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!
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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
Simple and delicious
Fantastic! Wife loved it. Can’t wait to make it for friends.
Question- are there any other spices you would recommend? Maybe Coriander?
Thank you!
Gil
Yummy! One of my favourite breakfasts on days when I don’t feel like eating my good old porridge.
My husband and I have loved Shakshuka for years. We ate at Dr. Shakshuka in Jaffa, but that was just a few hours after landing in Tel Aviv after a nonstop from LA, and we were so jet lagged and exhausted that I don’t remember much about that first evening in Israel. Since then we’ve enjoyed Shakshuka at many of the great little Israeli restaurants in Los Angeles. I’ve threatened to try to make my own and this morning I woke up and said, “Today’s the day.”
Your recipe is so easy and so delicious, and this is an easy pantry meal. I used canned diced tomatoes, and jarred fire roasted red peppers because I didn’t have fresh. No tomato paste in my pantry, so I stirred in an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce and let it simmer and thicken a bit longer. My smoked paprika added a nice depth and instead of cayenne I tossed in the last mini container of hot chili sauce from a recent Thai takeout meal. Garnished with chopped Italian parsley and plunked the pan in the center of the table h ierved it with wam while wheat pita and hummus. SO GOOD! My husband and son loved it and I’m adding your recipe to my rotation. A great idea for Passover. Next time I’ll try serving the Shakshuka on a bed of hummus as one of our favorite Israeli restaurants does…super delicious scooped up with warm pita! Thanks, Tori!
So happy to hear you liked it Cheryl! It’s really a versatile and tasty dish.
Yesterday, during my first visit to Israel, my local friend took me for dinner and we had this fantastic dish called ‘Shakshuka’…. being a Vegetarian (rather a vegetarian turn into ‘Eggagetarian’), I enjoyed to terribly!!! I went very well with my ‘Indian’ taste and liking for spicy ‘Curries’….. Thanks for sharing this article of yours…. I will certainly try this at home, once back in India….. God bless you … Regards
Enjoy! 🙂
Love this recipe! Just made it for my boyfriend who is a bit adverse to vegetarian dishes & who also doesn’t like tomatoes, BUT (!!!) no surprise, he absolutely loved it! Would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone, it’s quick, easy, healthy and seriously delicious.
Thank you, thank you, thaaaaank youuuuuu, Tori. I loved reading this post. I’m gonna keep it in front of me, so I can read it while I’m following this recipe through. I’m planning to make it for my wife today (it’s Egg Sunday for us). Have a shakshukin (which means awesome in my language), day.
I love shakshuka and have eaten it in many restaurants in Dubai. I have always wanted to try it at home and was looking for an easy recipe to follow. I finally found one. It really turned out well and my family and I enjoyed it. Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks for providing this recipe! I’ve always wanted to try Shakshuka!
Whenever I try a new recipe I follow it exactly to see if/what I’d want to tweak in the future. This was a delicious foundation to build on!
While it’s not complex in flavor (though that of course is subjective), my husband and I enjoyed it. I’ll experiment from here on out using this recipe as a base. From what I hear that’s the heart of Shakshuka anyway!
For this one, I adjusted the way I served it to stretch this for further meals. Served over a rice/quinoa blend and some diced avocado. I also threw some cilantro on top which brightened up the dish a bit.
Tip: add the tomato paste shortly after the peppers begin softening and allow the mixture to darken a shade before stirring in the canned tomatoes. Stir constantly to prevent it from burning. The darkened tomato paste brings more depth to the overall flavors — do the same whenever you make red (marinara) sauce!
Also, the I cut the cook time for eggs in half and they were still well done, so I’ll probably just eyeball that step in the future.
But overall, satisfying and tasty!!
Thank you for publishing this recipe. Absolutely unique and delicious. I truly appreciate your version and style of interpreting your personal experiences and insight into recipes that are staples in one destination and completely unknown in most others. Your website is easy to navigate and interface. Please keep up the excellence.
Best Regards,
Steve Teater
Looks great. I will try it tonight as part of a 5:2 low cal diet.
How many eggs per serving did you assume when calculating the nutritional values?
Thanks
Jo
1 egg each.
