Turkish Eggs with Roasted Squash Twist
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Roasted delicata squash slices topped with soft poached eggs, garlic-infused chili oil, creamy spiced labneh instead of yogurt, and crumbled feta swapped for tangy goat cheese. Toasted pumpkin seeds replaced with toasted pine nuts for a buttery crunch. Garnished with fresh dill and accompanied by warm naan breads. A twist on a classic, balancing soft creaminess and spice. Uses visual cues for doneness rather than strict timing. Includes practical tips for poaching eggs perfectly and managing squash texture.
Prep:
25 min
Cook:
30 min
Total:
55 min
Servings:
4 servings
#Mediterranean
#Turkish
#Eggs
#Squash
#Labneh
#Poaching
#Vegetarian
#Roasting
Peeling back the layers here. Roasting delicata squash instead of the usual pumpkin or butternut, because its thin skin crisps beautifully and doesn’t need peeling. Turns golden, sweetest when edges turn the telltale amber. You want that caramel scent filling the kitchen—the hallmark of depth in this simple base. Swapping yogurt for labneh ups the creaminess but adds a tang that cuts richness without too much tartness. Poaching eggs always tricky. Room temp eggs stop that dreaded crack, gentle simmer keeps them from breaking apart in a bubbling fury. Garlic chips? A must. They bring crunch and toasty flavor contrast to soft squash and creamy dollops. Pine nuts instead of pumpkin seeds bring unexpected buttery luxury. Spicy butter oil drizzle wakes everything up, driving heat right to the back of the throat. Naan bread to scoop, no knives necessary. Food for thinking and sharing quiet mornings with big flavors. Tried this many times—timing egg poach by wobble not stopwatch; roast squash by scent, color, fork tender. Kitchen intuition beats timer every time.
Ingredients
- 2 medium delicata squashes halved, seeded, sliced into 1 1/2 cm (about 3/4 inch) half-moons
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 eggs brought to room temperature
- 1 clove garlic thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup labneh or thick strained Greek yogurt 10 percent
- 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- Fleur de sel
- Fresh dill sprigs
- 4 naan breads warmed
About the ingredients
Delicata squash is forgiving—thin skin so no peeling madness. Slice just thick enough to hold shape through roasting but thin enough to caramelize edges. If unavailable, butternut squash is a fine substitute but remove skin first. Labneh adds thickness and slight acidity—if you can’t find it, use thick Greek yogurt but strain overnight. Goat cheese is a swap for feta’s saltiness but softer, melts slightly with warmth. Pine nuts toast fast so watch carefully; pumpkin seeds are okay but pine nuts bring a buttery richness that shifts the flavor angle. Butter provides richness and a glossy finish to the chili oil—don’t skip or replace with margarine, flavor loss is real. Olive oil quality really shows here—choose good extra virgin. Garlic chips made by thin slicing, careful on timing—burnt garlic ruins the sauce, bitter and acrid. Room temperature eggs poach with less cracking risk and hold shape better. Naan for bread—pita or crusty flatbreads okay but naan soaks better and stays soft.
Method
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (about 390 F). Position rack in middle third of oven.
- Spread squash slices evenly on a parchment-lined baking tray. Drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, season with coarse salt and black pepper. Toss to coat well. Look for skin to start caramelizing, edges browning but squash still tender, about 28 to 30 minutes. Test by piercing with fork — should slide in without resistance but squash still holds shape.
- While squash roasts, set a wide shallow pan of water on medium heat to simmer gently — no boiling bubbles all over. Tip eggs one by one into water with spoon to avoid cracking. Poach eggs 4 to 5 minutes. Whites should be set but yolks still wobbly. Remove with slotted spoon. Plunge immediately into cold water for 30 seconds to stop cooking and help peeling.
- In a small skillet, heat remaining olive oil on medium. Add sliced garlic; cook, stirring often, until golden and crisp but not burnt. Remove garlic chips to paper towels, reserve oil in pan.
