An illustration of shakshuka: tomatoes, eggs, feta cheese, herbs, and olive oil simmered in a saucepan.

Shakshuka

An easy weeknight meal and a great way to use up eggs. Satisfying for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

2-4 servings

Time: 35 mins

Keith McBrayerBy Keith McBrayer
Photography by Damm Cabrera

The recipe breakdown originally appeared in The Mouthful, our weekly food newsletter for the curious home cook.

Keith McBrayer

Keith McBrayer

CREATOR

Ingredients

  • Aromatic base

    • olive oil
      for cooking
    • onions
      , diced
      1/2
    • red bell peppers
      , diced
      1
    • garlic
      , thinly sliced
      2 cloves
    • cumin
      1/2 spoonful
    • paprika
      1/2 spoonful
    • chili powder
      a sprinkle
    • salt
      to taste
  • Tomato & eggs

    • whole peeled tomatoes
      800 g1 28oz can
    • eggs
      4-6
  • For serving

    • feta
      , crumbled
    • cilantro
      , roughly chopped
    • bread
      , or pita slices

Method

Step 1: Start the oven & aromatic base

Preheat the oven to around 400°F/205°C (Any high temp will work in this recipe, the oven is used to finish cooking the eggs through).

In an oven-proof pan (like stainless steel or cast iron) the onion & bell pepper in the olive oil (enough to coat the pan) on medium heat until softened.

Add in the garlic, cumin, paprika & chili powder to for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Turn off the heat.

Step 2: Simmer the tomatoes

Take your can of whole canned tomatoes and break them up: either crush the tomatoes by hand or pulse with a hand blender, leaving some chunky texture. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan of aromatics, and bring the heat back to medium.

When the mixture comes to a , turn down the heat and let the sauce for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Turn off the heat in the pan and add salt to taste.

Step 3: Add the eggs & finish

Use a spoon to create a divot for each egg in the sauce, and crack in your eggs so that they are resting on the surface of the shakshuka.

Slide the pan into the preheated oven and for 5-10 minutes, checking in every few minutes until the eggs are cooked to your desired doneness.

  • We suggest pulling the pan out when the eggs are jiggly, when the whites are opaque but the yolks are still runny — keep in mind the residual heat will continue to the eggs a bit.
  • If you don’t want to use an oven, you can finish the eggs on the stove on low heat: cover the pan to trap until the eggs are set to your liking.

Garnish with the crumbled feta and chopped herbs. Serve warm with slices of toasted bread.

LET'S COOK!

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