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Poached eggs in a tomato sauce with beautiful flavors and a handful of fresh herbs – that’s Shakshuka! Serve it with fresh bread, and you have a wonderful one-pot meal!
Shakshuka Origin
Shakshuka (also spelled shakshouka) is a vegetarian meal born in North Africa, though its origin may go back to the Ottoman Empire.
Today it’s strongly associated with the Middle East and Israel in particular, where Jewish immigrants introduced it. It has become more popular in the western world during the last years and is a signature dish among the Levant kitchen.
What Is Shakshuka?
It’s a very simple dish that is easy to cook with no pitfalls. Shakshuka essentially means “mixed up”, which reflects its casual composition.
Garlic, onion, bell pepper, and fresh tomatoes are cooked among some fresh herbs and spices. Once the sauce has bubbled for a while, wells are formed into the sauce. Raw eggs are cracked directly into them and poached in the sauce. This is the classic version, yet you can vary it greatly!
Some like to top it with crumbled feta, and others prefer a green shakshuka made with green vegetables.
Shakshuka is typically served for brunch or breakfast and can be eaten straight out of the pan. I love to serve it with one of those homemade crusty bread:
Such an easy recipe that is bursting with flavor and a must-try if you love the Arabic cuisine. The use of fresh mint, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper gives this dish its typical middle eastern taste.
Fresh Tomatoes
Shakshuka with fresh tomatoes is my favorite way to cook it. The tomatoes should be very ripe and, therefore, sweet and juicy.
If you don’t have ripe tomatoes at hand, use canned peeled tomatoes instead.
One last note: As you serve it directly in your pan, it will keep the temperature quite long. Keep in mind that the eggs will still cook a little more once you take them from the heat. Therefore, reduce the cooking time if you love your eggs runny.
How To Make This Shakshuka Recipe
Read through this visual step-by-step guide with lots of extra tips!
The exact quantities and everything else you need to know for the recipe can be found in the recipe card below.
- Heat a skillet with olive oil. Add garlic, onion, and bell pepper, sauté for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in tomato paste, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, and sugar.
- Cook for an additional minute while stirring constantly.
- Add diced tomatoes, water, and half of the mint and parsley.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Use a spoon to make three wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each well.
- Cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes over low to medium heat until the eggs are almost cooked through (or done to your liking). → Keep in mind that the eggs will still cook a little more once you take the skillet from the heat.
- Sprinkle with the remaining mint and parsley and serve with fresh bread.
Recipe FAQ & Tips
How long does it stay fresh? Leftovers can be stored for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
Fresh Tomatoes: I love to use fresh and ripe tomatoes to make shakshuka. It’s ideal to use up leftover tomatoes, which you wouldn’t want to use for salad anymore.
Canned Tomatoes: Feel free to replace fresh tomatoes with a can of peeled tomatoes. If so, skip the water used in the recipe and reduce the cooking time in step 2 to 10 minutes.
Skillet: I recommend using a 9.5 inch (24cm) skillet to fit 3 eggs.
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Shakshuka
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 onion minced
- ½ red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp sugar
- 14 oz (400 g) ripe tomatoes chopped OR a 14.5oz can of peeled tomatoes
- ½ cup (120 ml) water skip if using canned tomatoes
- ½ bunch fresh mint chopped
- ½ brunch fresh parsley chopped
- 3 eggs
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Heat a skillet with olive oil. Add garlic, onion, and bell pepper, sauté for a few minutes until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, and sugar, cook for an additional minute while stirring constantly.
- Add diced tomatoes, water, and half of the mint and parsley. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Use a spoon to make three wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each well.
- Cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes over low to medium heat until the eggs are almost cooked through (or done to your liking). → Keep in mind that the eggs will still cook a little more once you take the skillet from the heat.
- Sprinkle with the remaining mint and parsley and serve with fresh bread.
Laura says
Perfect proportions, which is what I needed. Ran out of sweet paprika so I substituted Aleppo pepper. Added olives and a couple ounces of feta right at the end because, well Greek-household habit!
All veg from my garden made this just right!
Thank you!
Aline Cueni says
So glad to hear, Laura! 💕 Love your twist with olives and feta!
Abby says
Made this for breakfast and we loved it! After trying some of the pre-made starter kits, we found this recipe to be far superior. Thank you!
Aline Cueni says
So glad to hear that you had such a pleasant experience with my recipe. Thank you for letting me know, Abby! 🥰
Marie says
Trying to eat healthier and tryed this recipe this morning. Very good. My husband loved it. Thanks
Aline Cueni says
So happy you and your husband liked the recipe, Marie! 💕