Shakshuka is eggs cooked gently in a spiced tomato sauce, a dish from North Africa and the Middle East that works for breakfast, brunch or a quick dinner. This version takes 25 minutes in one skillet: onion and red bell pepper softened with cumin and paprika, a can of tomatoes simmered thick, then the eggs set under a lid while the yolks stay runny.
Why this works
The onion and pepper start under a lid with a pinch of salt. The trapped steam softens them in about 6 minutes instead of 15, and slicing them thinly helps too.
The eggs get a minute uncovered, which sets the whites where they touch the hot sauce. Then the lid goes on and the trapped heat cooks the tops of the whites before the yolks have time to firm up.
Key ingredients
- Tinned diced tomatoes. A can of tomatoes makes enough sauce for four eggs. A spoon of tomato purée gives a short simmer more depth.
- Cumin seeds. Toasted in the oil first, they give the sauce its warm, earthy base. Ground cumin works too, added with the paprika.
- Red bell pepper. Sliced thin, it turns soft and sweet in the time the onion takes.
- Eggs. The fresher they are, the better the whites hold together in the sauce.
Amounts for 1 to 6 people are in the recipe card below, in grams or cups.
Method
- 01
Soften the onion and pepper
Heat the oil in a skillet with a lid, about 10 inch across, over a medium heat. Fry the cumin seeds for 30 seconds until they smell toasty, then add the onion, pepper and a pinch of salt. Cover for 3 minutes, then uncover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more, stirring, until soft.
- 02
Add the garlic and spices
Stir in the garlic, paprika and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute, until the garlic smells sweet.
- 03
Simmer the sauce
Add the tomatoes and tomato purée, swirl a splash of water round the empty can and pour that in too. Season and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until a spoon dragged through leaves a channel.
- 04
Cook the eggs
Make a well in the sauce for each egg with the back of a spoon, and crack the eggs in. Season them, cook uncovered for 1 minute, then turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks still runny.
- 05
Finish and serve
Snip the parsley over the pan with the herb scissors and dust with a little more paprika. Serve straight from the pan with the warm pittas.
5-Blade Herb Scissors
What to serve it with
Serve it from the pan with warm pittas or toast for scooping up the sauce, and a spoon of plain yogurt on the side to cool it down.
Storing and reheating
- Fridge
- Keep leftover sauce covered for up to 2 days. The eggs are best eaten straight away.
- Freezer
- Freeze the sauce without the eggs for up to 3 months, and thaw it in the fridge.
- Reheat
- Warm the sauce in the pan until bubbling and piping hot, then crack in fresh eggs.
Questions
Give the eggs a minute uncovered, then put the lid on. The trapped heat cooks the tops of the whites in 4 to 5 minutes while the yolks stay soft.
Yes. Keep it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days, warm it in the pan until it bubbles, then add the eggs.
Only mildly. Cumin, paprika and a pinch of red pepper flakes give it warmth rather than heat. Stir in harissa or a sliced chili if you want more.
Yes, about six ripe ones, chopped, but they take longer to break down into a sauce. Canned tomatoes keep it to 25 minutes.
Recipe
Shakshuka in 25 minutes
Eggs cooked in a spiced tomato and red bell pepper sauce with cumin and paprika, finished with parsley and eaten with warm pitta. By Maya Brooks.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
Method
- 01Heat the oil in a skillet with a lid, about 10 inch across, over a medium heat. Fry the cumin seeds for 30 seconds until they smell toasty, then add the onion, pepper and a pinch of salt. Cover for 3 minutes, then uncover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more, stirring, until soft.
- 02Stir in the garlic, paprika and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute, until the garlic smells sweet.
- 03Add the tomatoes and tomato purée, swirl a splash of water round the empty can and pour that in too. Season and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until a spoon dragged through leaves a channel.
- 04Make a well in the sauce for each egg with the back of a spoon, and crack the eggs in. Season them, cook uncovered for 1 minute, then turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks still runny.
- 05Snip the parsley over the pan with the herb scissors and dust with a little more paprika. Serve straight from the pan with the warm pittas.
