Turkish Eggs with Spinach and Garlic Yogurt
Spinach is 90% water, and any spinach dish turns watery if that water is not removed. The fix is to cook it uncovered over high heat until the water evaporates, or to squeeze it out after wilting — and only then do the eggs go in.
- Prep
- 12 min
- Cook
- 18 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Calories
- 290
Photo: Jamesjhawkins — CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Turkish eggs with spinach is a well-known breakfast served over a layer of garlicky yogurt, filling and packed with iron and protein. Its only real problem is the water in the spinach.
Method
-
1
Garlic yogurt
Mix the yogurt with two crushed garlic cloves and a pinch of salt, and leave it out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Cold yogurt under hot eggs curdles.
⏱ 5 min -
2
Wash the spinach
Wash the spinach well and chop it coarsely. Spinach carries a lot of grit in its stems — wash it in a bowl of water, not under the tap.
⏱ 8 min -
3
Drive off the water
In a wide pan over high heat and uncovered, add the spinach and stir for 5 minutes until it wilts and its water has fully evaporated.
⏱ 6 min -
4
Squeeze
If any liquid remains, lift the spinach into a sieve and press it with the back of a spoon. Any water left will show up in the finished dish.
⏱ 4 min -
5
Onion and garlic
Melt the butter and soften the onion for 5 minutes, add the remaining garlic and the nutmeg, then return the spinach, stir and season.
⏱ 8 min -
6
Eggs in wells
Make wells in the spinach and crack the eggs into them, then cover over low heat for 5 minutes until the whites set and the yolks stay runny.
⏱ 6 min -
7
Chilli butter finish
Heat a tablespoon of butter with the red pepper flakes until it colours, and pour it over. Serve the dish on the yogurt layer with hot bread.
⏱ 4 min
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Tips that actually matter
- Uncovered over high heat — a lid traps steam and the spinach boils in its own water.
- Room-temperature yogurt, not straight from the fridge — cold yogurt curdles.
- Wash spinach in a bowl, not under the tap, so the grit sinks to the bottom.
- The chilli butter is not a garnish — it is what gives the dish its Turkish identity.
People also ask
Why is my spinach watery?
Spinach is 90% water. Cook it in a wide pan over high heat with no lid until the water evaporates, and if liquid remains, press it out in a sieve before you carry on.
Can I use frozen spinach?
Yes, but it must be fully thawed and squeezed hard — frozen spinach holds more water than fresh. Its flavour is milder too, so add a little extra garlic and nutmeg.
Why did my yogurt curdle?
It was fridge-cold, or you put it in the pan. Take it out 15 minutes ahead and spread it on the plate under the hot spinach — it should never go into the pan at all.
Cook mode
Turkish Eggs with Spinach and Garlic Yogurt
-
1
Garlic yogurt
Mix the yogurt with two crushed garlic cloves and a pinch of salt, and leave it out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Cold yogurt under hot eggs curdles.
-
2
Wash the spinach
Wash the spinach well and chop it coarsely. Spinach carries a lot of grit in its stems — wash it in a bowl of water, not under the tap.
-
3
Drive off the water
In a wide pan over high heat and uncovered, add the spinach and stir for 5 minutes until it wilts and its water has fully evaporated.
-
4
Squeeze
If any liquid remains, lift the spinach into a sieve and press it with the back of a spoon. Any water left will show up in the finished dish.
-
5
Onion and garlic
Melt the butter and soften the onion for 5 minutes, add the remaining garlic and the nutmeg, then return the spinach, stir and season.
-
6
Eggs in wells
Make wells in the spinach and crack the eggs into them, then cover over low heat for 5 minutes until the whites set and the yolks stay runny.
-
7
Chilli butter finish
Heat a tablespoon of butter with the red pepper flakes until it colours, and pour it over. Serve the dish on the yogurt layer with hot bread.
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