Onions & Eggs Casserole (Albanian Kimë me Vezë)

This onions and eggs casserole is known in my native country of Albania as Kimë me Vezë. It’s a similar concept to shakshuka, after all many Mediterranean dishes vary from country to country but they all focus on using plenty of seasonal ingredients.

I grew up in Albania and I remember this dish from my childhood. Some of my family members cooked it with ground beef, some cooked it meatless but at the center of it is lots of onions cooked down, seasoned and baked in the end with nestled eggs.

Hope you find this recipe satisfying and please don’t hesitate to ask questions in the comments!!

Let’s talk ingredients!

Ingredients are on the minimalistic side, many are seasonings that you probably already own.

• onions – I use about 3 lbs onions for a family of 4. Yes, really, it’s not a typo!!
• ground beef – I use about 1 lb of ground beef, this is not a crucial part of the recipe, you use more or less depending what you have available.
• olive oil – about 3 tablespoons of good quality olive oil
• eggs – usually 1 egg per person.
• seasonings – sea salt, black pepper, bay leaves, oregano, marjoram and paprika.
• garnishes – fresh chopped parsley.

Albanian Recipes – if you’re a fan of Albanian Food feel free to check out my summary of Albanian cuisine recipes! I do update the post every couple of months with new recipes!

Sonila’s Way of Cooking this Onions Casserole

I remember when my mom cooked this casserole, that she would cook it part of the dish in a pot on the stovetop than pour the contents in a baking dish and bake it in the oven.

I use a deep skillet to cook the whole casserole, I start on the stovetop then transfer the same skillet to the oven to finish cooking the dish.

Step by step process:

• Peel onions and add them to water. Chop onions and mince garlic.
• Add chopped onions and minced garlic to a skillet on medium heat. Cook down the onion in its own juices for as long as possible while stirring with a wooden spoon.
• Add occasionally few tablespoons of water when you think it’s about to stick to the bottom. Stir and let cook, repeat this process few times until onions are yellowish and completely cooked down.
• Add olive oil and cook until onions look translucent.
• Add ground beef and cook it to brown before mixing with onions. Add bay leaves and seasonings and mix everything together. Let cook for few minutes. Add tomato sauce and mix well.
• Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F (about 200 degrees C). Remove from oven carefully, create wells and add the eggs. Continue baking it for 5 more minutes, turn oven off and let settle for few more minutes. The internal heat will continue cooking the eggs.
• Serve with favorite bread. I personally prefer whole wheat sourdough, toasted. Enjoy:)

Here are some pictures to illustrate the process. And you’ll find more details in the recipe card below. Thank you!

If you would like to save this recipe for later, please pin one of the pictures from this post to your boards in Pinterest so you can easily retrieve the recipe later. Let me know in comments if you have any questions, I would love to hear from you.

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More Albanian Casseroles

Here are some more Albanian style casseroles:

• Leeks and Ground Beef Casserole (Tave me Presh)
• Okra Casserole (Tave me Bamje)
• Corn and Spinach Casserole (Shapkat)
• Stuffed Peppers
• Spinach and Eggs Casserole (Burani me Spinaq)