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?
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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
Thank you for sharing a wonderful recipe. I found out about this dish by looking up a kosher pizza vegetarian restaurant in my area that my family and I just spotted today on our way home. I went online and viewed their delicious looking menu and found shakshuka was one dish listed. I did an image search online and my mouth watered the second results started popping up.
I found your recipe and made it as part of dinner tonight. My boyfriend and I loved it. I can’t wait to try some of the other veggies in it like squash, spinach etc. I did cook mine longer tonight, so next time we’ll try with the eggs a little runny. Typically I’m not a huge egg person, I was surprised to have cleaned my plate! Thank you again. This will be a repeat meal for us.
Okay, since going vegan my son and family had sorely missed this dish. Soooo, I cut up some Yukon Gold potatoes, you could use reds as well, into large size chunks and boiled them. Then made this dish without the eggs and poured it over the potatoes. They are happy campers again. lol One of them suggested my deep fried tofu chunks would work well too. I may try that next time.
Great idea Ber!
great recipe! thank you! I just made it and it was very good.
i wanted the recipe because I tasted in many restaraunts and was delicious but none beat this recipe. thanks
Hello,
I am from Israel and have made shakshuka many times,it was nothing special and I made your recipe tonight and my boyfriend loved it like crazy, thank you keep it up 🙂
I really love this website… so much. I’m working on a school project that is essentially a booklet outlining the food culture of Israel, and you’d be surprised how hard it is to find Israeli Cookbooks from where I’m from. This blog undoubtedly saved this project and my sanity. And now I REALLY want to try Shakshuka! And Falafel… and Jachnun… and homemade hummus… and… well, you get the idea. 🙂
I, too, am completely taken by the food of Israel and the middle east! Tori’s recipes are delicious! I have also found many Jewish and Persian cookbooks very helpful, and addicting. 🙂
Goes nice with chopped up bacon, chorizo and mozzarella.
This is VERY similar, if not the same,to the “Ranch eggs” (huevos rancheros) they serve in Mexico at breakfast time, but popular at all other meals. I just had a serving I made exactly as described, but added fresh green peas and sweet corn for color. I was surprised when after eating mine, I came across this recipe. It made my day, since I learned a new name for an old favorite dish. Thanks for posting it.
I have never visited Israel, but it is on my wish list and sometime I will go, I am sure.
I stumbled across your blog today while looking for a recipe for chicken shawarma, and I’m so happy I found you. I am currently simmering your chicken chick pea stew for dinner! Being a Gentile from Pittsburgh, my exposure to Jewish food has been primarily Ashkenazi. So I am excited to follow your blog and learn more about the foods from the entire Jewish diaspora. I saw the picture in the sidebar for this recipe and it intrigued me. I always knew this dish as “Eggs in Purgatory” and a Spanish dish that I first tasted in high school Spanish class. And a high school friend from Turkey’s mother also made a similar dish for us once. Since then, I have seen many variations. Which leads me to this question: I had not previously considered eggs simmered or baked in tomato sauce to be a “Jewish” food, though it makes sense to me that it would be a Sephardic dish, given my initial exposure to it. And there are so many cultures in the Mediterranean, Mideastern, North African regions that have similar dishes. It intrigues me how different cultures influence each other when they meet through trade and travel, especially with food. Do you have any more information regarding the origins of this dish and how different cultures have adapted it?
Hi Kristin, I recommend you check out The Encyclopedia of Jewish Food by Gil Marks, it provides a detailed history of this dish. Shakshuka has roots in the Ottoman Empire. Originally a meat and vegetable stew known as saksuka, it evolved to a vegetarian dish in North Africa. Jewish immigrants from Tunisia and Morocco brought the dish to Israel. As you have noticed, there are different versions throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. In the diaspora, Jews spread out all over the world, which means that most “Jewish food” is actually regional food, adapted to suit the kosher laws. Many families have made aliyah back to Israel, where those global flavors and regional influences come together in exciting, unexpected ways… like shakshuka, for example. So happy you’re enjoying the site!
Love your blog and recipes, Tori. 🙂 I made your shakshuka last night for dinner, and it was delicious! Thank you! Having fallen in love with Rosti in Switzerland, my husband and I like our shakshuka served on hash browns. This is a wonderful way to soak up the yummy sauce. For a more subtle flavor, I sometimes season the shakshuka with Hungarian paprika and saffron.
I can not wait to try this, I love trying new dishes.
I just came across this very similar recipe in my ‘Plenty’ cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi yesterday. It struck me that it is very similar to an Italian one that I often use that has chilli flakes in the tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the eggs before putting the lid on. This is one of my favourite easy dishes when a friend pops by and we want a bit of a snack. As a bit if a cheat I always have a can/ pack of tomatoes mixed with chilli and olive oil.
I am always on the look out for a short-cut!
Ashleigh
I love your blog, coming here for the Maroccan fish but you have plenty of recipes what i am looking for, as i did taste them when i did visit Israel and ever since i long for them. Right now i am cooking the shakshuka eggs, i did taste it in Beersheva, in a small rather dirty Iraki restaurant, quite burned but still wonderful. Now i am exited about this stylish recipe, even if i will not cover my eggs, as i like them a bit uncooked…thank you so very much, you have me your best new fan.
May I suggest sprinkle some chopped mint leaves on the shakshuka just before serving? it will totally add a twist to the whole thing.
We are very big on Sunday brunch in my house and this recipe is quickly becoming one of our favorites. I have made it a few times now and everyone just loves it. I even added chickpeas and it turned out great. Thank you!
Thanks for the recipe and photos. Very easy to follow.
I would like to thank you, before I forget, for this DELICIOUS shakshouka recipe!
I made it, and then raved about it for nearly a week!
I am a post bariatric patient with a desire to educate myself with fresh ingredients and home cooking. With this recipe in mind, I walked to my farmers’ market a few weeks ago as well as a local grocery store. Took out my frying pan, and made this amazing, delectable dinner, with enough leftover for the next day.
I also shared the recipe with my nutritionist who was also very impressed by it, since it was perfect for certain stages of a post bariatric diet. Knowing that this is a Kosher for Passover recipe, I can share more knowledge with others! Do you have any more similar to this? Thanx again!
Back in the old country we made it a different way — My parents taught me to scramble the eggs.
I just gave this method a try and the results were fantastic.
OMG! I know this post is old. but Dr. Shakshouka is the best! When I come back to Tel Aviv I’m making a beeline for Yafo.
This turned out amazing! Thank you! Better than in Israeli restaurants!