Beyond Shakshuka: The Golden Leek & Swiss Chard Skillet
I have a confession: I adore classic red shakshuka, but my heart truly belongs to the greens. Growing up in Tel Aviv, mornings were about bright, sharp flavors that woke up your palate, long before the city heat set in. I remember my mother tossing whatever greens we had into a pan with garlic and lemon, creating absolute magic. This Golden Leek and Swiss Chard Skillet is my love letter to those mornings, elevated with a few tricks from my years cooking in London. We are poaching eggs directly in a fragrant, bubbling broth of deeply caramelized leeks, creamy butter beans, and mountains of earthy Swiss chard. The turmeric stains everything a gorgeous, sunny yellow. But the real secret? The texture contrast. We finish it with velvety lemon-tahini yogurt and a dramatic, crackling pour of sizzling Aleppo butter. It hits every single note: rich, bright, spicy, and creamy. Don't have Swiss chard? Toss in spinach or kale. Hate butter beans? Chickpeas work beautifully. Just promise me you will not skip the tahini drizzle or the Aleppo butter. Grab the warmest, fluffiest pita you can find, and dig in right out of the skillet.
Featured Recipe
Golden Leek & Swiss Chard Skillet with Lemon-Tahini & Sizzling Aleppo Butter
I’ve always believed that breakfast skillets shouldn't just be limited to tomatoes and peppers. Growing up in Tel Aviv, mornings were about bright, sharp flavors that woke up your palate. This golden, turmeric-laced beauty is my answer to the routine: we're poaching eggs directly in a fragrant, bubbling broth of deeply caramelized leeks, creamy butter beans, and mountains of Swiss chard. Finished with velvet lemon-tahini yogurt and a dramatic pour of sizzling Aleppo butter, it's a dish that absolutely demands to be scooped up with warm pita.
Save a copy to your collection for editing
Timeline
Ingredients
- 1 cup Swiss chard stems(finely diced (from about 1 large bunch))
- 4 cups Swiss chard leaves(roughly chopped (from about 1 large bunch))
- 2 leeks(white and light green parts only, sliced into thin half-moons)
- 4 cloves garlic(minced)
- 2 tbsp olive oil(extra virgin)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 15oz can butter beans(rinsed and drained)
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 4 large eggs(room temperature)
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt(whole milk preferred)
- 2 tbsp tahini(well stirred)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 pinch sea salt(flaky sea salt for garnish)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp Aleppo pepper(substitute a mix of paprika and a pinch of cayenne if needed)
- 1/4 cup fresh dill(roughly chopped)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley(roughly chopped)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice(freshly squeezed)
Instructions
- 1
Slice 2 leeks into thin rounds, discarding the tough dark green tops. Mince 4 cloves garlic. Ensure your 1 cup Swiss chard stems are finely diced and your 4 cups Swiss chard leaves are roughly chopped. Keeping the stems and leaves separate is critical for building texture.
5 min
Tip: Wash your leeks thoroughly after slicing, as dirt loves to hide in the layers.
- 2
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced 2 leeks and the diced 1 cup Swiss chard stems. Sauté until softened, fragrant, and beginning to catch some golden caramelization on the edges, about 8 minutes.
8 min
Tip: Take your time here. Sweating down the chard stems with the leeks builds an incredible aromatic base.
- 3
While the leeks cook, whisk together 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp tahini, 1 tsp lemon zest, and 1 pinch sea salt in a small bowl until perfectly smooth and velvet-like. Set aside.
3 min
Tip: If your tahini is very thick, add a splash of water to achieve a dollop-able consistency.
- 4
To the skillet, stir in the minced 4 cloves garlic, 1 tsp ground cumin, and 1/2 tsp ground turmeric. Toast for 1 minute until highly fragrant. Fold in the drained 1 15oz can butter beans and the 4 cups Swiss chard leaves. Toss continuously until the leaves are completely wilted into silky ribbons, about 4 minutes.
5 min
Tip: Let the butter beans sit undisturbed for 30 seconds before tossing so they absorb the spices and catch a tiny bit of heat from the pan.
- 5
Pour 1/2 cup vegetable broth into the skillet and bring to a gentle simmer. Using the back of a spoon, carve out four small wells in the hearty green mixture. Carefully crack the 4 large eggs directly into the simmering broth in the wells. Cover the skillet and let the eggs poach in the liquid for 5-6 minutes, until the whites are opaque but the yolks are still trembling.
6 min
Tip: Keep the heat at a gentle simmer; a rolling boil will make the egg whites tough and rubbery.
- 6
As the eggs poach, melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter in a small butter warmer or saucepan over medium-low heat. Once bubbling and smelling nutty, stir in 1 tbsp Aleppo pepper. Immediately remove from heat—the pepper will bloom into a vibrant, brilliant red but won't burn.
3 min
Tip: Watch the butter closely. You want it to foam and just start to turn golden before adding the pepper.
- 7
Remove the skillet from heat. Dollop generous spoonfuls of the tahini-yogurt around the eggs. Drizzle the sizzling Aleppo butter over everything. Shower the pan with 1/4 cup fresh dill and 1/4 cup fresh parsley, and finish with a bright squeeze of 1 tbsp lemon juice. Serve immediately straight from the pan.
2 min
Tip: Serve with thick slices of toasted sourdough or warm pita to scoop up the runny yolks and flavorful broth.
Chef's Notes
Swiss chard is the absolute hero here, but you have to treat it like two distinct vegetables to get the most out of it. Sweating the diced stems with the leeks gives you an aromatic, celery-like crunch, while folding the leaves in at the end yields those beautiful, tender green ribbons. Don't skip the tahini in the yogurt—it adds a crucial nutty depth that perfectly balances the sharp, earthy heat of the Aleppo pepper butter. It's an entire textural playground in one skillet.
Yael Mizrahi
Bold flavors, beautiful plates
Born in Tel Aviv to a Moroccan mother and Iraqi father, I grew up speaking the language of spice. My kitchen was always full of cumin, preserved lemons, and the sound of multiple conversations happening at once. I moved to London at 22, cooked my way through the city's best restaurants, and discovered that the whole Mediterranean was my playground. Now I create dishes that celebrate the entire region—from Marrakech to Athens, with plenty of stops in between.