- Sprinkle red chili flakes into oil, stir quickly then remove from heat. Add butter to warm oil mixture, swirl until melted and combined. This chili butter oil will be drizzled over final assembly. Keep warm but don’t cook further—the butter might brown quickly.
- Spread labneh over serving plates as a cream base. Arrange roasted delicata slices over the labneh. Place peeled poached eggs carefully atop squash slices.
- Scatter crumbled goat cheese and toasted pine nuts over the top for texture and a tangy note to replace feta.
- Drizzle chili butter oil over everything. Sprinkle fleur de sel flakes directly on eggs for delicate bursts of saltiness.
- Garnish with fresh dill sprigs. Serve immediately with warmed naan breads to soak up every drop of sauce and cream.
Cooking tips
Start with oven preheated fully so squash roasts evenly, not steamed. Arrange squash in single layer, crowding means steaming not roasting—avoid this by using a large enough tray. Roast until you see golden edges curling up—visual sign over timer. Poach eggs in water just off boiling; adjustments matter if altitude or pan size differ. Watch water temp closely—too hot means rubbery whites, too cold means runny whites. Immerse eggs slowly to avoid cracking shells on pan sides. Transfer eggs immediately to ice water or cold tap under a trickle to stop cooking and make peeling easy—don’t skip. Garlic chips need attention; swirl pan constantly once garlic turns golden, remove immediately. Add chili flakes off heat to avoid burning; butter stirred in retains gentle richness, don’t bring mixture back to heat or butter will brown or separate. Assemble plates right before serving—if labneh or yogurt sits too long topped with hot squash and eggs, it thins and slides off plate. Sprinkle fleur de sel last, just on eggs—fine salt blends in too much. Dill sprigs last touch, fresh, never cooked. Warm naan briefly to soften, ideally on grill or skillet, not microwave. If bread not available, toasted pita with olive oil brush is decent fallback. Timing is loose; trust your eye, touch, and nose for doneness more than the clock.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Roast squash in single layer on parchment with good spacing—crowding traps steam, no caramel edges. Watch for scent and edge browning. Fork test means no resistance but holding shape. Thin skins mean no peeling madness but thickness matters—too thin and squash falls apart.
- 💡 Poach eggs in simmering water without full boil. Off-boil simmer stops rubbery whites, keeps yolks wobbly. Slip eggs in carefully with spoon, one by one. Cold water plunge right after poach stops heat exactly and eases peeling. Room temp eggs avoid cracking shells, no excuses.
- 💡 Garlic chips made by slicing thin then frying in olive oil until golden crisp. Burnt garlic overheats bitterness so swirl pan constant, remove exactly when chips turn color. Reserve garlic oil since burnt bits destroy sauce flavor. Add chili flakes off heat; fast stir, no cooking further or butter browns.
- 💡 Butter melts into warm chili oil to create drizzle sauce. Keep warm but do not cook—browned butter means changed flavor, no substitute margarine, loss is real. Use good quality extra virgin olive oil to highlight flavor contrast. Toast pine nuts carefully; fast toasty moment—watch or burn.
- 💡 Labneh spreads like thick cream, use as base plate layer. Arrange squash slices on top then place peeled poached eggs carefully. Scatter goat cheese and toasted pine nuts last to add texture and tang that replaces feta. Sprinkle fleur de sel flakes just on eggs to preserve delicate bursts. Dill fresh, never cooked, sprinkled last before serving with warming naan bread.
Common questions
How to know squash is done roasting?
Look for amber edges curling, scent of caramel sweet in kitchen. Fork slides in with little resistance but slices keep shape. No relying on strict time; smell and feel.
What if no delicata squash?
Use peeled butternut thinly sliced same size. Skin off or it won’t soften right. Roast same way but watch texture, softer than delicata naturally.
Why cold water plunge eggs?
Stops cooking fast, stops yolks from firming more. Also helps peel shells easier. Skipping cold bath means eggs keep cooking in hot water, get rubbery.
Can other nuts replace pine nuts?
Pumpkin seeds okay but flavor and texture differs. Toast carefully or get burnt flavor. Almond slivers possible but change buttery profile. Pine nuts give richness unique here.
