Description
This shakshuka recipe is the one pan breakfast that will change your mornings forever. Eggs poached in a rich smoky spiced tomato and pepper sauce with cumin, paprika and harissa, brought straight to the table and eaten with torn bread. Thirty minutes, one pan, no compromise. North Africa’s greatest contribution to your weekday breakfast table.
Ingredients
Scale
For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste, start with 1 teaspoon if sensitive to heat
- 1 can (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
For the eggs:
- 6 large eggs
To finish:
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, optional
- 2 oz feta cheese, crumbled, optional
- Extra olive oil for drizzling
- Crusty bread or warm pita for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large wide skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and both bell peppers. Cook 8–10 minutes until completely soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic, cumin, sweet paprika, smoked paprika and harissa. Stir and cook 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the canned whole tomatoes, crushing each by hand as it goes in. Add salt and sugar. Stir well.
- Simmer the sauce uncovered over medium heat for 10–12 minutes until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Use the back of a spoon to create 6 small wells in the sauce. Crack one egg into each well. Season each egg with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
- Cover with a lid and cook over low-medium heat for 5–8 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny. Remove from heat 30 seconds before they look completely done, the residual heat finishes them.
- Scatter parsley, cilantro and crumbled feta over the top. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately from the pan with bread alongside.
Notes
The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat until bubbling before adding the eggs fresh. The flavor deepens significantly overnight.
For the oven method: bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10–12 minutes after adding the eggs. Check at 8 minutes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast / Brunch
- Cuisine: North African, Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Calories: 245 kcal
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 612mg
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 13g