MIND shakshuka with chickpeas and greens
October 3, 2026 · 3 min read
Shakshuka turns a few pantry cans into dinner for four in one pan. Eggs poach right in a spiced tomato-and-pepper sauce, and a can of chickpeas stirred in makes it a fuller plate — a bean, a pile of vegetables, and olive oil in every scoop. Serve it from the skillet with whole-grain bread and let everyone dig in.
The sauce should be thick before the eggs go in. Too loose and the eggs slide around instead of settling into their wells.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups baby spinach
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 8 large eggs
- Fresh parsley, to serve
- Whole-grain bread, to serve
Steps
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Soften the onion and bell pepper, 6 to 8 minutes, then add the garlic, cumin, paprika, and chili flakes and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and chickpeas, season with salt and pepper, and simmer until thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the spinach until wilted.
- Make 8 wells in the sauce with the back of a spoon and crack an egg into each. Cover and cook on low until the whites are set but the yolks still soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Scatter with parsley and a grind of black pepper, and serve from the pan with whole-grain bread.
How it comes together
Makes 4 servings — read left to right; each column combines what's behind it.
PrepCrack each egg into a small cup before the sauce is ready — once the wells are made you want to slip the eggs in fast and get the lid on.
| 2 tbsp · 27 g olive oil | Soften the vegetables | |||
| 1 oniondiced | ||||
| 1 red bell pepperdiced | ||||
| 3 cloveses · 9 g garlicminced | ||||
| 1 tsp ground cumin | ||||
| 1 tsp smoked paprika | ||||
| ¼ tsp chili flakesoptional | ||||
| 28 oz · 795 g crushed tomatoes1 can | Simmer the sauce | |||
| 15 oz · 255 g chickpeas1 can, drained and rinsed | ||||
| 3 cups · 90 g baby spinach | ||||
| saltto taste | ||||
| black pepperto taste | ||||
| 8 eggses | Poach the eggs | |||
| fresh parsleyto serve | Finish and serve | |||
| whole-grain breadto serve |
Scaling adjusts quantities only — cooking times and pan sizes may need judgment. Grams are rounded for the kitchen.
Notes and swaps
Kale or chard stand in for the spinach; add them a few minutes earlier so they soften in the sauce. White beans work in place of chickpeas, and a diced zucchini or a handful of mushrooms stretches the vegetables further. For a smokier sauce, roast the pepper first or add a spoon of harissa with the spices. If you eat dairy, a little crumbled feta over the top before serving is traditional. The sauce reheats well, so make a double batch and poach fresh eggs into it later in the week.
Cook the eggs gently. A low heat and a lid set the whites while keeping the yolks runny; a hard simmer overcooks them before the whites are done.
Tell MIND Diet Companion "shakshuka with chickpeas and greens" and it logs the vegetables, beans, and olive oil on the plate, so the day's pattern is easy to see.
FAQ
Which MIND food groups does shakshuka cover? Vegetables (tomatoes, pepper, and onion), leafy greens, beans from the chickpeas, and olive oil. Serving it with whole-grain bread adds a whole grain to the plate.
Can I make it ahead? Make the sauce up to four days ahead and keep it in the fridge. Reheat it in the skillet, then poach the eggs fresh just before serving so the yolks stay soft.
How do I know when the eggs are done? The whites should be fully set and no longer translucent, while the yolks still jiggle when you nudge the pan — about 6 to 8 minutes covered on low. Pull the pan a touch early, since the eggs keep cooking in the hot sauce.
Can I leave out the chickpeas? You can, but they add protein, fiber, and a bean to the plate. White beans or lentils work just as well if you'd rather change it up.
Is shakshuka a breakfast or a dinner? Both. It's a classic brunch dish, but a skillet of it with bread and a side of greens makes an easy dinner too. For another egg-forward MIND meal, try the spinach and mushroom omelet, or rotate in chickpea and vegetable curry for a bean-heavy night.