How To Make Shakshuka (With Step-By-Step Photos)

This easy shakshuka recipe is a traditional North African meal that’s incredibly easy to make and packed with flavor! We’re walking you through how to make shakshuka with step-by-step photos to ensure you get a perfect shakshuka that will wow your friends and family.

 

Shakshuka! You heard of it? In short, it’s a North African dish with tomatoes and vegetables, topped with eggs and eaten with dippy bread.

But it’s so much more than that. It’s runny eggs. And it’s breakfast for dinner. And it’s the dish that turned me from a tomato-hater to a tomato-enthusiast. You in?

Traditional shakshuka ingredients

You’ll just need a handful of ingredients to make this classic shakshuka recipe.

• Flavor Makers: As with any good meal, onion and garlic lay the base for our shakshuka.
• Peppers: Bell pepper adds bulk and sweet crunch to the dish. Feel free to throw in more vegetables as well! Zucchini and eggplant would be great here.
• Tomatoes: The star of the show! You can use canned whole, diced, or crushed tomatoes. These will cook down into a chunk sauce.
• Spices: To bring that Middle East flavor, we’ll use smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.
• Eggs: Fresh eggs are best, which will have less runny whites.
• Toppings: Serve this shakshuka with your favorite toppings, like crumbled feta cheese, parsley (or cilantro), and crushed red pepper flakes!

How to make shakshuka

Making shakshuka is easy and requires just one (oven-safe) skillet. If using a cast iron skillet, ensure it is well-seasoned to prevent it from giving your shakshuka a metallic flavor. Here’s how you make it!

Step 1: Veggies
Cook onion, garlic, and bell pepper until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Feel free to add in other vegetables at this point as well.

Step 2: Tomato
Add your tomatoes (whole, diced, or crushed). Gently mash them with a fork if needed to form a chunky sauce then cook, uncovered, until sauce is thick. You’ll want it to be thick enough that you can form holes to support your eggs. To test the thickness, drag your spoon down the skillet. If the sauce doesn’t immediately flow back, your sauce is thick enough! (Tip: cooking the tomatoes for longer also creates a better flavor.)

Step 3: Eggs
Season your tomato mixture with spices and salt, tasting to make sure it’s just how you like it. Then, using the back of a spoon, form a few holes in the tomato mixture. Crack an egg into each hole (use as many eggs as you want / as will fit in your pan).

Step 4: Bake
In order to get the perfect eggs, I like to finish my shakshuka by baking. Cooking the eggs on the stovetop never seems to give you the perfectly cooked egg, but popping the whole pan in the oven for a few minutes produced runny yolks and firm whites. Just what we want! Serve hot, garnished with fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro, and with pita bread or a thick slab of sourdough for dipping.

Variations on this shakshuka

• Make it dairy-free by omitting the feta cheese. You can make tofu feta in its place by marinating ½ block of firm tofu in ¼ cup water, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp salt, and 1 tsp oregano.
• Spice it up by adding ½ to 1 tsp of harissa paste at the same time that you add the other spices.
• Make it even more filling by mixing some chickpeas into the tomato sauce.
• Add veggie power by sautéing diced zucchini and/or eggplant at the same time as the bell pepper.

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for around 3 days. Be sure to remove the leftovers from your cast iron, as the acidity of the tomatoes will deteriorate your cast iron if you let it sit.

You can make this shakshuka ahead of time by prepping the vegetable and tomato base. When you’re ready to eat, simply crack your eggs on top and pop it in the oven to cook the eggs and heat the fillings!

Shakshuka vs Eggs in Purgatory: What’s The Difference?

Shakshuka and Eggs in Purgatory are both egg dishes featuring eggs poached in a tomato-based sauce, but they differ in origin, ingredients, and flavor profiles. Shakshuka, hailing from North Africa and popular in Israeli cuisine, typically includes a spiced mixture of tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and a blend of spices like cumin, paprika, and chili peppers. It may also feature ingredients like feta cheese or artichokes. In contrast, Eggs in Purgatory, rooted in Italian cuisine, often presents a simpler sauce, focusing on tomatoes and garlic, with less emphasis on spices and sometimes including ingredients like Parmesan cheese or basil.

Serve this shakshuka with

• This Eastern Mediterranean Tabbouleh Salad
• Homemade Naan Bread for dipping
• Grapefruit Brulee for a fancy brunch
• Israeli Couscous Salad for more Middle Eastern flavors