Shakshuka
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Shakshuka: As fun to say as it is to eat! Savor this North African dish of eggs poached in a smoky, spicy tomato sauce—perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Shakshuka (pronounced shak-shoo-kah) is a beloved dish throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and it holds a particularly special place in Israeli cuisine, where it stands alongside falafel and hummus as one of the country’s most-loved dishes. The name “shakshuka” means “mixture” in Arabic. Originally brought to Israel by Jewish immigrants from North Africa, this dish features poached eggs in a smoky, spicy tomato and vegetable sauce. While I stay true to the classic recipe, I enhance it with a splash of heavy cream to balance the tomatoes’ acidity and a sprinkle of crumbled feta for added flavor and richness—these little changes really make all the difference!
Shakshuka is traditionally prepared in a cast iron pan and is simple to make. Begin by simmering the sauce on the stovetop, then gently crack the eggs into little wells in the sauce. Allow the eggs to cook just briefly, then finish everything off under the broiler. It’s a fantastic breakfast-for-dinner option, though it’s wonderful at any time of day. Be sure to serve it with toasted buttered bread—it’s essential for soaking up the delicious sauce and runny yolks.
Table of Contents
“I have lived in Israel, and it is hard to find a better shakshuka than this recipe!”
What You’ll Need To Make Shakshuka
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Used as the base for sautéing onions, garlic, and bell peppers, providing flavor and richness.
- Yellow Onions and Garlic: Fundamental for flavor base; onions add sweetness and garlic adds a pungent depth to the sauce.
- Bell Pepper: Adds sweetness and contributes to the heartiness and texture of the sauce.
- Smoked Paprika, Cumin, Coriander, Red Pepper Flakes: This spice blend imparts warmth, smokiness, and a touch of heat, giving the dish its signature flavor profile.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: The main body of the sauce, providing moisture, acidity, and rich tomato flavor.
- Chopped Greens, such as Swiss Chard, Kale, or Spinach: These add color, texture, and nutritional value, and help mellow out the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Heavy Cream: Used to balance the acidity of the tomatoes, adding a creamy richness that complements the eggs.
- Feta Cheese: Adds a tangy, salty element when sprinkled on top.
- Eggs: The centerpiece of the dish, poached directly in the sauce, providing protein and a creamy texture when the yolks are broken.
- Cilantro: Used as a garnish, adding a fresh note that brightens up the dish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by chopping the onions, peppers, and garlic. Be sure not to chop the garlic too finely or it will burn.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and bell pepper.
Cook, uncovered, for about 8 minutes, until softened.
Add the smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, 1-1/4 teaspoons of the salt, sugar, and tomatoes.
Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
While the sauce cooks, chop the greens.
Add the chopped greens and heavy cream to the sauce, and continue cooking, uncovered, until the greens are soft and wilted, about 10 minutes more.
Turn off (or remove the pan from) the heat. Then, using a spoon, make 6 wells/indentations in the sauce.
Carefully crack an egg into each well, then spoon a bit of the sauce over the egg whites (this will contain them and also help them cook a bit faster than the yolks), being careful not to disturb the yolks. Sprinkle the eggs with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. And then sprinkle the feta around the eggs.
Set the pan on the stove over low heat and cover with a lid. Cook until the egg whites are mostly set but still translucent on top, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and broil until the eggs are cooked to your liking, 1 minute or less for runny yolks. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the cilantro over top.
Serve hot with bread.
Video Tutorial
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Shakshuka
Shakshuka: As fun to say as it is to eat! Savor this North African dish of eggs poached in a smoky, spicy tomato sauce—perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions (or 1 medium), peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 bell pepper (red, orange or yellow), diced
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1½ teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
- 2 cups finely chopped greens, such as Swiss chard, kale, or spinach, tough ribs removed, gently packed
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 6 eggs
- Handful chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and bell pepper and cook, uncovered, for about 8 minutes, until softened. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary.
- Add the smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, 1¼ teaspoons of the salt, sugar, and tomatoes. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Add the chopped greens and heavy cream to the sauce, and continue cooking, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the greens are soft and wilted, about 10 minutes more. While the greens are cooking, set an oven rack in the top position and preheat the broiler.
