Middle Eastern Shakshuka
Shakshuka is a delicious popular one-pan dish from the Middle East. It consists of eggs bedded in a savory tomato sauce seasoned with cumin, paprika, herbs, and mild chili flakes. It's easy to make, customizable, and perfect for sharing with friends and family for brunch or as a dinner option with roasted bread or baked potatoes.
Ingredients
Protein
- 6 eggs
Fresh Produce
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2 bell pepper (1 green, 1 red)
- 1 lb tomatoes finely chopped
Shakshuka Culinary Spice Kit
- Cumin, smoked paprika, mild Marash chili flakes, marjoram, basil
Optional Topping
- Fried bacon strips thinly sliced
- Grated cheese of your liking for instance: parmesan, Romano, cheddar
- Fresh chopped parsley or basil
Suggested Sides
- Fresh roasted garlic bread
- Couscous, rice, or quinoa
- Baked potatoes
Instructions
- Chop bell pepper into small or medium pieces to your liking.
- In a PAN, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat.
- Fry onions until they turn translucent.
- Add garlic and fry for 1 minute.
- Add bell pepper and salt to taste. Fry for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, Shakshuka spices, and salt & pepper to taste. Mix well.
- Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 15 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and released their juice.
- With a tablespoon, form a little well in the sauce and crack one egg into the well. Continue with the remaining eggs.
- Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the eggs whites are set but the yolks are still running or cooked to your liking.
Serve
- Serve with your preferred toppings (optional) and sides.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Substitute fresh tomatoes with 1-2 cups chopped canned tomato or tomato puree (unflavored) and let it cook over low heat until the sauce thickens.
Adapt the recipe to your liking:
(1) Though eggs are a key ingredient to this dish, you can substitute them with tofu cubes, crumbled cheese, bacon strips, or thinly sliced sausages.
(2) Substitute with 2 cups of chopped vegetables, e.g., green asparagus, zucchini, eggplants, pumpkin, leek, sweet potatoes, or mushrooms.
Optionally, add hot chilies, finely chopped.
Marceline Reid-Jaques
2022-12-14
Karen Jones
2022-12-05
Wonderful, flavorful meals using readily available ingredients!
ann davis
2022-11-29
My daughter gave me a subscription as a Christmas present while our families were quarantining together. It was so much fun! It introduced us to several cuisines that were totally new to us. The recipes were easy to follow and the spices were transformative - fresh and pungent and delicious.
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2022-05-22
The best way to try new dishes!
Israeli Shakshuka
The origin of Shakshuka might be in Turkey, Spain, or Tunisia. The Israeli version with a beautiful top of poached eggs became famous around the world. This flavorful tomato stew with vegetables has usually a bit of heat. Our Turkish Marash pepper flakes add more flavor than heat.
Shopping List
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- 1 green bell pepper (diced)
- 3 ripe medium tomatoes (chopped (*))
- 2 tbsp tomato paste ((*))
- 1 bunch parsley (chopped)
- pita bread or other flatbread
- 3-4 eggs
- 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped or grated (or more to taste))
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
Shakshuka Culinary Spice Kit
- Cumin, coriander, paprika, Marash pepper, black pepper
- In a PAN, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat.
- Fry bell peppers for 10 minutes.
- Add garlic, Shakshuka spices, and salt to taste.
- Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt & pepper to taste. Mix well.
- Cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes until the sauce thickened a bit. Stir.
- With a tablespoon, form a little well in the sauce and crack one egg into the well. Continue with the remaining eggs.
- Continue to cook until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still running.
- Sprinkle with parsley.
Optional Dip
In a small CUP, add olive oil and optionally Za'atar and garlic to taste.
Serve
- Serve with warm bread.
Enjoy!
(*) Substitute tomatoes and tomato paste with 1-2 cups tomato puree (unflavored) and let it simmer until the sauce thickens.
Adapt the recipe to your liking:
- Omit eggs
- Add hot chilies,
- Add other vegetables, for instance, pumpkin, leek, sweet potatoes, or mushrooms.
Variation:
Instead of the dip, marinate 1 lb strips from chicken breast or sirloin beef in 1.5 tbsp za’atar, 2 tbsp oil, and salt to taste for 1-2 hours before frying.
