Green Shakshuka

About This Recipe

Green shakshuka has emerged from the creative brunch culture of Tel Aviv over the last decade as a fresh counterpoint to the classic red tomato version. The green sauce is built from spinach, chard, green peppers, jalapeño, onion and garlic, cooked down into a thick, vibrant base, then enriched with labneh or cream cheese before the eggs are nested in and poached. The sauce is a deep, earthy, herb-saturated green and the flavour is simultaneously bright and rich. Served with pita or challah for mopping up the sauce, it has become one of the defining dishes of Israeli modern breakfast culture.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 6eggs
• 200 gbaby spinach
• 200 gSwiss chard(stems removed, leaves roughly chopped)
• 2green peppers(diced)
• 1jalapeño(sliced (or more to taste))
• 1onion(diced)
• 4garlic cloves(minced)
• 1 bunchfresh cilantro(half chopped for sauce, half for serving)
• 1 handfulfresh parsley(chopped)
• 4 tbsplabneh or cream cheese
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1 tspground cumin
• 0.5 tspturmeric
• 1 tspsalt
• feta cheesecrumbled, to finish

Instructions

1. 1

   Sauté base

   Heat olive oil in a wide frying pan. Cook onion and green pepper 8 min until soft. Add garlic, jalapeño, cumin and turmeric, stir 1 min.

2. 2

   Wilt greens

   Add spinach and chard in batches. Stir and cook until completely wilted, 5 min. The volume will reduce dramatically.

3. 3

   Blend half

   Transfer half the mixture to a blender or use a stick blender to blend half the sauce smooth — return to pan. This creates a sauce that is both smooth and textured.

   Partially blending gives the sauce body and creaminess while keeping visible green pieces.

4. 4

   Add herbs and labneh

   Stir in cilantro, parsley, labneh and salt. The sauce should be thick enough to support the eggs.

5. 5

   Poach eggs

   Make 6 wells in the sauce. Crack an egg into each. Cover and cook on low heat 5–7 min until whites are set but yolks are still runny.

6. 6

   Serve

   Scatter crumbled feta and remaining fresh cilantro over the top. Serve directly from the pan with warm pita or challah.

Variations

• •

  Add za'atar scattered over the top for an Israeli herb note

• •

  Avocado slices alongside for a Tel Aviv café presentation

• •

  Use kale instead of chard for a slightly more bitter, robust flavour

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

The green sauce keeps 3 days refrigerated. Poach eggs fresh each time.

Frequently Asked Questions