- Turn off (or remove the pan from) the heat. Using a spoon, make 6 wells/indentations in the sauce. Carefully crack an egg into each well, then spoon a bit of the sauce over each of the egg whites (this will contain them and also help them cook a bit faster than the yolks), being careful not to disturb the yolks. Sprinkle the eggs with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, then sprinkle the feta around the eggs. Set the pan on the stove over low heat and cover with a lid. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the egg whites are mostly set but still translucent on top (check frequently towards the end as cook time can vary). Remove the lid, transfer the pan to the oven, and broil until the eggs are cooked to your liking, 1 minute or less for runny yolks (see note below on cooking eggs further). Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the cilantro over top. Serve hot with bread.
- Note: You can cook the dish entirely on the stovetop for just a few minutes longer (without using the broiler) if you like your egg yolks cooked through. If you like your eggs runny, however, I find that the stovetop-to-broiler method is the only surefire way to cook the egg whites thoroughly without overcooking the yolks.
- Make Ahead: The tomato sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 2 months. Reheat the sauce on the stovetop and proceed with the recipe when ready to serve.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 254
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 636 mg
- Cholesterol: 200 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jen,
I’ve made your Shakshuka so many times and love it. I need to make enough for 10 people. I usually make it in my cast iron skillet for a only few people. If I doubled the ingredients would that work and what would you suggest I make it in for that many? I thought of a cookie sheet possibly but not sure that would work. Thank you for your help.
Hi Sheri, With a baking sheet, I’d be concerned that you may have leakage. Instead, I’d suggest using a large baking dish (or two smaller baking dishes) and instead of partially cooking the eggs on the stove, I’d bake them in a 375° oven for 7 to 10 minutes. Hope that helps and that everyone enjoys!
This was a delicious dish that we had with your homemade naan recipe. My two toddler girls, who are relatively picky, liked dunking the bread into the sauce. A 5 star family dish.
Love this recipe, I have made it countless times! I have also frozen it (tomato pepper tomato part) and it has come out perfectly! Would recommend 100%
I have tried and enjoyed so many of your recipes. This is another keeper! Thanks for the many delicious recipes. Your recipes have good and directions. I love the photos that accompany them. I’ll keep coming back to your website! Thank you for sharing your talents.
Delicious
I follow the recipe exactly and we swoon over this breakfast every time I make it. Someone at the table, takes a bite, exclaims how beautiful the flavors are, the next person takes a bite and does the same thing. It continues around the table until every scrap has been licked clean. Then everyone dreams about it over and over.
This is a beautiful dish. I served with naan and roasted red garlic potatoes. It’s perfect.
We had this for dinner last night with some naan and the leftovers were perfect for breakfast. This is a great recipe! I was initially hesitant to try it because it was so different from my normal recipes, but it was great (just like with everything else I’ve tried from Once Upon A Chef)! It was pretty easy to make too. My husband has a slight lactose intolerance, so I put in half the cream and omitted the cheese, and it was still delicious. I mistimed the eggs, so they were more cooked. This is definitely a recipe to make again!
Delicious sauce! Definitely a keeper, but I might have to play around with the egg timing, which is mentioned in the recipe, to get the runny yolks that we like. In retrospect, my sauce should have been a little bit thicker before I added the eggs in order to keep them in place. Since they kind of slipped under, I thought the whites weren’t done and cooked them a little longer than necessary under the broiler. As I said, this was my timing issue, the recipe is yummy…and there were no leftovers (eggs or sauce!) thanks to a loaf of fresh French bread to accompany the meal!
My cousin and I are debating the ingredients in the recipe. She would like to use fresh tomatoes. Can fresh tomatoes be used instead of canned? If so what would be the amount of tomatoes required?
I haven’t tried it, but you could get away with using fresh tomatoes here. It really depends upon the size of the tomatoes you buy but you’ll need about 3-1/2 cups of diced tomatoes (be sure to include the tomato juices). I’d love to hear how it turns out!
The final result was not as red I guess from the lack of the canned juices, however, the taste was awesome! We did not place the skillet in the oven since my cousin prefers a more solid yolk. Next time I make the Shakshuka I will use the canned tomatoes and place the skillet in the oven as I enjoy a more runny yolk. Thanks Jenn, your recipes are top notch!
Glad it turned out well — thanks for the follow-up!
Would it be possible to omit the dairy products?
Hi Trevor, You could use a non-dairy cream in place of the heavy cream or just drizzle some olive oil over top before serving. You can also omit the feta but may need to add a little more salt to the dish to taste when serving. Hope you enjoy!