Kale and Butternut Squash Bowl With Jammy Eggs

By Ali Slagle

Updated Feb. 16, 2024

Kale and Butternut Squash Bowl With Jammy Eggs
Dane Tashima for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Erika Joyce.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(518)
Comments
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Steaming vegetables is a quick way to enjoy their inherent sweetness, and steaming eggs is the secret to perfect-as-possible jammy eggs. In this recipe, you don’t need a steamer basket for either. Cook the eggs in a covered skillet or pot of shallow boiling water, then layer winter squash, broccoli or cauliflower and dark leafy greens. The small amount of water will produce ample steam to cook the vegetables. Eat with plenty of sesame seeds for crunch and a yogurt sauce that is nutty from sesame oil and bright with lemon and ginger. The sauce is endlessly adaptable; add fresh or dried herbs or chile, ground or toasted spices, toasted coconut and more.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings
  • 3large eggs
  • ¾cup plain, full-fat yogurt
  • 1teaspoon lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice (from 1 lemon)
  • 2teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
  • 1teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • Salt
  • 12ounces butternut, honeynut or kabocha squash, seeds removed and sliced ½-inch thick
  • 8ounces broccoli, cauliflower or a combination, cut into 1-inch florets; stems, thinly sliced
  • 4ounces (about 4 packed cups) torn kale leaves, or another hearty green like chard or mustard
  • Toasted sesame seeds (any color), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

308 calories; 15 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 1205 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large (12-inch) skillet with a lid or a large Dutch oven, bring 1 inch of water to a boil over high. Carefully add the eggs. (They may not be fully submerged and that’s OK.) Cover and boil for 6 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl to cool. Pour off all but ¼ inch of water.

  2. Step 2

    While the eggs steam, in a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the yogurt, lemon zest and juice, ginger and sesame oil; season with salt. It might taste too puckery at this point, but it will balance out when on the vegetables.

  3. Step 3

    Arrange the squash in a single layer in the shallow water; season with salt. Cover, bring to a boil over high, and cook for 5 minutes. Scatter the broccoli on top of the squash, season with salt, then pile the kale on top of the broccoli and season with salt. If the water has evaporated, add another ¼ inch of water. Cover and cook until the squash is tender and the broccoli is bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat but keep the skillet covered while you peel the eggs.

  4. Step 4

    Peel and halve the eggs, then season with salt. Divide the vegetables and eggs between plates, then drizzle with plenty of sauce and scatter sesame seeds on top. The vegetables, eggs and sauce will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge and are good warm, room temperature or cold from the fridge.

Ratings

4 out of 5
518 user ratings
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Comments

Gail

This recipe is a keeper with a few tweaks: roast the butternut squash slices for about 20 minutes at 425’. It’s nice to have the textural contrast between roasted veggies and the steamed broccoli and chard; 6 minutes is too long to achieve truly “jammy’ eggs. More like 3-4 minutes. Serve over quinoa or other whole grains. Be generous with the dressing - its delicious!

michelle

I broke all the rules: Roasted acorn squash. Braised my greens. Had left over hard boiled eggs. Used curds and kefir instead of yogurt. Added candied ginger to the dressing. No matter how hard I tried I could not ruin this recipe. Amazing. Repeater.

Joanna

Like most gen x-ers i had my fill of boiled/steamed veg roughly 40 years ago. While this is delicious I recommend the following modification. Roast the squash and cauli/broccoli with olive oil salt and PEPPER at 400 for 25 or so minutes. Add salt to the water and steam your green leaves after the eggs come out. The flavors are 10x better this way.

Cynthia

In my opinion the secret of taking this recipe from good to great is squeezing sriracha sauce all over it once everything is assembled.

Deirdre White

Roasting the squash would have given it more flavor. Very bland vegs but the sauce was good. Very filling. 6 minutes too long for the eggs. A grain is definitely needed!

Sara

Made this recipe for the third time. It just makes me so happy and I love it the way it is, it’s healthy and nutritious comfort food, which to me makes it feel even more comforting. Next time I might roast the ahuyama seeds and use them as a topping, just for fun, nutrition and to reduce food waste.

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