Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Shakshuka is an healthy meatless entrée that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Poached eggs are nestled in spicy tomato sauce redolent with peppers and onions, topped with briny feta, and served with crisp toast.
How long it takes: less than 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large skillet with a lid
Servings: 6
Which breakfast camp are you in: savory or sweet? I definitely fall into the savory group. Give me a plateful of stir fried veggies topped with a sunny side up egg for breakfast and I’ll be happy all day. Air fryer sweet potato hash with candied bacon will put me in hog heaven. Oh, and don’t forget the coffee, please, another morning essential.
But my kids? No veggies for them in the morning, thank you very much. They stick to their pancakes or Cocoa Puffs, maybe a scrambled egg. Veggies are a hard enough sell at dinner time.
Shakshuka is for the savory breakfast people, or for those of you who enjoy eggs for lunch or dinner, or any time of the day. This traditional egg dish is sort of a stew with eggs. The tomato-y sauce is brightly spicy and contrasts perfectly with a creamy poached egg, briny feta, and crisp buttery toast.
Maybe you’ll want to think outside the box when it comes to breakfast. Starting your day with shakshuka gives you a nutritional boost that lasts all day. Be sure to take a look at my list of 23+ easy breakfast recipes for more ideas.
Why You’ll Love Shakshuka
Easy to make: It’s a one pan entrée and the ingredients are simple.
Flavorful: Shakshuka has a lot going on in the flavor department: spicy heat, tart tomatoes, sweet onions and peppers, fresh eggs, and creamy cheese.
Healthy: One serving with sauce, an egg, and garnished with cheese is less than 200 calories. Every element of shakshuka packs in antioxidants, healthy protein, and vitamins.
Make Ahead: You can make a big batch of the sauce, toss it in the freezer in individual serving size containers, and heat it up whenever you get the urge for shakshuka. Simply add an egg (or two)!
What Is Shakshuka?
You may be wondering, What type of food is shakshuka? Where does it come from? Shakshuka originated in the Maghreb, an area of northwest Africa that includes several countries and comprises the western part of the Arab world (Wikipedia). The word shakshuka literally means “a mixture”. It’s a vegetarian stew with poached eggs. Tomatoes and peppers are common, as are eggs, but there are many variations. As always, we’re so grateful for a variety of food to enjoy from a variety of cultures. We hope you enjoy our take on them.
Ingredient Notes
- Bell Pepper: For a really vibrant red sauce, it’s best to use a sweet red bell pepper. However, any color will work so don’t worry if you happen to have a green, orange, or yellow bell pepper.
- Onion: An inexpensive yellow onion works well in this stew-like dish. Yellow onions have a finer texture than sweet onions and can be stored in the pantry.
- Garlic: Mince up a couple of cloves of fresh garlic, more if you love garlic, less if you don’t relish the idea of garlic breath all day.
- Olive Oil: You’ll need a couple tablespoons of flavorful olive oil to sauté the veggies.
- Paprika, Smoked Paprika, Cumin, Chili Powder, and Red Pepper Flakes: This blend of spices embellishes the sauce with a little spicy heat, lots of flavor, and a touch of smokiness!
- Canned Tomatoes: The base of the sauce is crushed tomatoes which are saucy and thick. You’ll need a 28 oz. can. Look for low sodium or no salt added tomatoes.
- Eggs: A good source of protein, eggs are usually inexpensive and widely available.
- Fresh Parsley: A handful of chopped parsley brightens up the dish. Please don’t substitute dried parsley which is rather flavorless. Curly or flat leaf Italian parsley are both fine.
- Feta Cheese (or Goat Cheese): Feta cheese crumbles are convenient but I prefer block feta for the taste. Cheese is an optional ingredient so leave it out if you prefer or if you’re on a Whole30 diet.
- Toasted Bread: Crisp buttery toast really complements this egg dish. Toast is optional but I definitely would advise it. Both my no-knead whole wheat bread or Dutch oven bread are great for toasting.
How To Make Shakshuka
Make the sauce. In a large skillet, heat a splash of olive oil. Add the onions and bell peppers, sautéing until they are softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and the spices to the pan. Cook and stir for a minute or so until the spices are toasted and the garlic smells fragrant.
The can of crushed tomatoes goes into the pan next. Stir the sauce well and simmer for at least 5 minutes. It can go longer if that works out better for you.
Add the eggs. A few minutes before you want to serve the shakshuka, make six wells or indentations in the sauce. It doesn’t have to be fancy but try to space them evenly apart.
Crack an egg into each well. I’d advise cracking the egg into a small dish and then gently pouring the egg into the prepared spot in the sauce, just in case a shell tries to sneak in.
Cover the pan and cook the eggs until they are done the way you like them, four to eight minutes. The whites should be completely set; the yolks can be runny, hard-cooked, or somewhere in between.
Season with more salt and pepper, if you like.
Serve. To serve, scoop an egg and some of the sauce into a shallow bowl or plate. Top with crumbled cheese and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Serve with crisp buttered toast.
Incidentally, if you love this recipe, be sure to try my autumn version: Instant Pot shakshuka with butternut squash. The inclusion of creamy golden squash is heavenly!
Make Ahead: If you love the idea of shakshuka but you’re wondering how you’d have the time to make it during the morning crunch, here’s how to do it: Prep a big batch of the tomato sauce (steps 1 through 4). You can easily double or triple the ingredients if you like. Refrigerate or freeze the sauce in individual containers. The sauce will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat: When you’re ready to enjoy shakshuka, gently heat the refrigerated or frozen tomato sauce (no need to thaw it) in a small skillet until it’s simmering. Add an egg (or as many eggs as desired), cooking as directed.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #22 or Meal Plan #76. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week! We add a new meal plan weekly.
More Egg Dishes
Shakshuka
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 medium onion)
- 1 large red or green bell pepper, finely diced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 can (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes (low or no sodium preferred)
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese, optional
- Toasted bread slices for serving
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan (that has a cover available), heat oil over medium heat.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add onion, red bell pepper, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until peppers are softened and onions are translucent.1 cup chopped yellow onion, 1 large red or green bell pepper, finely diced, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add garlic, paprika, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, for one minute or until garlic is fragrant.2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and simmer for 5 minutes.1 can (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes
- Make six wells in the tomato sauce and crack eggs into each well (crack into a small bowl first if you’re not confident in your egg cracking skills).6 large eggs
- Cover and cook for 4 to 8 minutes or until egg whites are set and egg yolks are cooked to your liking.
- Taste, and season with more salt and pepper as desired.
- Garnish with parsley and cheese, if using. Serve with toasted bread, if desired.¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, ¼ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese, optional, Toasted bread slices for serving
Notes
- Meal prep idea: Make tomato sauce. Freeze or refrigerate in individual containers. To reheat: Put frozen tomato sauce in small skillet. Heat gently until hot. Add egg.
- Whole30: omit cheese and bread.
- Nutrition information does not include bread.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
If you want to knock it out of the park, add Hot Italian crumbled sausage, chopped ginger, cilantro, Zaa tar seasoning, Italian seasoning, oregano, cumin, marjoram, and curry powder. Make the whole mixture above with all of your ingedients and store them in a jar. Serve the Shakshuka over rice. Top the shak with chopped green onions just before you serve. I don’t poach the eggs, I top the shak and green onions with a fried egg. I could eat this 3 times a day! Thanks for turning me on to the recipe (which I obviously tweaked) You’re an amazing cook.
Sounds like yummy additions! Thank you for sharing!