High Protein Shakshuka with Feta Cheese and Spinach
Shakshuka is one of those meals that feels indulgent but is actually doing your body a lot of good. This high protein shakshuka with feta cheese and spinach takes the classic North African dish and gives it a serious nutritional upgrade. By adding chickpeas to the tomato base, you get a meaningful boost of plant-based protein and fibre before a single egg even hits the pan. Then the eggs go in, the spinach wilts down into the sauce, and crumbled feta adds that creamy, tangy finish that makes every bite feel satisfying and complete. It is the kind of breakfast that keeps you full well into the afternoon.
What makes this version genuinely healthier than most shakshuka recipes you will find is the deliberate combination of protein sources. Each serving delivers eggs and chickpeas working together, pushing the protein content significantly higher than a standard tomato-and-egg shakshuka. The spinach brings iron, folate and magnesium into the picture, while the tomatoes provide lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. Feta cheese, though used in moderate amounts, contributes calcium and a salty creaminess that means you do not need to add much extra salt at all. The whole dish is naturally gluten-free and comes together in a single skillet, which means less washing up too.
The spice blend here is warm rather than fiery. Cumin, smoked paprika and a touch of coriander build a deeply aromatic sauce that smells incredible as it simmers. You do not need to reach for chilli flakes unless you want that extra heat, though they do add a lovely contrast to the cool, crumbled feta on top. Fresh garlic and a small amount of olive oil form the flavour foundation, keeping the fat content reasonable while still giving the sauce that rich, slow-cooked quality. The chickpeas soak up all those spices as they cook, which means every mouthful of the sauce has flavour running all the way through it.
This shakshuka works beautifully as a weekend brunch, a quick weeknight dinner, or even a meal-prep base that you can reheat and crack fresh eggs into throughout the week. The tomato and chickpea sauce itself stores brilliantly in the fridge for up to four days. When you are ready to eat, simply warm the sauce in a skillet, create a few wells, add the eggs and cover until they are cooked to your liking. Serve straight from the pan with a sprinkle of fresh parsley or a small handful of rocket leaves on the side for an extra burst of green. This is comfort food that genuinely earns its place in a healthy morning routine.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- 1 medium brown onion (finely diced)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (diced into small pieces)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 0.5 tsp ground coriander
- 0.3 tsp chilli flakes (optional, adjust to taste)
- 0.3 tsp black pepper (freshly ground)
- 400 g canned crushed tomatoes (no added salt variety)
- 200 g canned cherry tomatoes (or passata for a smoother sauce)
- 1 can chickpeas (400g can, drained and rinsed)
- 90 g baby spinach (roughly 3 large handfuls)
- 6 large eggs (free range where possible)
- 80 g reduced-fat feta cheese (crumbled)
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley (roughly chopped, to serve)
- 0.3 tsp sea salt (add at the end to taste)
Instructions
- 1
Place a large, deep skillet or wide sauté pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and let it warm for about 30 seconds. Add the diced onion and red bell pepper, then cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and the onion is turning translucent.
Keep the heat at medium rather than high here. Slow-cooking the onion and pepper builds a sweeter, more complex base for the sauce.
- 2
Add the minced garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander, chilli flakes (if using) and black pepper. Stir everything together and cook for 1 minute until the spices are fragrant. You will notice the mixture smells deeply aromatic at this stage.
Do not skip toasting the spices with the aromatics. This step unlocks the oils in the spices and gives the sauce a much richer, more developed flavour.
- 3
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and canned cherry tomatoes. Stir to combine with the spice mixture. Add the drained chickpeas and stir them through. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
If the sauce feels too thick after a few minutes, add a small splash of water, around 2 to 3 tablespoons, to loosen it back to a pourable consistency.
- 4
Add the baby spinach to the pan in batches. Stir each handful through the sauce and let it wilt before adding the next. This takes about 2 minutes in total. Once all the spinach has wilted down, taste the sauce and add sea salt as needed.
Adding spinach in batches rather than all at once makes it much easier to stir and prevents the pan from overflowing.
- 5
Using a spoon, create 6 evenly spaced wells in the sauce. Carefully crack one egg into each well. Scatter half the crumbled feta over the sauce around the eggs. Place a lid on the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs.
