Shakshuka is one of the first recipes I ever shared on my site and has been one of the most popular for years. A simple dish with tomato and eggs, it’s a savory, one-skillet, vegetarian, and gluten-free dish that’s ready to eat in just over 30 minutes and works for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or “brinner.”
Looking for more easy egg recipes? Try my salmon benedict and matzo brei, too!
What is Shakshuka?
If you’ve never tried shakshuka, I’m thrilled to introduce the concept and a bit of its history to you! Originally a North African dish, it features soft-cooked eggs or poached eggs nestled in a spicy tomato sauce, similar to Italian eggs in purgatory, but with peppers and a slightly spicier taste. Today, this tomato and eggs recipe has grown in popularity and is common throughout the Middle East, and is especially beloved in Israel.
During my visit to the old port city of Jaffa, I stopped by the iconic Dr. Shakshuka, where I ordered their famous version with mushrooms, served bubbling in a skillet with fluffy bread to soak up the sauce. The flavors were unforgettable, inspiring me to create my own shakshuka recipe that was simple, satisfying, and easy to customize with ingredients like green chilies, smoked paprika, or even a spinach-tomato base.
With a five-star rating and hundreds of reviews, it encompasses everything I love about the traditional dish – and it’s easy to make at home!
Ingredients and Notes
Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the complete details!
- Oil – I like to use olive oil to sauté the veggies, but any oil you have on hand, such as avocado oil, will work. You could even use butter, if desired, although I far prefer the flavor of olive oil here.
- Veggies – White or yellow onion and garlic form the base of the sauce, adding a sweet, pungent taste. Then, I add bell peppers, ripe diced tomatoes, and tomato puree to create a savory, thick sauce. You can also use a 28-ounce can of canned tomatoes, but I prefer the flavor of fresh tomatoes.
- Seasonings – Mild chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper infuse the sauce with the warm, savory flavors shakshuka is known for having. Then, I add sugar to balance some of the acidity of the tomatoes – but that part is completely optional, if you’re watching your sugar intake.
- Eggs – The star of the show! I use six large eggs for this recipe, which is plenty to feed my whole family.
How to Make Shakshuka
- Sauté. Heat oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion until it begins to soften. Then, add the garlic cloves, and sauté until the mixture is fragrant. This only takes about a minute! Next, add the diced bell pepper, and continue to sauté to soften.
- Simmer. Next, stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste, and add the spices and sugar. Stir to combine, and simmer until the mixture begins to reduce. At this point, I like to give it a quick taste test and adjust as needed.
- Add the eggs. Crack the eggs directly over the tomato mixture, spacing them out evenly over the sauce, trying not to let the whites touch. I usually place five eggs around the center of the pan and one in the middle.
- Cook. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer until the eggs cook, the whites set, and the sauce reduces further. Note that the exact cooking times will vary depending on how you like your eggs. Make sure the sauce doesn’t reduce too much, or it will burn!
Tori’s Tips for an Authentic Shakshuka Recipe
- Adjust the flavor. Add more sugar for a sweeter sauce or more cayenne or harissa paste for a spicier Middle Eastern egg dish. Start slowly and be careful with the cayenne and harissa. They are extremely spicy!
- Cook the dish of eggs to your liking. Some people prefer their shakshuka with more runny yolks. If this is your preference, let the sauce reduce for a few minutes before cracking the eggs on top. Then, cover the pan and cook the eggs to taste, making sure the egg whites are set before serving. Otherwise, crack the eggs and cook them to your desired doneness.
- Use a large skillet with a lid. It’s crucial to cover the dish to cook the eggs evenly without burning the sauce.
Topping Ideas and Serving Suggestions
I like to serve my shakshuka topped with fresh herbs such as parsley or cilantro. I often spoon a bit of the sauce on top of the eggs as I eat. Sometimes I add a sprinkle of feta cheese for a salty taste, as well as a side of sourdough pita bread for dipping.
To switch things up, I sometimes add extra ingredients like jalapeños, green chilies, parsley, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, or extra veggies to the sauce. I’ve even tested a spinach and tomato base that turned out great! Use your imagination and incorporate any items you have on hand. This tomato and eggs dish is always a crowd pleaser!
