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A cast-iron skillet of tomato, white bean and spinach shakshuka with set eggs and a spoon on a worn wooden table

Are Eggs Anti-Inflammatory? The Trials Say Neutral, So Here Is a White Bean Shakshuka

Prep
10 min
Cook
35 min
Total
45 min
Servings
4 servings

Tomatoes, white beans and spinach simmered with eggs until firm, next to what randomized trials report about eggs and blood markers of inflammation.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbspolive oil, for the pan
  • 1 mediumonion, about 110 g, chopped
  • 150 gred bell pepper, about 1 medium, chopped
  • 3 clovegarlic, minced
  • 2 tsppaprika
  • 1 tspground cumin
  • 794 gcrushed tomatoes, one 28-oz can
  • 240 gcanned white beans, one 15-oz can, drained and rinsed
  • 100 gbaby spinach, about 3 packed cups
  • 1/4 tspsalt
  • 1/4 tspblack pepper
  • 4 largeeggs
  • 1 tbspolive oil, to finish
  • 1 tbsplemon juice
  • 2 tbspchopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. Soften the vegetables. Warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and red pepper for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and pale gold. Stir in the garlic, paprika and cumin and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
    Chopped onion and red pepper with paprika softening in a black frying pan with a wooden spoon
  2. Simmer the sauce. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, add the salt and black pepper, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to hold a line drawn with a spoon. Stir in the white beans and the spinach and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the spinach collapses.
    Thick tomato sauce in a black pan with white beans and a heap of wilted spinach
  3. Cook the eggs until firm. Make four wells in the sauce with the back of a spoon and crack an egg into each. Cover the pan, turn the heat to low and cook for 8 to 12 minutes, until both the whites and the yolks are firm. Times are a range, so check an egg with the tip of a spoon before you turn off the heat. Finish with the second tablespoon of olive oil, the lemon juice and the parsley.
    A halved cooked egg resting in tomato sauce with white beans and spinach in a dark pan, with a spoon beside it

Notes

  • A thick sauce holds its wells. If the wells close up, simmer for a few more minutes before adding the eggs.
  • A lid that fits matters here, because the steam is what firms the tops of the eggs.
  • A slice of whole-grain bread is good for the sauce, and it is not counted in the numbers.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated) : Calories: 299 | Total Carbohydrate: 35 g | Protein: 16 g | Total Fat: 13 g | Sodium: 814 mg

Category: Functional FoodsAuthor: Kerth GCuisine: Mediterranean