Shakshuka is a humble recipe made by gently poaching eggs in a rich tomato and bell pepper sauce. This breakfast recipe is popular throughout North Africa and the Middle East. It is so easy to make and satisfying that you can serve it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Plus, it’s vegetarian and gluten-free!
What is Shakshuka?
Growing up in Egypt, my favorite shakshuka recipe was from a Cairo restaurant near the Nile called Felfela. They served shakshuka mild or spicy, with or without small chunks of beef or lamb. Of course it always came with a stack of warm pita. It’s often served as breakfast (or dinner) next to dishes like falafel and ful muddamas. I have both made and eaten this dish with endless variations and they are all good!
To make shakshuka (pronounced Shak-SHOO-kah) gently poach eggs in a chunky tomato and bell pepper sauce. In my experience, the seasoning can vary from one recipe to another, but you’ll often find warm spices like cumin, paprika, and crushed red pepper flakes.
Many think of this dish as an Israeli breakfast food because it is quite popular in places like Tel Aviv. However, shakshuka is found throughout many parts of North Africa and the Middle East, and it’s largely considered to be from the Maghreb region, specifically Tunisia due to historic and linguistic factors. Fun fact, the origins of the word shakshuka come from Arabic for “all mixed up” or “shaken.”
The good news is, wherever you are in the world shakshuka is easy to make, and I’m happy to share the version of shaksuka I’ve enjoyed since childhood.
Shakshuka Ingredients
I often make this easy shakshuka recipe for Sunday brunch, although I’ve been known to serve it for dinner as well. There are two main components to this recipe: The chunky tomato sauce seasoned with North African spices and eggs.
Once the sauce is ready, simply nestle the eggs in it and let them cook in the sauce until the whites set. The eggs yolks are meant to be runny, but if you don’t like them that way, it’s fine to cook them to your liking.
- Extra virgin olive oil: You’ve heard me say this a million times but for those of us from the Mediterranean olive oil is like liquid gold. Get the good stuff it adds a peppery flavor. Learn more about cooking with olive oil.
- Onion and garlic are the core aromatic elements, the onion adds sweetness while the garlic adds pungency.
- Green bell peppers are less sweet than their colorful counterparts. Their slightly bitter earthy flavor is a welcome part of this recipe. If, however, you only have red, yellow or orange peppers, use them. The recipe will just be a little sweeter but equally delicious.
- Spices: coriander, cumin, sweet paprika—a trio of warm North African flavors. If you like spicy shakshuka, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Tomatoes: In this recipe, I like to use 6 fresh medium-sized tomatoes and about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce. This combination gives me the texture and flavor I’m looking for. It helps if your fresh tomatoes are soft and almost overripe. If tomatoes aren’t in season, replace them with 1 (28-ounce) can of whole tomatoes or 6 cups canned chopped tomatoes with their juices. If you use the canned tomatoes, omit the tomato sauce.
- Eggs: You’ll need a half dozen or 6 large eggs for this recipe.
- Garnish: This is totally optional, but for me, a handful of fresh chopped parsley and mint just before serving adds freshness and a pop of color. And if you love your shakshuka with feta, then add a sprinkle of creamy feta cheese just before serving.
How to Make Shakshuka
- Make the tomato sauce. Set a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer add the 1 yellow chopped onion, 2 chopped bell peppers, and 2 chopped garlic cloves. Season with kosher salt, 1 teaspoon each coriander and paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and crushed pepper flakes (if using). Cook for at least 5 minutes, stirring, until the veggies are tender. Next, dice 6 medium fresh tomatoes and add them to the skillet along with a 1/2 cup of tomato sauce. (If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, use 1 (28-ounce) can diced or whole tomatoes, broken up. Bring the tomatoes to a boil, then cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook a few more minutes until your sauce has thickened.
- Add the eggs and cook. When the sauce is ready, use the back of a spoon to make a hole in the sauce. Crack an egg into each hole. Cover the skillet and poach the eggs in the sauce over medium-low heat. It’s ready when the egg whites have set and the yolks are still runny. You can also, cook the yolks to your desired level of doneness.
- Serve immediately. Once the eggs are ready, garnish with fresh herbs and serve immediately!
Shakshuka with Meat
While shakshuka is thought of as a vegetarian meal, when I was growing up in Egypt, you could choose to have it with or without meat.
