This healthy green shakshuka recipe gets brightness from tomatillos and cilantro, and a little spicy kick from jalapeño. Easy to make - just zip it all in the food processor and simmer on the stovetop for about 20 minutes. You'll be brunching in less than 30 minutes!
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I think I have a thing for monochromatic food. Not all the time, but sometimes. When a dish is showcasing one intense color, it gets my attention. Especially when it's green.
Because green is soothing. Green reminds me of nature. Green is good for you. So if you're eating something with four different ingredients in various shades of it, like this green shakshuka recipe, it must be really good for you.
I was especially pleased to have a chance to use a bunch of tomatillos in this recipe. So much so, that I ordered a 10-pound box from a local produce company, thinking I would need to test it several times.
Nope.
This tasted good on the first try.
So I made a LOT of roasted tomatillo salsa... which is never a bad thing. If you also happen to have some left over, try my Chilaquiles Verdes recipe which uses this Tomatillo Salsa Verde.
What is shakshuka?
Traditionally, Shakshuka consists of eggs cooked in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers and spices. But there are as many variations as you can possibly imagine. It can be made with feta, it can be spicy or mild, you could add chorizo, or you could make it with a green sauce instead of red, which is what I'm doing here.
Where is Shakshuka from?
Shakshuka is thought to have originated in North Africa in Tunisia. It was brought to Israel by Jewish immigrants, and it's popular in many countries throughout the Middle East.
Green Shakshuka with Spinach, Tomatillos, and Feta Recipe
Adapted from a recipe by Jenn Louis in Food & Wine Magazine, from her cookbook The Book of Greens.
How to clean and prep tomatillos
Tomatillos are easy to clean and prep. Simply remove the outer husk, pulling the stem out with it. You'll find that they are a bit sticky. That is just to protect them from insects. Rinse the tomatillos under cold water to remove the stickiness and you're good to go!
Once the tomatillos are clean, mince the onion and garlic and set aside.
Put the tomatillos and the jalapeño pepper in a food processor and give them a rough chop. Remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño if you want to lessen the spiciness.
Next, add the cilantro and spinach to the food processor and pulse until all ingredients combine.
Do not purée it, you want the sauce to have some texture, but you don't want it to be chunky.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium-sized skillet. Add the onion and spices and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, add the garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add the tomatillo mixture to the skillet and cook until it reduces and thickens up, about 15 - 20 minutes. Once the sauce has thickened, season it with salt to taste.
Make indentations in the sauce with a ladle or large spoon and carefully crack the eggs into each one. Your whole egg is probably not going to stay perfectly inside this little nest, and that is okay. It's going to taste good (maybe even better) just the same.
Cover the skillet and cook until the yolks are just the way you like them.
See? The eggs did their thing, but all is well...
Top with crumbled feta cheese and fresh cilantro and serve right from the skillet!
The amounts in the recipe below are for 2 people. In these photos, I simply made 1 1/2 the amount, to serve 3 people. The amounts are all even, so they are easy to multiply when you want to serve more people.
What can I serve with Shakshuka?
More egg recipes
- Baked Eggs in Avocados with Chorizo and Queso Fresco
- Eggs en Cocotte with Spinach and Bacon
- Piperade (Eggs with Bell Peppers and Chorizo)
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 lb tomatillos
- 4 oz spinach
- 1 cup cilantro including tender stems
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
Instructions
- Mince the onion and garlic and set aside.
- Remove the outer husk from the tomatillos, pulling the stem out with it. Rinse the tomatillos under cold water to remove the stickiness.
- Put the tomatillos and the jalapeño pepper in the food processor and give them a rough chop. (Remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño if you want to lessen the spiciness.) Next, add the cilantro and spinach to the food processor and pulse until all ingredients combine. Do not purée it, you want the sauce to have some texture, but you don’t want it to be chunky.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium-sized skillet. Add the onion and spices and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, 5 - 7 minutes, then add the garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatillo mixture to the skillet and cook until it reduces and thickens up, about 15 – 20 minutes. Once the sauce has thickened, season it with salt to taste.
- Make indentations in the sauce with a ladle or large spoon and carefully crack the eggs into each one. Your whole egg is probably not going to stay perfectly inside this little nest, and that is okay. Cover the skillet and cook until the yolks are just the way you like them.
- Top with crumbled feta cheese and fresh cilantro and serve right from the skillet!
Notes
- This recipe is adapted lighty from The Book of Greens by Jenn Louis.
- Tomatillos are easy to clean and prep. Simply remove the outer husk, pulling the stem out with it. You'll find that they are a bit sticky. That is just to protect them from insects. Rinse the tomatillos under cold water to remove the stickiness and you're good to go!
- If you want a little less spice, remove the ribs and seeds from the jalapeño before you put it in the food processor.
- Your whole egg is probably not going to stay perfectly inside this little nest you make for it in the sauce, and that is okay. It's going to taste good (maybe even better) just the same.
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