This shakshouka recipe is the best! Shakshouka (also called shakshuka and chakchouka) is a Middle Eastern dish of tomatoes, spices, and eggs that are sautéed and then baked together.
Originally a North African dish, Shakshouka became popular in Israeli and Palestinian cuisine and is now enjoyed across the Middle East (and worldwide!).
It's a delicious breakfast or brunch recipe, but can also be eaten for dinner. Pair it with pita bread for a hearty, tasty meal.
Shakshouka is a stunner of a dish no matter what time of day you serve it!
Tomatoes are simmered with onions, bell peppers, and spices to create a flavorful, rich, spicy tomato sauce. Then, the eggs are poached to perfection in the sauce.
Leaving the egg yolks a little runny gives you the perfect dipping combination for warm pita bread or your favorite crusty bread. It's a simple dish, but it has a deep, complex flavor that you will definitely enjoy.
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Traditional Shakshouka Ingredients
Shakshouka traditionally includes fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce, onions, peppers, garlic, cumin, and eggs. Shakshouka may also include fresh herbs, feta cheese, paprika, or other spices.
For this recipe, I left out cheese for a more traditional dish, but if you like cheese, add 4 ounces of feta to the tomatoes before you crack the eggs in.
Here's what you'll need for this recipe:
- Vegetables - You'll use fresh onions, red peppers and canned tomatoes
- Spices and aromatics - You will season this dish with fresh garlic, salt, black pepper, cumin, and paprika.
- Eggs - The eggs create a delicious topping, making this a hearty dish.
Instructions
Shakshouka can be fully cooked on the stovetop, but this recipe calls for some time in the oven as well. I've chosen this route because it results in a perfectly cooked egg.
- Prepare the vegetables - chop the onion, red peppers, garlic, and herbs.
- Sauté the vegetables - Cook the diced onion, peppers, and chopped garlic in an oven safe large skillet (like a cast iron pan) over medium heat. Then, add the spices to warm them.
- Make the tomato sauce - Add the canned tomatoes and allow them to simmer while breaking them down with a spoon or spatula.
- Add the eggs - Create wells for the eggs and then crack them into the well.
- Bake - Cover the pan and bake for 8 to 12 minutes at 375 degrees until the egg whites have cooked.
What to Serve with Shakshouka
The best thing about this dish is that you can eat it alone, but here are some ideas for serving that go well together, whether this is a lunch, brunch, or breakfast recipe.
- Roasted potatoes or roasted turnips.
- A crusty bread, toast or focaccia bread.
- Rice or quinoa
- Turkish simit (similar to a bagel)
- Pita bread with hummus
- A simple side salad, like this cucumber sweet salad.
More Healthy Middle Eastern Recipes
- Chopped Middle Eastern Salad
- Middle Eastern Spices and Spice Blends
- Turkish Lentil Soup (Mercimek Corbasi)
- Tabouli Recipe (Tabbouleh Salad)
Tips for Making this Recipe
- Give the tomatoes a full 10 minutes to simmer - they need this time to thicken and break down into the delicious tomato base.
- Fresh herbs are delicious on top of this dish - I love a mix of parsley, mint, and cilantro. You can also add a little hot sauce for some heat.
- Save any leftover sauce! It's delicious with toast.
- This dish is best the day you make it. Reheating it can overcook the eggs, but it will save in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Shakshouka Recipe
This shakshouka is a fabulous brunch, lunch, or dinner recipe! It combines tomatoes, spices, and eggs that are sauteéd and then baked together.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (28 ounce) can peeled plum tomatoes
- 6 eggs
- optional - fresh cilantro, parsley, or mint for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In an oven-safe skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Stir continuously for 30 seconds to warm the spices.
- Add the tomatoes and increase heat to bring them to a simmer. Stir occasionally and use your spatula or spoon to crush the tomatoes into smaller pieces.
- Reduce the heat and allow the tomatoes to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Using a spoon, create 6 small wells/indentations in the tomato sauce. Crack the eggs into these wells.
- Cover the skillet and place it in the oven. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the eggs are set - the whites should be cooked and the yolks should be a little runny.
- Garnish with optional fresh herbs and serve immediately with pita bread or slices of toasted french bread.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
3Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 266Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 372mgSodium: 1559mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 14g
