If you’ve never heard of or tried the traditional Middle Eastern dish called “Shakshuka” (Arabic for mixture), you are missing out!

I first tried and fell in love with it when I was traveling through Israel many years ago. It was always bursting with flavor and fresh, healthy ingredients. Shakshuka is delicious and nutritious enough to eat any time of day, but since it involves eggs, many Americans prefer it for breakfast.

There are lots of variations of this classic meal, but it’s traditionally made in a cast iron pan with simmering tomato sauce, poached eggs, veggies, and delicious spices and herbs. Mine is a more modern, healthier interpretation, with veggies!!!

The great thing about a shakshuka is its versatility (hence, the name: “mixture”). You can make it with whatever is left over in the fridge (kinda like a smoothie). I use spinach, green peppers, parsley, and peas, but you can toss in kale, shaved brussels sprouts, swiss chard, leeks, zucchini, mushrooms, artichoke hearts… or whatever you might have lying around. It’s a great excuse to get creative and experiment for a delicious, nutritious, greens-loaded meal.

RECIPE

GREEN SHAKSHUKA

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 TBS Coconut oil

• 1 onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 2-4 handfuls of spinach

• 1 handful of parsley

• 2-4 TBS coconut milk

• 1 TBS harissa paste

• 1 green bell pepper, sliced

• 1 cup frozen organic green peas

• 4 eggs

• Optional: avocado and cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. Heat half of the coconut oil in a large frying pan, over medium heat, and sauté the onions and garlic for about 10 minutes, until soft.

2. Season with cumin and salt to taste, then cook for another 2 mins.

3. Next, transfer the onion into a food processor along with the spinach, parsley, almond milk and harissa paste. Season with freshly ground black pepper, and blend until smooth.

4. Using the same pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the pepper for about 5 minutes, until charred.

5. Pour in the spinach sauce and add the peas. Cook for about 5 minutes until peas are defrosted.

6. Use a wooden spoon to make 4 pockets in the sauce and break an egg into each one. Cook for another 10 minutes, or until the eggs are set. Cover with a lid to speed up the process.

7. Serve seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper and garnish with cilantro, parsley, and/or avocado.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Victoria Gregory is an Integrative Nutritionist and founder of NEWTRITION NEWYOU. Her focus—whether with private clients, readers of her blog, or her followers on social media— is whole body wellness, incorporating whole-food nutrition, supplementation, exercise, toxin-free living, and mindset coaching. Victoria’s personal mission is to help make the world a healthier place, one person at a time, and she has helped thousands of people find joy and self-love through better eating habits and mindfulness. Learn more about Victoria.