Shakshuka (Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce)
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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!”
Video Tutorial
What You’ll Need To Make Shakshuka
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Used for sautéing the onions, garlic, and bell peppers.
- Yellow Onion, Garlic & Bell Pepper: This veggie trio forms the foundation of the dish—onions and peppers bring sweetness and body, while garlic adds depth.
- 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
Step 1: Cook the veggies. In a large skillet, start the sauce by heating the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and bell pepper, and cook for about 8 minutes, until they’re softened.
Step 2: Add the seasoning and tomatoes. Add the smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, salt, sugar, and tomatoes to the vegetable mixture. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
Step 3: Finish the sauce. Mix in the greens and heavy cream into the tomato mixture. Simmer until the greens are soft and wilted, about 10 minutes.
Step 4: Make wells for the eggs. Remove the pan from the heat and use a spoon to create six wells in the sauce. You’ll crack the eggs right into them so they stay nicely contained.
Step 5: Add the eggs and feta. Carefully crack an egg into each well, spooning a little sauce over the whites to help them set—just be sure not to disturb the yolks. Sprinkle with salt and scatter the crumbled feta around the eggs.
Step 6: Cook the eggs and finish the dish. Cover the pan and cook over low heat until the whites are mostly set, about 5 minutes. For runny yolks, pop the pan under the broiler for about 1 minute. If you like your yolks more cooked, just cook it a little longer. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot. Enjoy!
More Middle Eastern Recipes You May Like
Shakshuka (Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce)
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
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- 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.
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I had no idea that the dish was brought to Israel by north american immigrants! That is such a neat twist! I sound like a giant nerd! But I LOVE the background behind how certain cuisines came to be. And Shakshuka is indeed one of our favorite foods!
LOVED this recipe!
Eating it right now. It is so good and very easy to make. These are not spices I normally use, other than the red pepper flakes, so I was worried I would not like it just by the smell of it cooking. But this is by far one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time.
So delicious!!! The second time making it I used half of the red pepper flakes, as it had an bit of a kick the first time. I also used fresh parsley instead of cilantro. I made the sauce and then portioned out single servings to make with the eggs. My new favorite meal!!! Thank you so much!
Ok Jenn!!! One of your best. Delicious!! Healthy!!! Perfect!!! My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe. Just perfect. Thank you for sharing this.
Absolutely delicious!!! We used Glen Ellen roasted tomatoes and fresh chard from our garden. So flavorful. We believe meat would detract from the melded flavors. Serves 2-3 for a full dinner with sopping bread of course. So glad you went to Isreal!
We made this tonight for dinner. It was delicious beyond belief. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Hello Jenn, I would love to try this but the cream puts me off. Is it necessary or would a non dairy milk be acceptable?
You can leave it out, Susan – just drizzle some olive oil over top before serving.
Wow the sauce is delicious! Definitely will go into rotation, but I need to perfect the egg timing. As another reviewer noted, if sauce had been a little thicker before you add in the eggs it would help the end result. Also, we didn’t have a tightly fit lid on the eggs for the 5-7 mins & after 5 mins put on a better fitting lid & we left them a bit longer…but because of that extra time & broiling the eggs they were cooked a bit more than we’d have liked. However, that sauce made up for our errors.
Looks yummy.
Can I reduce to make for one or two. Or,’can I follow recipe and refrigerate ?
There’s a Jewish market in my town that sells the Persian bread sanjak
Hi Ellen, You can easily cut the recipe in half – or make the full quantity of sauce and freeze half for another time.
Looks amazing! What other cheeses might you recommend if we don’t particularly like feta?
Hi Kathryn, I think goat cheese would be a good choice, but you could also try something a little milder and gooey-er, like cheddar or Monterey Jack.
Jenn, I make this for dinner then breakfast the next morning. I use French Feta which is creamier than the Greek style. I always double the recipe.
After Dinner, the pan is too hot to put into the Fridge before bedtime.
Is it OK to let it sit on a granite countertop overnight ? Lid on or off.
Steve
Hi Steve, I wouldn’t recommend keeping this at room temp overnight; I’d be concerned about it from a food-safety standpoint. Sorry!