Green shakshuka is a healthy modern twist to Middle Eastern classic shakshuka. This is an easy, one-pot meal with shaved Brussel sprouts, spinach, tomatillos sauce, and perfectly cooked eggs. Reducing cooking time will result in perfectly runny yolk.
This tomatillo green shakshuka recipe is such a hearty and nutritious meal that goes anytime in breakfast, lunch, or dinner and in any season. Ready in 45 minutes with loads of flavors, and you can cook it on the stovetop or in the oven.
Since you can cook many eggs at a time, this egg dish is perfect for holidays, family gatherings, or whenever you need to feed a large crowd.
The post contains helpful tips and tricks to make a successful recipe on your first attempt. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you want to skip.
What is Green Shakshuka
Traditionally shakshuka is a tomato-based dish where eggs are poached in harrisa flavored tomato gravy. It is prepared with chunky tomato sauce as a base and then cooking eggs over it until runny consistency.
Green shakshuka is prepared with the base of dark leafy greens with tomatillo sauce and then cooking eggs over this sauce. Basically poached eggs in sauteed vegetables and top it with avocado, lime, or feta. You can make it with any veggie combination you like.
The ethnicity of shakshuka is disputed but it is a famous breakfast egg recipe in the Middle East and North Africa. Check out my Moroccan shakshuka recipe or Ottolenghi’s Israeli green shakshuka for more.
Why you will love this
Shakshuka’s literal meaning is a haphazard mixture (sauteed greens+eggs mixture here), and these green shakshuka eggs just do the same. Use any greens as per the availability.
- Healthy & nutritious– If you love poached eggs in tomato stew (Moroccan shakshuka) then surely you love this tangy and filled with greens egg recipe as well. Green vegetables provide micro nutrients along with fiber. Due to which it is healthier and power packed meal recipe. Easily fits in macros and helps in protein intake.
- Easy to make in 45 minutes– You do not need any specific ingredients for this. Any combination of green veggies, eggs and few spice is all required to make it in just 45 minutes. Isn’t it easy and quick breakfast or brunch recipe?
- Make ahead & meal prep– Cook vegetables in advance and store them in a container. Crack eggs as per requirement and cook either on stovetop or in oven. Due to this flexibility green shakshuka is a make ahead recipe and works well in meal planning as well.
- Crowd pleasing– For this recipe I use 10 eggs at a time using 12″ pan. So it is perfect for family gathering on holidays or anytime during the day when you are required to make a large batch.
Ingredients & Notes
Please check the recipe card for the full ingredient list and measurements.
- Eggs– I am using organic, cage free eggs. You can check this article to know more about what type of eggs you should buy and benefits of eating eggs.
- Vegetables– Brussel sprouts, spinach, & green tomatoes are the main vegetables for this green shakshuka eggs. Onion, garlic, and spring onions are few other veggies to complement it.
- Spices– Cumin seed powder, salt, red chili flakes are pantry staple spices.
- Garnishing– Avocado slices, feta cheese, pita, bougette slices are few accompaniments to serve with.
Variations & Substitutions
- Greens– Apart from brussel sprouts, spinach, & spring onion, you can use collard greens, swiss chard, leeks, zucchini, asparagus, basil, poblano pepper, green cauliflower, kale, green bell peppers, green cabbage, broccoli, and artichoke hearts to make green shakshuka eggs.
- Eggs– Eggs are my one of the favourite protein source in day to day life. But they can be easily replaced with chickpeas, tofu, vegan egg like “just eggs” to make vegan shakshuka. With such egg replacements anyone can enjoy this delicious egg recipe anytime.
- Garnishes– I prefer to eat it as is with bougette bread slice, But feta, cotija, goat cheese goes well as garnishing. Cilantro, avocado, and lime are another favourite combination.
Shakshuka Eggs Topping
What toppings go well with tomatillo shakshuka? Here are a few recommendations
- Feta cheese
- Goat cheese
- Zhug
- Pesto, this goes specially for green shakshuka
- Toasted pine nuts
- Harissa
- Hummus
- Avocado
- Labneh or Greek yogurt
- Cilantro
- Parsley
- Basil
- Olives, black or green any
How to make green shakshuka
Cooking green shakshuka spinach is similar to traditional shakshouka. Prepare the base and then cook eggs in the tangy, chunky sauce till desired consistency. Add your favorite garnishing and just serve. So without further delay let’s see how to make these stovetop green tomatoes shakshuka from scratch step by step.
