low heat as it does take a bit of time for the eggs to set so you don’t want to burn the vegetables.
Additions and variations
Now as I mentioned this dish is originally a tomato based dish. And you can easily marry the two together. I kept it completely green but you can add some red peppers and tomato paste in there. You can make the sauce spicier by adding some chili powder or chili peppers in there too. Adding loads of fresh herbs is also super delicious and one of my favorites additions is goat cheese. But than I love anything with goat cheese so that might be just me.
In this green shakshuka the main ingredient is the vegetables and there is not much sauce but you can definitely add a spicy tomato sauce to the greens. In a classic shakshuka you will find less vegetables and it’s almost more a bell pepper sauce than anything else. So whatever you prefer I really do like the green version of the shakshuka.
You can also vary with the spices used. Not everyone is a big fan of cumin and granted, it can definitely be a bit overpowering. I sometimes make it more of a fusion dish by adding some miso paste in there. Totally not traditional but so good! Same with a tablespoon of curry paste. That makes for an even more delicious sauce. Or at least that’s my opinion! So for next time think a little bit outside of the box and try something new in your shakshuka.
Green shakshuka
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 spring onions
- 450 gr of green vegetables we used courgette, sugarsnaps, asparagus and fennel Sliced thinly or in cubes
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes or tabasco if you don’t have flakes
- 200 g leafy greens we used kale and spinach, but you can add parsley, basil, fennel front, beetroot leaves etc.
- sea salt and fresh black pepper
- 2-3 eggs
- 3 tbsp pesto
- 4 tbsp parmesan cheese any cheese you like
How to make a green shakshuka
- Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the spring onions, green vegetables and the cumin. Saute for 5-7 minutes. Add the chili flakes and the leafy greens and let them wilt for a bit. Season with salt and peper and stir the pesto through it.
- Create two or three divots in your mixture and crack the eggs in. Reduce the heat to low, sprinkle the cheese on and put a lid on and cook for about 5 minutes or until the eggs are cooked.
Nutrition Information per portion
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
4 comments on “Healthy green shakshuka recipe with eggs”
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Good to hear that you are taking care of Simone. 🙂 Yep, burger & co are totally awesome, but in cannot feed on them every day. 😉
A deliciously healthy and nonetheless dudey dish!
Cheers,
Rosa
Thanks Dudette!
Yum! We made a shakshuka once that was more tomato based, but I love the idea of using healthy green veggies!
I think I will make a tomato based one for Simone also next week. Thanks!