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I spend practically all summer in my garden. If I’m not harvesting vegetables, I’m edging the flower beds, cleaning up my yard, or mowing (ugh!). I love being outside and giving life to my yard. But the most fulfilling feeling comes when I use what I’ve grown for dinner. I almost become giddy when picking produce, just thinking about what I can make.
Herbs are prolific plants in the garden. The more they’re picked, the quicker and fuller they grow. If you’re like me, you sprinkle a few herbs in a recipe and call it good. But other cultures (outside the U.S.) tend to use copious amounts of herbs, adding them to salads as the main ingredient as well as to so many different recipes. And this usage is exactly where the inspiration for this overstuffed herb omelet was born.
Kuku sabzi is a Persian frittata made with herbs. And we’re not talking just a few herbs. No, like, a lot of herbs. The main star of my riff on Kuku sabzi is the herbs. For me, that means putting parsley, cilantro, and dill all front and center.
Now, you may be concerned that with this many herbs forming the majority of the dish, the flavor will be uber garden-y or earthy. Don’t be too worried: it isn’t. When cooked with the eggs, this trifecta of herb flavors marry together and you can actually taste each in their full glory.
Sauteed onions are the foundation for so many dishes. In this recipe, I opted to use leeks as a bit of surprise element. When slowly sautéed in oil, the leeks give a sweet, subtle, onion-like flavor. And once mixed with the chopped herbs, the leeks take a backseat, but their presence is super essential.
To help bring the flavors of the entire dish together, a few spices are necessary. Ground cumin and turmeric pair the herbs with the leeks to create a balanced palate.
And to brighten things up a bit, lemon zest and lemon juice are crucial. It’s amazing what something as simple as citrus can do when it comes to flavoring a dish.
In a traditional Kuku sabzi recipe, butter would be absent. But I’m riffing on the idea here and since I love the flavor of butter, I’m adding it to my recipe. To give a little extra kick, melt butter in a cast iron skillet. This will do two things:
- flavor the omelet, and
- create a nonstick surface
Another slightly abnormal ingredient in my recipe is baking powder. Since powder works as a lifting agent, a little bit goes a long way in lightening the omelet and giving it a welcome “airiness.”
This is going to sound like a far-out concept to many. But I’m confident that once you try this, you’ll want to add more herbs to everything you make!
Year of Brunch Recipes
Watch how to make this herb omelet
Overstuffed Herb Omelet
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large leek thoroughly rinsed, trimmed, and thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 7 large eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Heat the oil in an 8-inch oven-safe skillet. Add leek; cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in ¼ tsp salt, black pepper, cumin, and turmeric, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 large leek, 2 cloves garlic, ¾ tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp turmeric
- Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in baking powder and remaining ½ tsp salt until combined. Fold in leek mixture, parsley, cilantro, dill, lemon zest, and lemon juice.¾ tsp kosher salt, 7 large eggs, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro, 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill, 1 tsp lemon zest, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Add butter to skillet and transfer to oven. Heat until melted, about 3 minutes. Swirl butter to evenly coat the skillet, then add the egg mixture. Do not stir.2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Bake until edges are set and the middle is still slightly moist, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool in skillet for 10 minutes. Cut into 8 slices and garnish with crumbled feta or goat cheese.crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
Hi Kaleb!
Don’t you love the Kookoo sabzi? I lived in Iran for 10 years and learned from the best. Traditionally baking soda is used instead of baking powder, and small sour berries called zereshk are added for a bit of tartness. Some even add walnuts. You can get the berries from Amazon or other online Persian stores. Sadat is a most popular brand. I love that you tried it and made it your own!
THANK YOU SO MUCH BEING YOU AND GIVING SO MUCH JOY OF YOUR COOKING AND CANNING AND GARDENING SO PLEASE KEEP UP WHAT YOU ARE DOING MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU SAFE
FROM YOUR # 1 FAN
Rev Patrick C O’Brien
I love this recipe! I plan to make it for a luncheon.