California Style Joe’s Special (Low FODMAP)
10 Minutes prep • 20 Minutes cook • Low FODMAP • Gluten-free • Serves 4 • Ok to make ahead: Step 1
Whether you live anywhere near San Francisco or not, you’ve probably heard of Joe’s Special! According to local San Francisco history, Joe's Special was created at New Joe's restaurant in San Francisco’s North Beach district in 1937. All the recipes for Joe’s Special include ground beef, spinach, and eggs. It’s not fancy, but it makes a great breakfast, brunch, or main dish for a light supper. Of course, I can never use a recipe without adding my own personal spin to it—hence this Low FODMAP, low starch, California Style Joe’s Special. I love it with some low FODMAP hot sauce or ketchup but any way you serve it, it’s delicious!
Ingredients
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon garlic-infused olive oil
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 pound lean ground beef (organic grass-fed preferred)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
1/2 cup green onion greens finely chopped (or a combination of green onion greens, chives, and/or leek greens)
2 (5-ounce) bags of fresh baby spinach leaves (long stems removed, roughly chopped or whole)
OR: 1 (10-ounce) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 teaspoons Smoke n Sanity Beyond Italian Seasoning
OR: 1 teaspoon dried basil and 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 - 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (or other aged cheese of your preference)
1/2 ripe avocado (optional for serving)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional for serving)
Low FODMAP hot sauce or Smoke N Sanity Ketchup (optional for serving)
Directions
(1) Prepare: Beat the eggs in a small bowl and set aside. Wash, dry, remove long stems, and roughly chop the spinach. Chop the green onion greens (and leeks and chives if using). Grate the cheese. Set all aside. If using frozen spinach, squeeze as much liquid out of the frozen and thawed spinach as possible.
(2) Cook the meat: Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crumbly. Add salt and pepper. Add the green onion greens (and leeks and/or chives if using), and cook until the onion greens are tender but not browned.
(3) Add the spinach: Stir in the spinach, and Italian seasoning (or basil, and oregano). If using fresh spinach, cook until the spinach wilts.
(4) Add the eggs: Pour the beaten eggs into the pan with the beef/spinach mixture. Let cook until the eggs are set, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes. Once set, stir and toss the mixture to blend the eggs throughout. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Add the red pepper flakes (if using).
(5) Add the cheese: Spread the meat and spinach mixture into one uniform layer in the pan. If using, sprinkle the cheese on top and put the whole pan into the oven under the broiler. Watch carefully and remove after the cheese is melted to your liking.
(6) Plate and serve: Serve a generous scoop of the mixture onto each plate with sliced avocado on top and hot sauce or ketchup alongside.
Eat and enjoy every bite because you can!
Recipe note: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt in all my recipes because it has a wonderful flat and crisp flake that tastes delicious. It is also the least salty salt available so you can use it more liberally as a seasoning than you can table salt or sea salt. If you use another type of salt, you may need to reduce the amount so it is not over-salted.
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