For runny yolks, check at 6 minutes. For fully set yolks, allow 9 to 10 minutes. The whites should be completely opaque before you serve.
- 6
Remove the pan from the heat. Scatter the remaining crumbled feta and the fresh parsley over the top. Bring the skillet straight to the table and serve immediately, spooning sauce and eggs into shallow bowls.
Serving straight from the skillet keeps everything hot and makes for a beautiful presentation. A drizzle of olive oil over the top just before serving is a nice finishing touch if you want extra richness.
Nutrition per serving
348kcal
Calories
26g
Protein
28g
Carbs
14g
Fat
9g
Fibre
8g
Sugar
480mg
Sodium
Pro Tips
- ✓
Use a wide pan with a lid. A deep 28cm to 30cm skillet works best to fit all 6 eggs comfortably with enough sauce around each one.
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Crack each egg into a small bowl first before sliding it into the well. This prevents shell fragments and lets you place the egg exactly where you want it.
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Reduced-fat feta keeps the calories and saturated fat lower while still delivering that signature tangy creaminess. Full-fat feta works too if that is what you have on hand.
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Do not overcrowd the spinach. Add it gradually and let each batch wilt before adding more for the easiest stirring.
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Make the tomato and chickpea base ahead of time and refrigerate it. When you are ready to eat, reheat the sauce, add the eggs and cook fresh. This makes weekday mornings much quicker.
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A sprinkle of za'atar over the finished dish adds an extra herby, nutty dimension that pairs beautifully with the feta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Variations
- •
Extra Greens Shakshuka
Add a large handful of kale alongside the spinach for extra fibre and iron. Remove the tough stems from the kale first and add it to the sauce before the spinach, as it takes an extra 2 to 3 minutes to wilt down properly.
- •
Spicy Harissa Shakshuka
Stir 1 tablespoon of rose harissa paste into the tomato sauce along with the spices for a deeper, more complex heat. Reduce or omit the chilli flakes to balance the overall spice level. Harissa adds a floral warmth that works incredibly well with the feta.
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White Bean and Spinach Shakshuka
Swap the chickpeas for canned cannellini or butter beans for a creamier texture in the sauce. White beans are slightly higher in fibre and have a soft, yielding quality that pairs beautifully with the spiced tomatoes and feta.
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Herb-Forward Green Shakshuka
Skip the crushed tomatoes entirely and build a green base using a large amount of spinach, a handful of fresh herbs including coriander and parsley, and a small amount of green chilli. This lighter, brighter version is lower in sugar and takes the dish in a completely different direction.
Substitutions
- •Reduced-fat feta cheese → Goat's cheese (Soft goat's cheese crumbles beautifully over the shakshuka and has a similar tangy creaminess to feta. Use the same quantity as a direct swap.)
- •Baby spinach → Kale or Swiss chard (Both work well but need slightly longer cooking time than spinach. Remove stems from kale and add it 2 minutes earlier than you would spinach.)
- •Chickpeas → Cannellini beans or black beans (Both add similar protein and fibre levels. Black beans give the sauce a slightly earthier, richer quality while cannellini beans keep it lighter.)
- •Canned crushed tomatoes → Passata (Passata gives a smoother, silkier sauce. Use 400ml to replace the 400g can of crushed tomatoes. The flavour profile remains very similar.)
- •Fresh flat-leaf parsley → Fresh coriander or fresh mint (Fresh coriander adds a citrusy brightness while mint gives a cooler, more refreshing finish. Both work well as a garnish depending on your flavour preference.)
🧊 Storage
Store leftover sauce (without eggs) in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If eggs have already been cooked in the sauce, store together and consume within 2 days. Reheat gently in a covered skillet over low heat. The dish is not suitable for freezing once the eggs have been added, but the plain tomato and chickpea sauce can be frozen for up to 2 months.
📅 Make Ahead
The tomato, chickpea and spinach sauce can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in the fridge. When ready to serve, reheat the sauce in a skillet over medium heat until it is bubbling gently, then create wells and add fresh eggs. This makes the recipe ideal for weekday meal prep where you want a hot, nourishing breakfast ready in under 10 minutes.
