White Bean & Spinach Shakshuka
Eggs poached in a smoky tomato, pepper, and cannellini-bean stew, spinach wilted through and feta crumbled over the top, North African style.
Why it works
This dish pairs about 28 g of high-satiety protein from eggs and beans with roughly 12 g of fiber, much of it the viscous soluble fiber and resistant starch in cannellini beans that ferment slowly and keep you full for hours. The tomato-pepper-spinach base is mostly water, so the whole skillet portion fills the stomach at only about 460 kcal. Egg protein and bean fiber team up to flatten the post-meal glucose rise.
The Mediterranean pattern runs on legumes, vegetables, and olive oil, linked to improved cardiometabolic markers across the board. Legume fiber carries its own separate evidence for satiety and glycemic control.
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 240 g canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 400 g crushed tomatoes
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 120 g fresh spinach
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes (optional)
- 40 g feta, crumbled
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet and soften the onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes, then add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika and chili flakes and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes and cannellini beans, season, and simmer 8 minutes until thickened.
- Fold in the spinach and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute.
- Make four wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each; cover and cook 5 to 7 minutes until the whites set and yolks are still soft.
- Scatter the feta and parsley over the top and serve straight from the skillet, dividing into two portions.