- To add meat to this shakshuka recipe, use 1/2 pound of ground or small diced meat. Lamb or beef are common options.
- Cook the meat first in a bit of extra virgin olive oil until fully browned, and season with kosher salt, black pepper, and if you like, a dash of allspice. From there, add the onions, garlic, and bell peppers, and make the shakshuka sauce by following the recipe.
Or, if you have some leftover meat from a leg of lamb or lamb rack chops, give them a new life by serving them over shakshuka.
What to Serve with Shakshuka?
There is no right or wrong way to serve this tasty dish, but pita or a crusty loaf (or even challah) are essential. (I’ve been known to even use up extra garlic bread to dunk in the chunky tomato sauce). You can serve shakshuka with other dishes. Here are a few ideas:
- For breakfast or brunch. Add an assortment of warm breads like those mentioned above, but also platters of fresh fruit like berries in the spring or cantaloupe and watermelon in the summer. For snacking a mezze platter is a great addition and don’t forget mint tea.
- For lunch. In addition to bread, add a side salad like this Mediterranean chickpea salad or white bean salad.
- Turn it into a vegetarian feast! Use shakshuka as a centerpiece to a larger vegetarian feast and add small plates like skordalia (Greek potato dip), falafel, roasted eggplant or sauteed summer squash.
Poached Egg Recipes from Around The Mediterranean
- White Bean Shakshuka
- Green Shakshuka
- Eggs in Purgatory (Uova Al Purgatorio). I even have an Egyptian twist on this recipe called Eggs Fra Diavolo using hoard boiled eggs, sautéed in olive oil.
- Turkish Spinach and Eggs (Ispanaklí Yumurta)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 2 green peppers chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- pinch red pepper flakes optional
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 6 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 6 cups chopped tomatoes)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the onions, green peppers, garlic, spices, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Finish the sauce. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook a bit longer to allow the mixture to reduce and thicken. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- Add the eggs. Using a wooden spoon, make 6 indentations, or "wells," in the tomato mixture. Make sure the indentations are spaced out. Gently crack an egg into each indentation.
- Finish the eggs. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet, and cook on low until the egg whites are set.
Video
Notes
- Make Ahead Tip: You can prepare the shakshuka tomato sauce one night in advance. Let cool completely, then store in the fridge in a tight lid glass container. When you are ready the next day, warm up the sauce in a skillet and add the eggs and follow the recipe from step #3 on.
- Leftovers Storage: Leftovers will keep for 1 to 2 days if stored properly in the fridge in tight-lid glass containers. Warm up over medium heat, adding a little more liquid to the shakshuka sauce if needed.
- To add meat: If you want to add meat, cook about 1/2 ground beef or ground lamb in some extra virgin olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Once fully cooked, remove the meat from the skillet, wipe the skillet well and follow steps #1 and #2 to make the shakshuka sauce, only this time, add the cooked ground meat to the skillet to simmer with the tomatoes for 15 minutes or so before adding the eggs.
- Visit Our Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils and all-natural and organic spices used in this recipe.
Nutrition
Exotic 4-Pack
Bring the vibrant seasonings of the Mediterranean to your kitchen with Sumac, Aleppo pepper, Ras el Hanout, and Baharat.
*This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2017 and has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit. Enjoy!
When you say tomato sauce do you mean tomato purée or ketchup ?
Hi, Nick! Definitely not ketchup. Here, I can buy actual “sauce” in a can (that is what is says on the label). It is sold in the same area of whole and diced canned tomatoes. If you can’t find that, pureed tomato would be much closer than ketchup. I hope that helps!
Just made this for dinner tonight and my husband and I loved it lots! We’ll be adding this to our regular dinners
Yay! Thanks, Mia!
I made this for breakfast and served it with homemade pita bread (another of Suzy’s recipes). It was very easy and delicious. I’ll definitely be making this again very soon!
Thanks, Dave!
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for awhile..today was the day to try it..changed the spices up a bit and added chopped fresh spinach! Loved it. Even my picky doesn’t try much new food husband liked it even with the eggs, which he is not too fond of..served pan sautéed mixed fresh veggies as the side with nan..yummy
So glad the family liked this one! 🙂
Thanks for another great recipe! I love shakshuka – but there is a Mediterranean brunch I like better: shakshuka and merguez sausage. It’s hard for me to find merguez locally. I’ve had some success making merguez flavored sausage patties but I would be eager to see your take on making them
Thanks again.
good and easy to make with easily available vegetables
Thanks so much, Ganne!
