diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index 6f998fa0..de9d7a7a 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ Disclaimer!: List is WIP
       - [ ] `volume`
     - [ ] `abra recipe`
       - [x] `ls`
-      - [ ] `create` (XXX: in progress)
+      - [x] `create`
       - [ ] `release`
       - [x] `versions`
     - [ ] `abra upgrade`
diff --git a/cli/recipe.go b/cli/recipe.go
index f7b664d5..7ca5e322 100644
--- a/cli/recipe.go
+++ b/cli/recipe.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"path"
 	"sort"
+	"text/template"
 	"time"
 
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/config"
@@ -236,22 +237,46 @@ var recipeCreateCommand = &cli.Command{
 			return nil
 		}
 
-		toRemove := []string{
-			path.Join(config.APPS_DIR, recipe, ".git"),
-			path.Join(config.APPS_DIR, recipe, ".gitea"),
+		gitRepo := path.Join(config.APPS_DIR, recipe, ".git")
+		if err := os.RemoveAll(gitRepo); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+			return nil
+		}
+
+		toParse := []string{
+			path.Join(config.APPS_DIR, recipe, "README.md"),
+			path.Join(config.APPS_DIR, recipe, ".env.sample"),
 			path.Join(config.APPS_DIR, recipe, ".drone.yml"),
 		}
-		for _, path := range toRemove {
-			if err := os.RemoveAll(path); err != nil {
+		for _, path := range toParse {
+			file, err := os.OpenFile(path, os.O_RDWR, 0755)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+				return nil
+			}
+
+			tpl, err := template.ParseFiles(path)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+				return nil
+			}
+
+			// TODO: ask for description and probably other things so that the
+			// template repository is more "ready" to go than the current best-guess
+			// mode of templating
+			if err := tpl.Execute(file, struct {
+				Name        string
+				Description string
+			}{recipe, "TODO"}); err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 				return nil
 			}
 		}
 
-		// TODO: implement final %s logic on new repo files
-		// sed -i "s/\${REPO_NAME}/$recipe/g" README.md
-		// sed -i "s/\${REPO_NAME_TITLE}/$recipe/g" README.md
-		// sed -i "s/\${REPO_NAME_KEBAB}/$recipe_kebab/g" .env.sample
+		fmt.Printf(
+			"New recipe '%s' created in %s, happy hacking!",
+			recipe, path.Join(config.APPS_DIR, recipe),
+		)
 
 		return nil
 	},