שקשוקה
Eggs gently poached in a simmering sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, and paprika, finished with herbs and crumbled feta. A North African and Levantine breakfast that's become the world's favorite one-pan brunch.
Soften onion and red pepper, add garlic, cumin, paprika, and a little chili, then tomatoes; simmer to a thick, jammy sauce. Make wells, crack in eggs, cover, and cook gently just until the whites set and the yolks stay runny. Finish with feta, herbs, and good bread to scoop.
- Reduce the sauce until thick before the eggs go in — a watery sauce gives sad, poached-in-soup eggs.
- Cook the eggs gently and covered, and pull the pan the moment the whites set — the yolks should stay runny.
- Bread is not optional. Shakshuka is a vehicle for scooping.
Equipment
- Wide lidded frying pan or skillet
- Wooden spoon
מצרכים
Sauce
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 5 g ground cumin
- 5 g sweet paprika
- 1 g chili flakes or ½ tsp harissa, to taste
- 800 g crushed tomatoes
- 5 g sugar, to balance
- Salt and pepper
To finish
- 4–6 eggs
- 80 g feta, crumbled
- Handful parsley or cilantro, chopped
- Warm pita or crusty bread, to serve
אופן ההכנה
- שלב01
Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Cook the onion and red pepper 8–10 minutes until soft and sweet.
- שלב02
Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, and chili. Stir 1 minute until fragrant — letting the spices toast in the oil deepens the whole dish.
- שלב03
Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer 12–15 minutes, stirring, until thick and jammy — not watery. This is the key to good shakshuka.
- שלב04
Taste and adjust seasoning. Make 4–6 wells in the sauce with a spoon and crack an egg into each. Season the eggs lightly.
- שלב05
Cover the pan and cook on low 6–9 minutes, until the whites are just set but the yolks are still runny. Check often — carryover heat keeps cooking them. Pull the pan while they look slightly underdone.
- שלב06
Scatter the crumbled feta and herbs over the top. Bring the pan to the table with warm bread and let everyone scoop straight from it.
Make ahead
Make the tomato-pepper sauce ahead (it's even better the next day) and refrigerate or freeze. To serve, reheat the sauce, make wells, and poach fresh eggs — a 10-minute breakfast.
Storage
The sauce keeps 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Cook eggs fresh to order — reheated poached eggs go rubbery. Reheat just the sauce, then add fresh eggs.
Variations
Green shakshuka
Skip the tomatoes — wilt spinach, chard, and herbs with the aromatics, add a little stock, and poach the eggs in that.
Spicy (harissa)
Stir in 1–2 tbsp harissa for a North African heat and depth.
With merguez
Brown sliced merguez sausage before the onions for a heartier, meaty version (no longer vegetarian).
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
שאלות נפוצות
Where is shakshuka from?
It has North African (especially Tunisian/Libyan) roots and is beloved across the Levant and the Maghreb, and is an iconic dish in Israel. Like many great dishes of the region, several cultures claim it with good reason — and all make it wonderfully.
Why is my shakshuka watery?
The sauce wasn't reduced enough before adding the eggs. Simmer the tomatoes until thick and jammy — you should be able to part it with a spoon and see the pan briefly. Watery sauce gives loose, sad eggs.
How do I keep the yolks runny?
Cook the eggs gently, covered, on low heat and pull the pan the moment the whites set — they look slightly underdone because carryover heat finishes them. Cracking the eggs into wells (not just on top) helps them cook evenly.
Can I make it dairy-free / vegan?
Skip the feta for dairy-free. For vegan, the sauce itself is plant-based — serve it over the bread without eggs, or fold in chickpeas and spinach. The spiced tomato base is delicious on its own.
Breakfast or dinner?
Both. It's a classic breakfast and brunch across the Middle East and North Africa, but the quick one-pan format makes it an equally great fast dinner. Just add more bread.
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