>>>“…he and the other soldiers would sneak into the barracks kitchen late at night and cook shakshuka using whatever they could find in the pantries. It’s a vegetarian one-skillet meal that is easy to make, very healthy, and totally addicting.”<<<
Since I first learned of shakshuka, maybe in 2014, I've made in a dozen different ways.
I maintain the basic concepts, but really, this can be improvised almost any way you want, with whatever you have on hand. Late-night sneaky soldiers, and anyone else who knows their way around a few kitchen techniques can have a lot of fun making it up as they go along.
And, for my tastes, it doesn't have to be vegetarian. First time I tried it with meat—I used the leftovers from a big batch of N.Y.C.-style cheesesteak I'd griddled up the night before…slivered ribeye, onions, bell & hot peppers, garlic, celery seed powder, oregano, with a generous pile of mozzarella.
Next day, I started by chopping even further the ’fridge congealed steak mixture, sautéeing that with EVOO & butter with even more fresh chopped onions. Then I added the spicy marinara I'd made.
Eggs on top. Lid on; halfway through, scrape some Parm Regg off the wedge, through a little white wine around the edges of the pan. Return the lid and finish the eggs.
I like to spoon on some sour cream or creme fraiche when I plate up, garnish with chives or scallion greens.
Seriously, readers….learn the basic technique, then make it however you might enjoy it.
Shakshuka
Can this be made ahead of time, except for the eggs to be added right before serving time?
Thank you, sheila
Hi Sheila– yes, absolutely. Keep sauce refrigerated until ready to use. Just be sure to leave enough time for reheating the sauce, and for the eggs to cook to desired doneness.
Was looking for a breakfast recipe to use my rather abundant amount of garden tomatoes… this was great! I used aleppo in place of chili powder and pepper flakes. Added some cotija cheese on top, DELICIOUS!
A chef I follow on Instagram recently posted an absolutely beautiful photo of that morning’s shakshuka. It looked so delicious, but I’d never heard of it. What’s shakshuka??? So I googled and checked out a few recipes. I made yours this morning and it was absolutely delicious! I eat a lot of eggs and I’m so excited to have such a delicious (and easy!) new way to prepare them. I’m looking forward to experimenting with spices and other ingredients. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
Welcome to the shakshuka fan club! 🙂
My mother used to make this for dinner with leftover sauce from Sunday macaroni sauce and added some fresh peas. Great budget meal. So good. I have made it many times without the pepper but I will try it next time.
Tori. I had been wanting this dish for a long time and luckily it was on a menu in Kuwait City 8 months ago. It was just what I had hoped. I have had your recipe bookmarked since my return to Louisiana in January. I was afraid to try it myself for fear of disappointment. I followed your recipe and wow, it was really delicious. I am so happy now haha. I added a little extra cayenne and it was almost too much. I use a good bit of that in my gumbo. Thanks for the story and recipe. I’ll check out some of your other recipes.
Glad you liked it Bryan! 🙂 Welcome to the site.
I cooked this recipe when I was in Tel aviv. The spices I got from ha carmel were so much more potent – it was a great experience!
I use Shakshuka regularly now to impress people. Quite successfully so!
Shalom Tory
I was so thrilled to try out your recipe. My husband had been bugging me for a couple of years to try it out, but the number of eggs required kindof put me off though i knew id love it. This year i decided not to put it off and found your recipe while googling. Seeing your Jewish version was rather thrilling, knowing it’s going to be authentic unlike the local types we get here which are very sweet (yuck!!). With the blessings of the Almighty, the result was fantastic as my husband and i had it for our break fast meal this holy month of Ramadhan.
Thanks, Tory, I’m going to try out more of your Jewish recipes. Food ALWAYS brings people together!
Shalom Nazeera, glad you enjoyed. Ramadan Mubarak! 🙂
I love this ❤️
My 4 grandparents came from Istanbul..they moved to Peru in 1917.I remember my grandmother’s shashuka,she did not make it with peppers,hers also had slices of Kashkaval cheese,it was delicious!
I moved from Peru to Florida 45 yrs ago,I still make it..great breakfast on weekends.
Jaime Alalu
I made this for a brunch with friends and it was so good! I used Aleppo pepper instead of cayenne, which was flavorful and gave it a little heat but not too much.