Yotam Ottolenghi's Skillet-Baked Eggs with Spinach, Yogurt, and Spiced Butter Recipe

Come for the garlic-infused yogurt, stay for the spiced butter.

Updated September 13, 2020

Baked eggs and spinach skillet — Photograph: Blake Royer

I'm on a bit of a Yotam Ottolenghi kick lately, finding myself rather in love with his imaginative takes on vegetarian cooking. While I've written already about a few recipes from his recent book Plenty, this one comes from a recent issue of Bon Appetit. I took one look at the gorgeous picture—a skillet full of soft spinach topped with eggs and thick yogurt, drizzled with butter—and put this recipe on the top of my list.

And luckily, it tasted as good as it looked. My experience with baked egg dishes is pretty limited, but I'm usually pleasantly surprised by how easy they turn out (this would also be a tremendous brunch dish that could be mostly made in advance). In this case, leeks and scallions are the caramelized base for spinach, which is wonderful on its own. But add the eggs and garlic-infused yogurt and it only gets better. Even still, the real story here is the spiced butter, which is cooked separately until the butter is nutty and brown, then boosted with chile flavor and fragrant oregano.

Adapted from Bon Appetit.

Recipe Details

Yotam Ottolenghi's Skillet-Baked Eggs with Spinach, Yogurt, and Spiced Butter Recipe

Active 20 mins

Total 40 mins

Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

2/3 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large leek, chopped (white and pale-green parts only, about 1 cup)
4 scallions, chopped (white and pale-green parts only)
1 pound fresh curly spinach
1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon kirmizi biber (Turkish chile powder), or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of paprika
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
Adjust oven to center rack and preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat until the foam subsides. Lower the heat to low, then add the leek and scallion and cook until completely soft and golden, about 10 minutes.
Add as much spinach as will fit and lemon juice to the skillet, along with a pinch of salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently and adding spinach a handful at a time as it wilts until all the spinach is just wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt or more lemon juice as needed.
Using tongs, remove the spinach to a second 10-inch oven-proof skillet, leaving any excess liquid behind. Make 4 indentations in the spinach and crack the eggs into them, taking care to keep the yolks intact. Sprinkle each egg with a pinch of salt, then transfer to the oven and cook until the whites are just set, 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the last tablespoon of butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the chili powder and/or paprika and continue cooking until the butter just begins to brown. Add the oregano and cook for 30 seconds longer, then remove from the heat.
Serve the baked eggs with the yogurt mixture, and top with the spiced butter.

Savory

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
245	Calories
18g	Fat
9g	Carbs
14g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	245
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g	23%
Saturated Fat 6g	31%
Cholesterol 203mg	68%
Sodium 338mg	15%
Total Carbohydrate 9g	3%
Dietary Fiber 3g	12%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 37mg	185%
Calcium 205mg	16%
Iron 5mg	25%
Potassium 829mg	18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.