Morning meals are the most important meals of the day for me. Whether I wake up early for breakfast or decide to laze around till noon and have brunch, it’s super important to start the day with an energising dish. The best shakshuka recipe has the
The key to making a nutritious breakfast is balancing protein, vitamins, and fiber to fuel the entire day. Shakshuka is exactly that, with proteins from eggs, vitamins from veggies, and fiber from fresh tomatoes to balance the whole dish.
The interesting part about this delicious egg recipe is that it’s a versatile dish that can be customised as much as you want. From veggies to spices to herbs, you can add cheese, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper, and so many other ingredients to it!
With endless options for toppings and spices, each person in my family gets to enjoy something they love in their breakfast bowl.
What Is Shakshuka?
Shakshuka is a simple dish made of poached eggs in a delicious sauce of tomato chunks, bell peppers, onion, pepper, and other sorts of veggies and North African spices like cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes.
Although the dish originated in Tunisia, it’s a popular meal throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Depending on the country and region, the dish features many variations with local ingredients.
Tips For Making The Perfect and Easy Shakshuka Recipe
- Use a heavy-bottomed cooking pan for this recipe to prevent burning. It’s easier to saute in a thick skillet or cast-iron pan as they help distribute the heat evenly and prevent overcooking the ingredients.
- Nothing smells good like a dish that has been properly spiced! To enhance the aroma of the spices, toast the cumin and paprika briefly before adding them to your dishes.
- It’s best to use fresh ingredients to prepare this recipe. For the tomato sauce base, select the ones with vibrant colors and a strong, sweet and pleasant smell. Also, look for smooth skin to avoid overripe tomatoes. For canned tomatoes, opt for high-quality and good brands to maintain the overall taste of this dish.
- When you start cracking the eggs into the pan, make sure that the individual eggs get enough space to cook and poach properly. To help the eggs set, create small wells in the sauce using a spatula and gently crack the eggs into these pockets. This way the eggs will be able to sit in and get poached properly.
- Follow the temperature guidelines given in this recipe. While poaching the eggs, keep the heat low. High temperatures may cause the eggs to get cooked quickly and have a rubbery, chewy texture inside.
- If the sauce is too runny, reduce the liquid by simmering while keeping the pan uncovered. If the sauce is thick instead, use a vegetable broth or splash of water to adjust the thickness accordingly.
What To Serve With Shakshuka
Shakshuka is a Middle Eastern dish of flavourful poached eggs. There is no specific dish to serve with this recipe; you can have it according to your choice, but here are some options alongside it:
Breakfast
If you want to have this Shakshuka recipe for breakfast or brunch, you can have it with pita bread, crusty bread, sourdough, or challah. You can also serve it with feta cheese, Fresh fruits, Greek Yogurt, Avocado, Orange juice, or other fresh juice.
Main Course or Any Time
If you want to have shakshuka as the main course or any time of the day, then you can serve it with bread, roasted vegetables, Israeli pickles or pickled vegetables, chickpea salad, cucumber tomato and avocado salad, and roasted potatoes.
Recipe Card
Best Shakshuka Recipe | The Most Delicious Egg Breakfast Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp / 30 ml Cooking Oil
- 1 medium-size Onion (Chopped)
- 4 cloves Garlic (Minced)
- 2 Green Chilies (Chopped)
- ½ cup / 75 g Green Bell Pepper (Chopped)
- ½ cup / 75 g Red Bell Pepper (Chopped)
- 2 cups / 300 g Fresh/Canned Tomatoes (Chopped)
- ½ tsp / 1 g Cumin Powder
- ½ tsp / 1 g Red Chili Powder
- ½ tsp / 3 g Salt
- ½ tsp / 1 g Paprika
- 4 tbsp / 60 ml Water
- 4 medium-size Eggs
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Coriander (Chopped)
Equipments
- Skillet
Instructions
Saute Onion, Garlic and Chilies
- Grab a pan and put it on the stove over medium heat.
- Pour 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a large pan.
- Add 1 medium-sized chopped onion to the pan.
- Stir in 4 cloves of minced garlic and 2 chopped green chillies.
- Saute all the ingredients for 1 minute.
Add Vegetables
- Add ½ cup of chopped green bell pepper and ½ cup of chopped red bell pepper to the pan.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 2 cups of fresh/canned chopped tomatoes to the bell peppers.
Add Spice and Water
- Sprinkle ½ tsp of cumin powder, ½ tsp of red chili powder, ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of paprika over the vegetable mixture.
- Stir well to coat the vegetables with the seasonings.
- Pour 4 tbsp of water into the pan and stir again to mix everything.
- Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
Crack & Cook the Eggs and Season
- Open the lid and stir the veggies. Using a spatula, create four small pockets in the mixture.
- Crack 4 medium-sized eggs into the space you just created. Add the eggs on top of the veggies so that they don’t overlap each other.
- Cover the pan and cook for an additional 5 minutes over low heat.
- Open the lid after 5 minutes once the eggs are poached.
- Sprinkle ¼ tsp of black pepper over the eggs.
Garnish and Serve
- Garnish the dish with 1 tbsp of chopped coriander.
- Remove the pan from the heat and enjoy the delicious egg dish with bread.
Video
See how easy it was to make?
Don’t be surprised if you hear requests to make it all the time instead of the same old fried eggs! The traditional shakshuka recipe is easy and healthy. It’s a great dish for the young and the elderly, as it has a lot of nutrients. As for the spices and veggies, you can always adjust the quantity to suit their tastes.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you absolutely can! You can add cooked chicken, turkey or sausage to the dish.
You can add more chilis, hot sauce or jalapeno to increase the spice level of the dish.
The dish is done when the whites of the eggs have solidified, yet the yolks are still slightly runny. If you give your pan a little shake, you should be able to see the yolks jiggle a bit.
You can cook the vegetables in the slow cooker. However, to poach the eggs, you need to use a stovetop.
Before storing, cool the shakshuka to room temperature and put it in an airtight container. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat it in the microwave before serving. Shakshuka eggs may become overcooked while being reheated, so it is best to add fresh eggs if possible.