Video by Entice Films
Shakshuka
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 onion, peeled and diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 4 cups ripe diced tomatoes, or 2 cans (14 oz. each) diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon mild chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch of cayenne pepper, or more to taste (careful, it's spicy!)
- Pinch of sugar (optional, to taste - omit for low carb)
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley or cilantro (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat a deep, large skillet or sauté pan on medium. Slowly warm olive oil in the pan. Add chopped onion, sauté for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add garlic and continue to sauté till mixture is fragrant.
- Add the diced bell pepper, sauté for 5-7 minutes over medium until softened.
- Add tomatoes and tomato paste to pan, stir until blended. Add spices and sugar, stir, and allow mixture to simmer over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until it starts to reduce. At this point, you can taste the mixture and spice it according to your preferences. Add salt and pepper to taste, more sugar for a sweeter sauce, or more cayenne pepper for a spicier shakshuka (be careful with the cayenne... it is extremely spicy!).
- Crack the eggs, one at a time, directly over the tomato mixture, making sure to space them evenly over the sauce. I usually place 5 eggs around the outer edge and 1 in the center. The eggs will cook "over easy" style on top of the tomato sauce.
- Cover the pan with a lid. Allow mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked and the sauce has slightly reduced. Keep an eye on the skillet to make sure that the sauce doesn't reduce too much, which can lead to burning.Some people prefer their shakshuka with more runny yolks. If this is your preference, let the sauce reduce for a few minutes before cracking the eggs on top-- then, cover the pan and cook the eggs to taste, making sure the egg whites are set before serving. Garnish with the chopped parsley or cilantro, if desired. A sprinkle of feta cheese on top is also nice!
NOTES
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
If you enjoyed this recipe, I’d love it if you left me a star rating and comment below. Also, don’t forget to share and tag us on Facebook and Instagram!
FAQs
As written, this recipe has a medium spice level. Personally, I don’t consider it overly spicy. However, it can easily be adjusted to suit your preferences. If you’re considering adding more heat, start with just a little bit of chili powder or a touch of cayenne, and add more as you cook, tasting as you go.
How do I prevent runny egg whites?
Some people cook shakshuka uncovered, but I find that using a lid is the easiest way to ensure the whites cook and set properly. If they’re a little runny, continue to simmer until they set.
I don’t recommend making this recipe ahead of time, because the eggs don’t reheat well. However, you can prepare the tomato sauce and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Then, to serve, thaw, reheat it in a skillet on the stove, and proceed with the recipe as usual.
More Egg-Based Breakfast Recipes
Hello, Tori.
My family is of Maltese heritage. My family lived in Tripoli Libya for many years, prior to WW2. Mom made many Libyan dishes. We have some of her recipes, rishta, couscous are two dishes she excelled at. Her rishta noodles and couscous were both made from scratch and steamed with great care. I wonder, do you have any other Dr. Shakshuka recipes? Thanks so much for this one! Btw, Mom made hrimi for dad with eggs poached in the sauce as the protein. Best. Will, Aka, The Roadside Pie KIng.
I do! I gathered them for a cooking project I am working on. Will share details soon!
When I took my wife (A Catholic Portuguese) to Israel for the first time she absolutely fell in love with the food. One of her favourites is Shakshuka. I make it quite often. It’s a great winter meal, summer meal, breakfast, dinner or anytime you feel like a healthy meal. Dr. Shakshuka is truly a gem.
Hi roadside pie king,
My family to are of Maltese heritage and born in Tripoli Libya Mum made us all these tasty dishes you’ve mentioned and more. Delicious food and great to read your post. It’s nice when you hear of fellow tripolini’s around ! ?
Hello Tori,
This recipe is delicious, made it this morning. Was out of tomato paste so subbed in some ketchup and left out the sugar. Final cook time on a gas stove ended up making eggs very firm, so next time will reduce that. Spices made this taste very “authentic.”
I only just heard of Shakshuka two days ago and decided I NEEDED to make it… this recipe is phenomenal and I will be making this often. Thank you so much – the spices are PERFECT.