Stove-top
To cook on the stovetop you need any nonstick pan. I am using a 12″ pan to cook ten eggs. You can use a cast iron pan as well, which will save time if you plan to bake in the oven.
Prepare vegetables
To begin with, wash the Brussel sprouts and remove any dirty layers. Trim, and slice thinly. To save time, after trimming just add all of them to a food processor and pulse a few times. You will get perfectly shaved Brussel sprouts in a short time (pic 1-3).
In a similar way, wash spinach and remove waste leaves. Add in a food processor and pulse a few times (pic 4). A coarse, mixture of spinach is ready to use. Take the red onion and chop it finely, and thinly sliced green onions. Now the most of the work is ready.
Cook greens
Now that all veggies are cut, let’s start cooking them one by one. Brussel sprouts will take longer to cook as compared to spinach, so start with sauteeing it first. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add garlic paste (pic 5-6). Stir it till it is golden in color.
Now add chopped onion and for 2-3 min, the onion turns slightly soft and translucent (7-8).
To this add shaved Brussel sprouts and half of the salt (pic 9). Mix well, cover the lid and cook for 4-5 min (pic 10). Add spinach and mix with Brussel sprouts, wilted spinach will help to deglaze the pan (pic 11-12).
Finally, add chopped tomatillos, mix well, and cover the lid (pic 13-14). Cook this for 2-3 min. All veggies will get softer and tomatillos will be mushy.
After 2-3 min open the lid and press the tomatillo chunks with the help of a spatula, it will help in creating a nice tangy gravy (pic 14). Add red chili powder, cumin powder, adjust the salt as per taste at this step. Mix well (pic 15-16).
Add eggs & cook
Once the veggies are cooked and all spiced, it is time to crack the eggs. Make small indents in the base and carefully place eggs one by one. You may notice eggs run over each other. Cover the lid and cook for 5-10 min on low to medium heat. (pic 17-18)
I prefer to remove the white stringy thing from the eggs, known as “chalazae”. However it is completely optional. This is the reason for the broken yolk and adding one by one from the bowl.
If you like perfectly runny yolk then cook uncovered till egg white settles. I prefer eating completely cooked eggs and that is why cooking by covering the lid till hard-boiled egg consistency.
Garnish & serve
Green shakshuka with tomatillo, spinach, and Brussel sprouts is ready to serve as is. Add a few avocado slices while serving to have a creamy melt-in-mouth shakshuka experience, sprinkle some cilantro or parsley.
Top with some crumbled feta or goat cheese along with crusty bread slices or with pita while serving. Enjoy your Green Shakshuka with tomatillo, spinach, and Brussel sprouts.
Oven Baked
oven-baked shakshuka requires a cast iron pan so that you can directly put it in the oven for further cooking. Basically, you need to use an oven-safe skillet to start with. After adding eggs just transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15-20 mins at 350F/180C.
Baking time completely depends on the texture you prefer. Check-in after every 2-3 minutes. For a runny yolk, bake until egg white is set. If you prefer hard consistency yolk bake further until desired texture.
Tips & FAQ’s
- Do not hesitate to use food processor for evenly cut or shredded vegetables. It saves tone of time.
- Cooking on low heat does take time but it has its own benefits. Slow cooking vegetables helps in releasing their natural flavors and aroma. This just enhance the overall flavor profile of any shakshuka variation.
- Be mindful with the available vegetable combination you have. Each vegetable take their own time to cook, some are quick, and few takes time. Start cooking with the veggie that takes longest duration to cook. I learn this while making Ciambotta.
- You can scale up or down as per requirement. Soon I will share shakshuka for one.
What goes well with shakshuka depends on when you prefer to eat. In morning breakfast it is best served with a few avocado slices, naan bread, pita, or any crust bread slices. For brunch and dinner shakshuka pairs well with labneh, Greek yogurt, hummus, cucumber onion tomato salad, chickpea salad, quinoa, and basmati rice. I have eaten it with Indian roti as well.
