Make a hearty, flavorful shakshuka with a rich tomato sauce and perfectly cooked eggs in 30 minutes, using simple pantry ingredients.
I often serve my family lighter, egg-based dinners, especially in the summer. One such dinner is avocado egg bake, and I also like to make this shakshuka recipe. This quick skillet dinner is ready in 30 minutes, is flavorful and filling, and my entire family enjoys it. And while it practically begs for crusty bread for dipping, we often enjoy it with thick slices of almond flour bread.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
- Tomatoes: I use Pomi chopped tomatoes. They are wonderfully sweet, with a texture that is a hybrid of diced tomatoes and canned tomato sauce. If you can't find this brand, use one 15-ounce can of plain tomato sauce and one 14-ounce can of petite-diced tomatoes, undrained.
- Spices: Paprika, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Smoked paprika is a good substitute for regular paprika and adds a lovely smoky flavor.
- Eggs: I use large eggs in most of my recipes. But in this recipe, medium eggs are better because it's easier for the tomato sauce to contain a smaller volume of egg whites.
Optional Ingredients
Three ingredients that are completely optional are green bell peppers, hot chili peppers, and crumbled feta cheese. I don't always add them, but when I do, I find that the bell pepper does enhance the dish's flavor. If you'd like, you can add 1-2 chopped bell peppers and cook them with the onions.
My husband and I enjoy spicy food, so I sometimes add a seeded hot pepper for extra heat. Here in the U.S., I use a jalapeño pepper, which resembles the standard Israeli green chili. I add it to the skillet with the garlic and spices, as shown in the photo below.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Cook the onion in olive oil with salt. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, and red pepper flakes.
Add the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the eggs and cook them for 5-10 minutes, or until set.
Sprinkle the shakshuka with salt, pepper, and parsley or cilantro, then serve.
Recipe Tips
- Before adding the eggs, taste the spiced tomato sauce and add salt or other spices if needed. I often add more salt at this point.
- At the very last step, after you add the eggs to poach in the tomato sauce, it's tempting to cover the skillet so that the egg whites can cook faster. You can do so briefly, but watch the shakshuka carefully - covering the skillet for too long will cause a milky film to form on the egg yolks, as shown in the photo below. It's best to patiently cook the eggs uncovered.
- Sometimes, I use mini skillets to make individual servings, as shown in the photo below. This shakshuka was made with diced tomatoes, and as you can see, it is chunky.
Recipe FAQs
Shakshuka, a dish of eggs poached in a well-seasoned tomato sauce, originated in North Africa. Jewish immigrants brought it to Israel, where it was adopted enthusiastically. In Arab countries, there's a similar dish called Bayd wa Banadura. Eggs in Purgatory is another similar dish from Italy, seasoned with Italian herbs like basil and oregano.
If you use large eggs, the volume of egg whites will be too high for the tomato sauce to contain. See the photo below - there's a noticeable difference between medium and large eggs.
If you only have large eggs, crack each egg into a small bowl and pour off some of the egg white before adding it to the skillet.
Yes! A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is non-reactive and can handle acidic ingredients like tomatoes. After plating the shakshuka, I wipe the skillet clean with wet paper towels. After the meal, I follow my usual routine of gently heating the skillet on the stovetop and coating it with a thin layer of ghee, as shown in the photo below.
Yes. You can use 1-2 cups of cubed firm tofu. Add it to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Press it to remove excess moisture before cooking, so it absorbs the sauce's flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Outside of Israel (and also in Israeli hotels and restaurants), shakshuka is served for breakfast or brunch. But in Israel, home cooks usually serve it for dinner. Israelis eat their main meal for lunch and have a lighter meatless dinner. As a child, my mom usually served us an omelet and an Israeli salad for dinner.
While the spicy tomato sauce and runny egg yolks are perfect with crusty bread, bread is not mandatory! A fork and a knife (plus a spoon) are just as efficient when enjoying shakshuka. Sometimes, however, my family enjoys this dish with thick buttered slices of almond flour bread, as shown in the image below.
Storing and Using the Leftovers
You can keep the tomato sauce but not the eggs. So, you can make as much of the sauce as you wish, keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days, and reheat it covered in the microwave, but only poach as many eggs as you'll eat right away.
When you serve the leftovers, fry or poach the eggs separately. The photo below shows a plate with leftover chunky shakshuka topped with a freshly fried egg.
Recipe Card
Hearty Shakshuka Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil - extra-virgin
- 1 medium onion - chopped; 6 ounces
- ½ teaspoon sea salt - divided, plus a pinch for the eggs
- 1 tablespoon garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes - ¼ teaspoon you don't like spicy food
- 26 ounces Pomi chopped tomatoes - see notes below for substitutes
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper - plus a pinch for the eggs
- 6 medium eggs - see notes below
- 2 tablespoons cilantro - or parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. I like to use a well-seasoned 12-inch cast-iron skillet.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the onions and half the salt and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes.1 medium onion, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.1 tablespoon garlic, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Add the tomatoes (undrained), the remaining salt, and black pepper. Cook for 10 more minutes, uncovered, stirring frequently, to thicken the sauce and meld the flavors. Taste and decide whether to add more salt, paprika, or red pepper flakes.26 ounces Pomi chopped tomatoes, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Crack the eggs into small bowls. With the back of a spoon, make a well in the sauce and carefully pour an egg into it. Gently push the tomato sauce over the edges of the egg white to keep it from spreading too much. Repeat with the remaining eggs, spacing them apart evenly.6 medium eggs
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and keep cooking the shakshuka, uncovered and undisturbed, until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still soft, 5-10 more minutes. You can cover the skillet briefly to speed things up, but watch it carefully, as this creates a milky white film on the egg yolks. If the tomato sauce becomes too dry, drizzle it with water.
- Sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper to taste, garnish with cilantro or parsley, and serve.2 tablespoons cilantro
Notes
- Seasonings, especially salt, are guidelines. Adjust to taste.
- Eggs: It's best to use medium eggs. If you use large eggs, the volume of egg whites will be too high for the tomato sauce to contain. If you only have large eggs, crack each egg into a small bowl and pour off some of the egg white before adding it to the skillet.
- Tomatoes: Pomi chopped tomatoes are wonderfully sweet, with a texture that is a hybrid of diced tomatoes and canned tomato sauce. If you can't find this brand, use one 15-ounce can of plain tomato sauce and one 14-ounce can of petite-diced tomatoes, undrained.
- Optional ingredients: You can add 1-2 chopped bell peppers and cook them with the onions. You can also sprinkle the finished dish with ¼ cup of crumbled feta.
- Storage: You can keep the tomato sauce, but not the eggs. So, you can make as much of the sauce as you wish and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days, but only poach as many eggs as you'll eat right away. Then, when you serve the reheated sauce (I splash it with water and reheat it in the microwave, covered), fry or poach the eggs separately.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate - please verify it. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Loves2Cook says
This recipe is FANTASTIC! I doubled it and followed almost to a T (I did pop the lid on after adding the eggs because we were in a hurry and it sped up the cooking process). It was so flavorful, hearty and an instant comfort meal. I made mine with easy 4 ingredient homemade bread and it was heavenly.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Wonderful! I'm so glad this was such a hit. That homemade bread sounds dreamy. ❤️
Dottie says
Looks delicious!
Vered DeLeeuw says
It is, Dottie! Give it a try! 🙂