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Spanakopita Baked Eggs

4.7

(3)

Chopped spinach in a cast iron skillet with jammy eggs dill feta and red pepper flakes and served with pita on the side.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams

Spanakopita is a beloved Greek pie filled with spinach and wrapped in shatteringly crisp phyllo. Depending on the recipe, the spinach can be boosted by herbs, alliums, cheese, and a variety of other add-ins. These baked eggs take those same winning flavors and reimagine them into a shakshuka-like breakfast. You’ll use two whole blocks of frozen spinach—and you don’t even need to defrost them first. (If your blocks are too large to fit in the pan at the same time, carefully cut or snap one of them in half so you can Tetris them in.) After simmering in garlicky cream, the greens get hit with crumbled feta, lemon zest, and lots of dill. Then you’ll crack some eggs on top and let the oven take care of the rest, until the whites are set and the yolks are delightfully jammy. Served with warm pita (and a cup of coffee or two), there’s no better way to start a Saturday or Sunday at home.

Read more: The Spanakopita Eggs That Fuel My Morning Workouts

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    45 minutes

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely grated
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 10-oz. packages frozen spinach
¾ cup heavy cream
Zest of 2 small lemons
4 oz. feta, crumbled, plus more for serving
⅓ cup finely chopped dill, plus more for serving
½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more
6 large eggs
Warm pitas (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Heat ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium. Add 1 bunch scallions, finely chopped, 6 garlic cloves, finely grated, and ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, until scallions are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add two 10-oz. packages frozen spinach (you want them to make contact with the pan; push scallions to the sides if needed) and ¾ cup heavy cream and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up spinach as it starts to thaw, until spinach is mostly thawed and starting to combine with cream, 7–10 minutes.

    Step 2

    Increase heat to medium-high and add zest of 2 small lemons, 4 oz. feta, crumbled, cup finely chopped dill, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper and cook, stirring, until feta is melted and sauce has thickened into a creamed-spinach-like consistency, 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat; taste and season with more salt and black pepper if needed.

    Step 3

    Using a spoon, create 6 small divots in spinach mixture. Working one at a time, crack 6 large eggs into divots. Bake in oven until whites are set but yolks are still jammy, 15–18 minutes. Remove from oven; scatter more crumbled feta and chopped dill over and season with more black pepper. Serve with warm pitas.

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