Brilliant!
I’ve made this recipe several times and my family always comments that it’s better than the ones we’ve had at cafes. I use fresh tomatoes and add chorizo sausage – it’s absolutely delicious ?. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Happy you’re enjoying it Andi!
This dish turned out fantastic, and I wouldn’t feel right about not leaving a review. Usually when I find a recipe online, the seasoning just never seems good enough. But that was not the case with this dish–the seasonings were perfect, and left the dish with an awesome spicy kick. It’s going to become a staple for me and my husband.
Love this!! Easy to make and taste great!! My daughter and her boyfriend both loved it!! Thanks for posting the recipe…will be making this many more times!!
I saw reference to Shakshuka in a newspaper article about food trends. The article gave no details so I looked it up and found this recipe. Since we are attracted middle eastern foods and flavours we decided to make it for lunch. We used our own farm fresh eggs and followed the recipe fairly closely. We thoroughly enjoyed lunch and will definitely put Shakshuka on the top of the list for breakfast or lunch in the future. Thanks for sharing this great recipe and encouraging a new healthy food option.
I made this dish and loved it! Next time I’ll add black olives and cayenne pepper.
It was about 0 degrees F in my area today, so this made a hearty, warming breakfast (I made it very spicy). One question. You say the eggs cook “over easy” style, which means flipped and cooked on both sides, but, to be clear, they’re really not flipped, right? Thanks!
Sunny side up would be the more appropriate term, although when they’re fully cooked the white part will cover the yolk– so you won’t see the “sun” if you cook the eggs through all the way. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
Loved the recipe! By the way, I scooped half of the cooked gravy (before adding the eggs) into the mixer and blended it into a puree and added it back to the pan and then added the eggs. It was delightful for breakfast. Made my day ??
Great recipe. I added 2 tbsp of harissa and a serrano pepper because I like things spicy.
Love it, especially now I’ve given up carbs and sugar for my health.
A couple of modifications :
I use a lot of red pepper, which I oven roast beforehand for full flavour
I often use half a jar or more of pasta sauce (this is also the base for my minestrone)
I make a batch and reheat a helping with an egg or two for myself (hubby is suspicious of it so he doesn’t get any!!!)
So thank you for sharing this delicious recipe ?
I’ve been following this recipe for a while – it’s absolutely delicious! It’s the reason I started eating shakshuka in the first place 🙂
Silly of me, I never saved it anywhere and now I’m trying to access it but for some reason it’s not on here. I can see people’s comments and I can see all the text you’ve written – but when I click on “Jump to recipe” it just reloads this page 🙁
Any idea why this is happening?
Hi Marwa, so sorry– I’m not sure what happened! I re-inserted the recipe into the post, hopefully you can see it now. 🙂
Learned about this dish from a TV show and thought looks delicious. I really love your recipe. It’s so filling and tasty. I burned my tongue because I couldn’t wait to taste it ? I’m sure this is not traditional, but I added mushrooms to make it a bit more hearty. Thanks so much! My family and I really love it.
This recipe has my salivary glands pumping and I haven’t even tried it yet. Though I’ve still not made my long anticipated visit to Israel, in the interim, this recipe is a great way to bring a flavor of Israel to me. I heard “shakshuka” for the first time while watching television, so I Googled it, and, wallah, I found your wonderful food blog. Thank you for sharing it.
I absolutely love this recipe! We add different vegetables each time and top with crumbled goat cheese.
Vegetarian? It has eggs.
Vegetarian dishes may include eggs and/or dairy. Vegan dishes include no dairy or eggs. If you are looking for vegan recipes, here are some ideas: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/recipes/recipes-vegan/
I add goat cheese and parsley on top when the eggs are about half done. Perfect!!
Had trouble putting the eggs in (needed 3 hands) until I broke the eggs in little cups ahead of time. Then just make a hole in the sauce with a spoon and the other hand just rolls the eggs into the holes.
Try it with a Ras el Hanout spice blend- amazing.
I’ve made this before with leftover Italian meat sauce, or leftover Mexican chili! LOL I thought I was original. now I need to remember the proper name.