Portuguese Soufflé Omelet with Turnip Greens • Pastelão de Nabo

Now, the word pastelão is one of those wonderfully slippery Portuguese words that can mean a whole lot of different things depending on who you ask and where you are, in Portugal and Brazil alike it can refer to a large filled pastry, a stuffed bread roll not unlike a meat bun, or even a kind of savory pie made with meat, fish, or chicken. It’s the sort of word that keeps things interesting! In this case, though, we’re talking about something altogether different and, honestly, something a little bit special, a pastelão de ovos, is an egg based dish that traces its roots back to France and the famous omelette soufflée, most famously known as the omelettes of la mère Poulard from the Normandy region.

The principle is simple and brilliant, you separate the yolks from the whites, whisk those whites to stiff peaks just like a soufflé base, and what you get is an omelet that is extraordinarily light, fluffy, and creamy all at once.

The difference between a pastelão and a classic soufflé is really just one of technique, in a soufflé, the whisked whites are folded into some kind of cream (a pastry cream, a béchamel, a purée), while in a pastelão you simply fold them together with your egg yolks and whatever lovely filling you’ve got going. In today’s case, that filling is a quick sauté of turnip greens, onion, and garlic, because the market lady insisted on selling me an enormous bunch of turnip greens, hehehe and so here we are! The result is a dish that is sweet, impossibly fluffy, and creamy, with just a gentle bitter edge from the greens that makes the whole thing absolutely irresistible.

Serve it as a light main dish or a hearty side, paired with a simple salad or a bowl of white rice, and perfection is basically guaranteed. The pastelão is one of those recipes people forget that even exists, which is a genuine shame, because once you make it you’ll wonder why you ever settled for a flat omelet in the first place. Simple, versatile, endlessly adaptable, and always delicious, let’s get to the recipe!

Portuguese Soufflé Omelet with Turnip Greens • Pastelão de Nabo

Servings: 2
Time: 40mins
Difficulty: Easy
Rating: ★★★★★
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You gonna get a fantastically fluffy, golden Portuguese egg omelette/pancake/soufflé with turnip greens. This is a fantastic recipe and a wonderful Portuguese alternative to the good old omelet!

Ingredients

Turnip Greens – 300g
Onion – 1
Garlic – 3 Cloves
Eggs – 5
Olive Oil – A Drizzle
Pepper – A Pinch
Salt – A Pinch

Directions

Start by quickly sautéing in a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil, add the chopped turnip greens, chopped onion, and chopped garlic, season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Sauté until everything is tender, in my case it was when the frying pan started to dry out, remove to a deep bowl and clean the frying pan with a little piece of kitchen paper.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites, whisk the egg whites until stiff and mix the egg yolks with the sautéed turnip greens.

Then add the whisked egg whites back into the mixture, folding everything into the mixture without whisking, season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Drizzle some olive oil into the frying pan and place it over medium-low or low heat, add the mixture to the pan, cover with a lid, and let it cook.
From time to time, remove the lid and lift the bottom of the omelet to see when it is golden brown.
When the bottom is golden brown, it’s time to flip the pastelão. Unlike an omelet or pancake, a pastelão tends to be softer and less solid, so it’s not worth trying to flip it in the air or with a spatula, as you’ll most likely break it. What you should do is take a plate and slide the pastelão onto it, so that the raw side is still facing up. Then place the frying pan on top of the plate with the pastelão and turn it upside down, so that the pastelão falls perfectly into the frying pan, without any mess or fuss.

Return to the heat and cover until both sides are golden brown. That’s it! Remove to a plate and it’s ready to serve. As I said above, it’s perfect for a main course or side dish. Bon appétit!

Notes & Tips: Turnip greens are the star here, but you can sub in! If you can’t find turnip greens (rama de nabo) at your local store, try using Swiss chard, kale, beet greens, or even a mix of spinach and arugula for a similar slightly bitter, earthy flavor profile.

The stiff peaks are non-negotiable. The whole magic of this recipe, that extra fluffiness and that gorgeous lift, comes entirely from the whisked egg whites. Make sure your bowl and whisk are completely clean and dry, otherwise the whites won’t whip up properly. No stiff peaks = no fluff = sad flat pastelão.

Low and slow is your best friend. The temptation to crank up the heat is real, but resist it! A medium-low to low heat ensures the inside cooks through gently while the outside turns that beautiful golden color without burning.

Ohhh and the plate flip trick is a game changer. Just don’t try fancy tricks here hehehehe. The pastelão is just too soft and tender to survive a mid-air flip. The plate method is how it’s done in Portugal, simple, mess-free, and it works every single time.

This is a fantastic leftovers recipe. Got leftover roasted vegetables, cooked chicken, flaked fish, leftover potatoes, or even bacalhau (salt cod)? Skip the sauté step entirely and throw them straight into the egg yolk mixture. The pastelão is endlessly versatile and always turns out wonderfully, it’s basically Portugal’s answer to “what do I do with all these leftovers?”

Serving Suggestions: Serve it with a fresh green salad, a side of white rice, or some crusty rustic bread. Like i said a pastelão works beautifully as a light main dish or a hearty side dish.

This recipe for Portuguese Soufflé Omelet with Turnip Greens • Pastelão de Nabo was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Pastelão de Ovos com Rama de Nabo foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.