Shakshuka (Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce)
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
As fun to say as it is to eat! Shakshuka is a North African dish that features eggs poached in a smoky and spicy tomato sauce. It’s an easy, nourishing meal that’s perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Shakshuka (shak-shoo-kah) is a beloved dish in the Middle East and North Africa, and it holds a special place in Israeli cuisine alongside classics like falafel and hummus. Meaning “mixture” in Arabic, it was brought to Israel by Jewish immigrants from North Africa and features poached eggs in a rich, spiced tomato sauce. I stick to the traditional recipe but add a splash of cream and crumbled feta for extra richness—these simple tweaks make all the difference!
Traditionally made in a cast iron pan, shakshuka starts by simmering the sauce on the stovetop. The eggs are cracked into wells, briefly cooked, then finished under the broiler. Be sure to serve with warm pita bread (or any crusty bread) for soaking up every bit of the rich sauce and runny yolks—it’s the best part!
“I have lived in Israel, and it is hard to find a better shakshuka than this recipe!”
What You’ll Need To Make Shakshuka
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Used for sautéing the onions, garlic, and bell peppers.
- Yellow Onions and Garlic: The flavor backbone of the dish—onions bring sweetness and garlic adds depth to the sauce.
- Bell Pepper: Adds sweetness and contributes to the hearty texture of the sauce.
- Smoked Paprika, Cumin, Coriander, Red Pepper Flakes: This spice blend imparts warmth, smokiness, and a touch of heat.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: The base of the sauce.
- Chopped Greens, such as Swiss Chard, Kale, or Spinach: Add color, texture, and nutritional value, and help mellow out the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Heavy Cream: Balances the acidity of the tomatoes, adding a creamy richness that complements the eggs.
- Feta Cheese: Adds a tangy, salty element when sprinkled on top.
- Large Eggs: Poached directly in the sauce, the yolks give the sauce a creamy texture when broken.
- Cilantro: Adds a fresh note that brightens up the dish; feel free to leave it out if you’re not a cilantro fan.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by chopping the onions, peppers, and garlic. Be sure not to chop the garlic too finely or it will burn.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and bell pepper, and cook, uncovered, for about 8 minutes, until they’re softened.
Add the smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, salt, sugar, and tomatoes to the vegetable mixture.
Cook the veggies for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened, then mix in the greens and heavy cream into the tomato mixture.
Simmer until the greens are soft and wilted, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and use a spoon to create six wells in the sauce.
Carefully crack an egg into each well, spooning some sauce over the whites to help them set without disturbing the yolks. Sprinkle with salt and scatter the crumbled feta around the eggs.
Cover the pan and cook over low heat until the egg whites are mostly set, about 5 to 7 minutes. Flash the pan under the broiler for about 1 minute for runny yolks. If you prefer your yolks more set, just cook a little longer. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve hot.
You May Also Like
Easy Shakshuka with Feta
This shakshuka recipe is the ultimate one-pan dish—quick to make, healthy, and comforting any time of day!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions (or 1 medium), peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 bell pepper (red, orange or yellow), diced
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1½ teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
- 2 cups finely chopped greens, such as Swiss chard, kale, or spinach, tough ribs removed, gently packed
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 6 eggs
- Handful chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and bell pepper and cook, uncovered, for about 8 minutes, until softened. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary.
- Add the smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, 1¼ teaspoons of the salt, sugar, and tomatoes. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Add the chopped greens and heavy cream to the sauce, and continue cooking, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the greens are soft and wilted, about 10 minutes more. While the greens are cooking, set an oven rack in the top position and preheat the broiler.
- Turn off (or remove the pan from) the heat. Using a spoon, make 6 wells/indentations in the sauce. Carefully crack an egg into each well, then spoon a bit of the sauce over each of the egg whites (this will contain them and also help them cook a bit faster than the yolks), being careful not to disturb the yolks. Sprinkle the eggs with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, then sprinkle the feta around the eggs. Set the pan on the stove over low heat and cover with a lid. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the egg whites are mostly set but still translucent on top (check frequently towards the end as cook time can vary). Remove the lid, transfer the pan to the oven, and broil until the eggs are cooked to your liking, 1 minute or less for runny yolks (see note below on cooking eggs further). Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the cilantro over top. Serve hot with bread.
- Note: You can cook the dish entirely on the stovetop for just a few minutes longer (without using the broiler) if you like your egg yolks cooked through. If you like your eggs runny, however, I find that the stovetop-to-broiler method is the only surefire way to cook the egg whites thoroughly without overcooking the yolks.
- Make Ahead: The tomato sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 2 months. Reheat the sauce on the stovetop and proceed with the recipe when ready to serve.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 254
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 636 mg
- Cholesterol: 200 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This is delicious!! I’ve made this a couple of times now and it always hits. Easy and yummy.
Love this recipe, it’s delicious! I’ve made it on several occasions and used both fresh and frozen spinach – both turned out great. Big hit all round in our household including our 4 and 6 year olds. Served with homemade crusty sourdough bread and some grilled asparagus spears!
Should the spinach be fresh or can frozen be used?
I’ve used a bunch of your recipes and love what I get. I don’t want to use frozen spinach if it will make the recipe bad.
Thanks!
Hi Kallisti, So glad you like the recipes! Yes, you can get away with frozen spinach here. I’d recommend about 5 ounces and just make sure that after thawing, to wring out the spinach to remove the extra water. Hope you enjoy!
This was incredibly delicious. I don’t really care for eggs and still loved it. My husband said WOW more than once. The flavors are amazing, especially the smoked paprika! The cream took it to the top tier. We will make this again and again.
I made this, as written and it was wonderful!
I see you are using a cast iron pan. With tomatoes being acidic, will it change the taste of the dish? I always try to steer away from acidic ingredients in cast iron.
No, I never have a problem when I’ve cooked tomato-based dishes in my cast iron pan—it is well-seasoned—but if you have another oven-safe pan that you’d prefer to use, that’s perfectly fine.
This recipe is delicious and easy to prepare. The chopped and wilted greens add color and soften the acidity of the tomatoes. The splash of cream is a delight. Great meal for breakfast or dinner. I plan to make it again during Lent this year. Jenn’s version of “Eggs in Purgatory.”
I used bok choi for the greens and added some diced cooked butternut (about half a cup). Didn’t have any cream so used whole milk yoghurt. I will poach the eggs separately next time and serve them on top. The seasoning was quite wonderful and the dish surprisingly filling. Served with rice. Thank you. Good one! I am from Africa.
Agreed. Thanks for saying this Yasmine
Thank you for saying this, Malik.
This was delicious!! Us Greeks make
something very similar called Kayana/Strapatsada…especially in the summer with fresh tomatoes.