Strapatsada is the ultimate Greek easy meal. Ripe tomatoes, crumbled feta, and eggs scrambled together in olive oil. My traditional kayanas
Amazing summer dinner! I was worried it would just turn into scrambled eggs, but it is way more than the sum of its parts. Absolute staple. I only wish I could get nicer crusty bread!
Recipe behind the cut, but first my notes:
I grated the tomato (been obsessed with pan con tomate recently) and was liberal with the olive oil, which is probably why it looks so wet, but it was lovely.
Also followed the instructions to barely stir (which is apparently not traditional). I liked having firm scrambled eggs in some spots, creamy coddled eggs in others.
It said to let the beaten eggs rest a few minutes, but I left them quite a while… Like, “make and have a drink while watching the sunset and then make and have a big salad” quite a while.
I quartered the recipe: 2 small eggs, 1 small tomato, eyeballed the rest. Extra feta and chili to serve.
Also, technically speaking, my feta is actually beyaz peynir……… and I don’t know if that matters! If you have a source on feta in Tokyo and are willing to fund my comparative cheese research, my askbox is open!
Strapatsada my way — a few things I do differently
Traditionally, strapatsada is made by grating the tomatoes and discarding the skin. Honestly? I can’t be bothered. I don’t mind the subtle texture the skin adds — and the better the tomato, the thinner and sweeter that skin will be anyway. If you prefer the traditional method, go for it. But don’t let it stop you from making this on a Tuesday evening.
The other thing I do differently: I barely stir. Purists will tell you to cook the tomatoes down properly and mix everything together well. I tried it that way for years and always found the eggs came out heavier. My version keeps the tomatoes aromatic and barely cooked, the eggs soft and just set, and the whole thing feels lighter, more like a lazy summer lunch than a brunch-menu scramble. The contrast in textures is half the point.
Why you will love strapatsada
15 minutes, one pan. Perfect as a meze, a quick lunch, or a light dinner. This is the dish Greeks make when they want something delicious with zero effort.
The feta makes it. It melts into the tomato sauce just enough to get creamy pockets of salty, tangy goodness in every bite.
It’s summer in a pan. Use peak-season tomatoes and this dish needs nothing else — olive oil, eggs, feta, and you’re done.
Great with crusty bread. Scoop it up with thick-cut sourdough or a hunk of village bread (χωριάτικο) and call it a perfect morning.
My Cretan yiayia’s version. This is how it’s made in Greek homes. Simple, honest, and absolutely nothing like “tomato scrambled eggs” from a brunch menu.
Here is what you need
Ripe tomatoes. Get the best you can find. They are the key ingredient for this recipe. If out of season, go for a package of Campari tomatoes.
Eggs. Ideally, get free-range organic eggs.
Garlic. Two or three cloves of garlic will do.
Oregano. Dried oregano goes into the egg mixture. Fresh oregano leaves (optional) can be a garnish and add freshness.
Chili flakes and feta for serving. Both are optional. I love a little kick from the flakes, and the feta adds a salty component to the sweet, umami tomatoes.
Extra virgin olive oil. This is the only fat we use for these eggs. Butter or another vegetable oil is a big no. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over the finished dish adds a luxurious note.
How to make strapatsada-eggs kayana
STEP 1. Place a skillet over medium heat.Add the olive oil, chopped garlic, and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes. Season with sea salt. Sprinkle all over one tablespoon of oregano. Stir tomatoes and cook for 5-6 minutes, occasionally stirring. Don’t break the tomatoes too much.
STEP 2. Add the beaten eggs to the skillet and mix gently. Cook eggs to your desired texture.
While cooking, stir a couple of times but don’t overdo it.
Pro tips
Use the ripest tomatoes you can find — and in winter, go Campari. This dish lives and dies by the tomato. Peak summer tomatoes need nothing. Off-season ones will taste flat no matter what you do. If you’re in the US and it’s not tomato season, reach for Campari tomatoes — they’re smaller and sweeter than standard supermarket tomatoes, and their flavor is the closest thing I’ve found to a proper Mediterranean tomato outside of summer. You’ll need two to three Campari tomatoes to replace one regular-sized tomato in this recipe.
Don’t overcook the eggs. Pull them off the heat while they still look just slightly underdone — they’ll finish in the pan. Overcooked strapatsada is a sad thing.
Be generous with the olive oil. This is not the moment for restraint. A good glug at the start is what makes the tomatoes sweet and the whole dish silky.
Extra feta on top. Always. It’s a non-negotiable for Greeks.
I bought the book 'Simply Nigella' end of last year and had tried a few bits and pieces out of it. I hardly try any breakfast recipes so thought that would be today's focus. I came across what looked like orange mush on toast. Not very appealing. It was essentially cooked down tomatoes with scrambled eggs and cheese. All three wonderful ingredients so even though I was a little put off at the thought of this recipe, the whole point of me starting this blog was to try new things, ingredients, recipes or something as simple as letting go of pre conceived ideas about things. Anyway this recipe was actually very good, the combination of soft tomatoes mixed with the egg creates a tangy a creamy toast topper, mixed with fragrant thyme leaves and sharp cheese, this was delicious.
Serves 2
8 small (not cherry) tomatoes (about 300-350g total), roughly chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato purée
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
2 Large eggs
25g Xynotyro Cheese or another sharp, salty, crumbly cheese like Wensleydale (I used Lancashire)
A small handful of basil leaves or leaves stripped from a few sprigs of thymes
4 slices good bread, such as sour dough or whatever you fancy (I just used whole meal)
Warm the oil in a pan and add the chunks of tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring every now and again, until the tomatoes begin to break down (if you are having toast, now is the time to get on with that too!)
Add the tomato purée, salt and sugar and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the eggs and stir as if you were scrambling them, until the mixture is creamy which will take a matter of moments (cook for a little longer if you like your scrambled eggs set like I do!)
Take the pan off of the heat and crumble over the cheese and sprinkle with the basil or thyme leaves. Dollop onto toast or just eat straight from the pan using bread as cutlery. Leftovers can be refrigerated for a couple of days
Slimming World Note:
Swap the Olive Oil for for some fry light and use whole meal bread to go with it. Bar that this recipe is totally SW friendly if you use cheese as your Healthy Extra A Choice :)
A recipe definition of summer
Within a short time and without effort, we have ready a recipe that is for all hours of the day, delicious and will always remind of summer: strapatsada.
The materials
3 tablespoons of olive oil 1 dry onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika 1 teaspoon of fine sugar 1 tablespoon of vinegar 1 teaspoon dried oregano 750g ripe tomatoes,…
