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Turkish Baked Eggs

Turkish Baked Eggs

My birthday was last week and I had every intention of baking myself an elaborate cake to celebrate, but things came up and it didn’t happen.  Instead Ryan was able to take the day off from work last minute and we spent the day together, going out to both lunch and dinner (a rarity for us these days).  The local restaurant where we enjoyed our lunch is a favorite of mine; it boasts an eclectic menu to please almost any palette- sweet and savory crepes, a wide assortment of egg dishes, beautiful salads, delectable sandwiches- all with fresh and often organic ingredients.  I quite frequently order the turkish eggs-  two eggs oven-baked sunny side-up, nestled in a bed of sautéed spinach with hints of oregano, served alongside tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and a slice of warm softened feta.

Turkish Baked Eggs

Despite its simplicity, there’s something about this savory combination that has me ordering it again and again.  I finally decided to recreate the same thing at home and was so pleased afterwards.  I had initially thought this would be a meal of no interest to the kids, but they had fun creating their own little toasts and my daughter suddenly declared cucumbers to be her new favorite vegetable.   Sometimes they topped their toasts with just the spinach and egg with a bit of feta, other times they added a crunchy cucumber or salty olive on top as well.  This makes a quick yet special brunch or could even be a light dinner.  Choosing high-quality ingredients is key so choose the best that you can because it makes all the difference.

Turkish Baked Eggs

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Turkish Baked Eggs

Turkish Baked Eggs
  • Yield: serves 1-2

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 8 ounces baby spinach
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 slice French feta, about 1/2-inch thick
  • sliced tomatoes
  • sliced cucumbers
  • assorted mediterranean olives
  • a few slices of crusty multigrain bread
  • freshly ground pepper and kosher salt for seasoning

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. In a skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach, oregano, and season with salt and pepper. Stir for a minute to evenly coat the spinach and then cover the pan. Let the spinach cook covered for 1-2 minutes, until the spinach begins to wilt. Uncover pan and continue to for another minute or so until all of the spinach is wilted.
  3. Use a slotted spoon to transfer spinach to an over-proof plate, leaving liquid behind. (If your plates are not oven-proof, use a parchment-lined baking sheet instead.) Create a mound with the spinach and make 2 wells for the eggs. Carefully crack an egg each into each well. Place feta next to the eggs on top of the spinach. Bake for 10-12 minutes, just until eggs are set.
  4. Arrange tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives on the plate and season with freshly ground pepper and flaked salt. Serve immediately alongside some crusty bread.

Notes

inspired by Cafe Zola

 

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21 Responses to Turkish Baked Eggs

  1. Well, Happy Belated Birthday Emily! It sounds like you enjoyed your day! I saw your photo on IG this morning and quickly popped over to the blog to check out this wonderful looking dish! It just looks so savory and delicious. I could enjoy this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Well done! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

  2. Happy Birthday Emily! What a beautiful spread to celebrate with, the restaurant sounds wonderful! I am always enamored by those meals that strike us most, and over and over again, so that we can do nothing BUT recreate them. These turkish eggs are a genuine delight, every component on the plate sings. – – I have some catching up to do because for some reason I haven’t been getting your emails, but now I know this will be a beautiful morning. xoxo

    • Oh Danielle, I am so sorry about the emails! I am terrible… I had them set up the email sign-up when I designed the site, but I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t figured out mail chimp yet and I still need to set up my newsletters. It’s on my list of things to do soon though. Thank you for stopping by again and taking time to write. You are so kind and I am thankful for you!

  3. Oh, Emily! Happy happy birthday, sweet friend! It sounds like you had a beautiful day with Ryan and the kids! If this was on a menu, I’d order it, too! It’s absolutely beautiful and these flavors resonate with me so much. I’m glad you posted this in time for the weekend! We love to make special breakfasts on Sundays…THIS is what I’m making! Can’t wait! Sending you a big birthday hug! 🙂

    • Ah, Caroline, I just found your comment in my spam for some reason! Thanks for the warm birthday wishes, dear friend. I can totally imagine us ordering the same thing if we were to go out to lunch together. 🙂

  4. Wait a minute!!! I am having a major jealousy episode here. :))))) I am Turkish and I do not have this recipe on my blog. How come I didn’t think about this???!!
    All jokes are aside, you have done a gorgeous job of displaying what a simple Turkish breakfast dish is all about. I am planning on creating a post about Turkish breakfasts and the culture behind it. And I know that this post will be a big inspiration. Beautiful job Emily.
    Also, happy belated birthday. Many more healthy and happy years to come with your loved ones. <3

    PS: I just had breakfast, but I am craving a slice of that warm feta. Sigh…

    • Ayesgul!! I cannot wait to see your post about Turkish breakfasts! It will be so authentic and genuine. I know it will inspire me as well because all of your posts do. Thanks so much for your sweet words- it means so much coming from you. I think you would love this restaurant… I wish we could get together there sometime over lunch. (someday hopefully, right? let me know if you are ever in Ann Arbor!) And thanks for the birthday wishes my friend.

    • Thank you, Kathryn! So simple, but so much fun to bake them in a bed of spinach. 🙂 (and even more fun to eat them!) Hope your weekend was wonderful!

  6. Happy Belated Birthday, Emily!! It sounds like the perfect way to spend the day. I have been thinking about this recipe since I saw it on Instagram. It is certainly something I can see myself ordering again and again, and now I can! 😉 xoxo.

    • Aw thanks Tessa! You are the sweetest. I wish I could have you over so I could make this for you and we’d chat and talk about all sorts of things. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?! Hugs to you.

  7. I wish we could eat at café zola together, em! this looks yum 🙂 I will have to make it and pretend I am enjoying it with you!!

    • Oh me too! We need to have a cafe zola date one of these days! Been thinking about you so much this past week and wondering how you get anything done at all while homeschooling! We’ll have to chat again soon and you can give me some tips. 🙂

  8. I think eggs are a good way to celebrate a birthday, especially if they look this good. I’m a big fan. When I can’t decide what to eat, I cook eggs. And I believe that any dish can be made better with a fried egg on top. This recipe is making me hungry for some eggs right now! 🙂

    • Yes, I agree! Fried eggs… so good on toast, fried rice, noodles, just about anything! Thanks for stopping by, Christine!

  9. Happy Belated Birthday Emily!! What a fun day you had, just you and your husband. I love days like that.. and they’re so memorable. One of my favorite things is trying new menu items and retuning home full of inspiration. See here… just look what happens! Magic! This is absolutely delicious and could easily stand as breakfast, lunch or dinner! Love the little side of briny, plump olives and slice of feta. Wishing you a beautiful weekend my dear. xo

    • Oh Traci, you are always so kind! Thanks for your birthday wishes and for your friendship. My heart is so grateful!