Awesome recipe! The spices makes this simple dish delicious.. I add two minced jalapeños to give this some heat. Thank you!
Yum!! Love that idea! Thanks, Shane!
best shakshuka recipe i tried.
Wonderful! So glad to hear it.
Awww! Thanks so much!
Loved this. Made it twice and am making it again this weekend! Finally a Sunday Morning breakfast that isn’t a frittata!
The second time I made it, I used 1.5 Tbsp of Ras Elhanout instead of the listed spices and oh my, was it good.
I also came up with a neat idea on cooking the eggs kind of by accident. I had set the cover of my cast iron pan on a burner and I thought, “Hmmm, could I preheat the cover and maybe cook the eggs from the top too?” Well, it worked fantastic! I just have to remember to use a pot holder!! 😉
Thank you so much for sharing, Mark! Always appreciate the feedback.
Wow! Thanks for sharing your fun twists on this recipe, Mark! Glad you enjoyed it!!
Hi Suzy! Oh my goodness… literally just finished devouring your Shakshuka recipe and it was absolutely, amazingly delicious. Thank you!
I do have a question about using cast iron with tomato based sauces. I love my cast iron skillet,(which is well seasoned) but fear that either the tomato based dish would have a metallic taste to it, or that it would strip away the pan’s seasoning and I’d have to start all over again re-seasoning. I ended up using a regular non-stick pan for this recipe.
Does the cast iron work because the sauce is not simmered for hours? Am I being paranoid?
Again, thank you for the recipe and I look forward to trying others on your site.
Happy New Year! Marilyn
Hi Marilyn, thank you so much for your kind comment. I am so glad you enjoyed this Shakshuka recipe. It’s a family favorite! As far using a cast iron skillet with a tomato-based recipe, I personally use mine all the time because my recipes, like this one, are quick. Now if the sauce were to simmer for many hours, I would use something else. But I haven’t had any trouble with my cast iron and I use it all the time. Personal preference.
Wow! Thank you for your prompt, informative reply. I thought that the cooking time might make a difference, but appreciate the affirmation. Just as an aside, I interchange my cast iron with a carbon steel skillet that I’ve fallen in love with. It has the same effect, but is is a little easier to maneuver around the stove. “America’s Test Kitchen” did a review of carbon steel pans which you can find on youtube if you are interested. Thanks again, Suzy.
My pleasure, Marilyn! Thanks for sharing.
Ohhhh Shakshuka is proper Moroccan dish especially among poor people cos it’s simple and doesn’t cost a lot and delicious as well …but still all kind of Moroccan backgrounders make it sometimes when there is no time to make difficult dishes lol ..and it’s quick to make ..
Agreed!Shakshuka is just amazing no matter what the occasion or need! And so easy.
Very delicious, but my only comment is that this dish is not Israeli – it is Palestinian from centuries ago, and when Israel was created in 1948, they appropriated and stole not only land, but culture and food like this one from the indigenous people on the land. Please consider writing Palestinian as the Middle East, which is the true origin of the dish: https://middle-east-online.com/en/israel’s-appropriation-palestinian-food
Thank you for your understanding.
Hey Colette, thanks so much for sharing. Although, as mentioned in the post, Shakshuka likely originated in North Africa (Tunisia) and traveled from there to parts of the Middle East. There are so many variations of it! All wonderful!
Delicious recipe easy to make recipe!
So glad to hear it, Cheryl!
This is a fabulous recipe and so easy to make. Thank you
So glad you enjoyed it!
I thought Shakshuka looked interesting but not for me as I am single. Then I ordered it in a swank hotel in Budpest and loved it. It was basically the sauce plus the egg. So I am thinking, “Can’t I make the recipe without the eggs’ and just save it in the fridge and just make it for one?” So do you see any reason why not?
Hey Ann! You can absolutely make the sauce part of the recipe and save in the fridge as you described. Then warm up a portion and add an egg to it as you need to. You can also fry the eggs separately, if that works better for you.
Tomatoe sauce? What’s that? Ketchup?!! Can’t be
Tomato sauce refers to plain tomato sauce made from tomatoes. Not ketchup
Here to tell you I just used ketchup, but then added no sugar: really tasty, if less authentic. Loved it and will make again for sure.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! It’s fun to play with recipes to find what works for you and suit your own taste.