Eggs, onion, garlic, ground cumin, red chili flakes are the basics of making any shakshuka. Next depends on the type of base you want to make. Traditional shakshuka has tomato, green shakshuka has tomatillo with loads of greens. To make vegan version chickpeas, eggplant, polenta, tofu are the base.
You can freeze anything in the world but freezing cooked eggs do not go well in my opinion. I noticed a rubbery texture after the thaw and reheating.
Reheat the leftover shakshuka and serve as usual. In case you like to reuse it, make it menemen or add more veggies with tomato sauce. Adjust seasoning and serve with pita or bread.
What to serve
It pairs well with pita, feta or goat cheese, avocado, challah, or naan, or any crust bread slices if served in breakfast. Labneh, hummus, roasted potatoes, basmati rice, quinoa, cucumber tomato salad, chickpea greek salad are other accompaniments for brunch or dinner. Green shakshuka with avocado and lime is one of the best combinations to eat.
How to store
Transfer any leftovers in a container and store them in the fridge for 2-3 days. Since all the green vegetables are involved I noticed a little sliminess after 3 days.
How to reheat
Reheating shakshuka can be done in the microwave or on the stovetop. Some may differ with the microwave option but I find it very quick, 30 sec to 1 min is good enough to reheat tomatillo shakshuka.
On stovetop reheating is a bit different. You can always add a bit of oil, herbs, and 2-3 tsp water and add the portion of shakshuka you like to reheat. Cook on low heat for a few minutes and garnish with feta crumbles or avocado.
More Breakfast Recipes
If you like this recipe then check more breakfast or brunch recipes from the blog.
Feel free to explore more breakfast or brunch recipes from the blog.
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Green Shakshuka (Tomatillo)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup red onion chopped finely
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 16 oz brussel sprouts Trimmed and thinly sliced
- 12 oz spinach chopped roughly or pulsed in the food processor
- 3 cups tomatillo 400 gram approx
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 2.5 tsp salt
- 10 eggs organic
For garnishing
- 1 cup spring onion sliced thinly
- 2 radish thinly sliced
Calories counted without bread & avocado. Only green shakshuka.
Instructions
Stove-top
- Wash, and clean Brussel sprouts & spinach with runny water. Transfer Brussel sprouts in food processor and pulse few times. Place them in a clean bowl.16 oz brussel sprouts
- After Brussel sprouts are done, transfer spinach in the food processor and pulse again a few times. Place them in another bowl.12 oz spinach
- Finally, chop red onion & tomatillo finely and keep them ready.1 cup red onion, 3 cups tomatillo
- Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add garlic paste. Cook until it is golden brown. Now add chopped onion and cook for 2-3 min, the onion turns slightly soft and translucent.2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp garlic paste, 1 cup red onion
- To this add shaved Brussel sprouts and half of the salt. Mix well, cover the lid and cook for 4-5 min. After 4-5 min add spinach and mix with Brussel sprouts, wilted spinach will help to deglaze the pan.16 oz brussel sprouts, 12 oz spinach
- Now add chopped tomatillos, mix well, and cover the lid. Cook this for 2-3 min. After 2-3 min opens the lid and press the tomatillo chunks with the help of a spatula, it will help in creating a nice tangy gravy. Add red chili powder, cumin powder, adjust the salt as per taste at this step.3 cups tomatillo, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp red chili flakes, 2.5 tsp salt
- Once the veggies are cooked and all spiced, it is time to crack the eggs. Make small indents in the base and carefully place eggs one by one. Cover the lid and cook for 5-10 min on low to medium heat.10 eggs
- Green shakshuka with tomatillo, spinach, and Brussel sprouts is ready to serve as is. Add a few avocado slices, radish & spring onion while serving to have a creamy melt-in-mouth shakshuka experience.1 cup spring onion, 2 radish
Notes
- Do not hesitate to use a food processor for evenly cut or shredded vegetables. It saves tone of time.
- Cooking on low heat does take time but it has its own benefits. Slow cooking vegetables helps in releasing their natural flavors and aroma. This just enhances the overall flavor profile of any shakshuka variation.
- Be mindful of the available vegetable combination you have. Each vegetable takes its own time to cook, some are quick, and few take time. Start cooking with the veggie that takes the longest duration to cook. I learn this while making Ciambotta.
- You can scale up or down as per requirement. Soon I will share shakshuka for one.
