Shakshuka is a Middle Eastern breakfast dish consisting of poached eggs, cooked in a spicy pepper and tomato sauce mixture. Serve vegetarian shakshuka, with freshly baked homemade pita bread or Iraqi khubz.
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Shakshuka is a popular breakfast dish in the Middle East, right up there with this Turkish eggs recipe. Other spellings for this dish include "Chakchouka" and "Shakshuka."
Shakshuka is especially popular during Ramadan as a hearty suhoor meal. With its rich tomato sauce and protein-packed eggs, it's the perfect way to start a long day of fasting. If you're planning your menu, browse my full collection of Ramadan recipes for more suhoor and iftar ideas.
This recipe was not passed down by my mom but rather was developed over time, with trial and error. However, Mom did make a similar Iraqi dish called "Makhlama," in which the eggs were scrambled with tomato sauce and ground lamb mixture.
Unlike my mom's version, Shakshuka is known for its poached runny-gooey egg yolks. Sure, you can cook the eggs longer if you prefer your eggs hard, but where's the fun in that? Everyone knows that dipping pita bread or lavash bread into the runny yolks is the best part of eating Shakshuka!
🍳 How to Make Shakshuka
Step 1: Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet. Sauté shallots, peppers, and garlic until slightly caramelized.
Step 2: Pulse one of the cans of diced tomatoes for a few seconds, then add all of the tomatoes to the pan. Mix in salt, black pepper, cumin, crushed red pepper, paprika, sugar, thyme, and basil. Simmer for 15 minutes on low.
Step 3: Make four holes in the sauce (one at a time), and crack an egg into each. Cook for an additional five to ten minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your satisfaction. Covering the pan will speed up the process.
Step 4: Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and feta cheese.
Serve with pita bread or flatbread, and don't be afraid to use your hands to dig in!
Looking for more easy and delicious egg recipes? If so, you'll want to try this yummy scrambled hamburger recipe, which only requires 3 ingredients!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Like many Middle Eastern dishes, Shakshuka's origin is often disputed. However, it is usually narrowed down to three places: Yemen, North Africa, and Israel.
I can't be certain who is responsible for this delicious dish, but one thing is for sure: it's not an Assyrian dish. To learn more about the origins of this popular dish, check out this great post.
In some countries, like Morocco, Shakshuka is cooked in a Tagine. However, more often, Shakshuka is cooked on the stovetop in a cast-iron
skillet and sometimes finished off in the oven.
Shakshuka is usually served accompanied by pita bread or lavash flatbread, which is torn and dipped into the runny yolks and the spicy tomato sauce.
Another non-vegetarian option is Middle Eastern Breakfast Sausage (Basturma). Not much else is needed since this is a very filling dish, except perhaps a nice cup of Middle Eastern samovar tea.
Sometimes Shakshuka is served for dinner instead of breakfast. If you want to do the same, serve Lebanese Tabouli on the side for an authentic Middle Eastern meal.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Shakshuka is one of those popular dishes that can be cooked in various ways. My Vegetarian Shakshuka recipe is just one of many ways to prepare this dish.
- While my mom scrambled the eggs in with the sauce, there are those who add ground lamb to the tomato sauce to make non-vegetarian shakshuka. Some even add chorizo, giving this Middle Eastern dish a Mexican twist.
- Another way to alter the recipe is with the spice combinations used. The most common spices used include paprika, cumin, chili powder, coriander, cayenne powder, salt, and pepper.
- Finally, feta or goat cheese, along with fresh chopped herbs like cilantro, parsley, or mint, can be added just before serving.
🥚 More Egg Dishes
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat oil in a castiron skillet.
- Saute shallots, peppers, and garlic until slightly caramelized.
- Pulse one of the cans of diced tomatoes for a few seconds, then add all of the tomatoes to the pan. Mix in salt, black pepper, cumin, crushed red pepper, paprika, sugar, thyme, and basil. Simmer for 15 minutes on low.
- Make four holes in the sauce (one at a time), and crack an egg into each. Cook for an additional five to ten minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your satisfaction. Covering the pan will speed up the process.
- Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and feta cheese. Serve with pita bread or flatbread on the side.
Nutrition
Notes
- Shakshuka is one of those popular dishes that can be cooked in various ways. My Vegetarian Shakshuka recipe is just one of many ways to prepare this dish.
- While my mom scrambled the eggs in with the sauce, there are those who add ground lamb to the tomato sauce to make non-vegetarian shakshuka. Some even add chorizo, giving this Middle Eastern dish a Mexican twist.
- Another way to alter the recipe is with the spice combinations used. The most common spices used include paprika, cumin, chili powder, coriander, cayenne powder, salt, and pepper.
- Finally, feta or goat cheese, along with fresh chopped herbs like cilantro, parsley, or mint, can be added just before serving.
Howard Kinns says
Great meal, quick, easy and nutritious. I served it over (cooked) cracked wheat.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Howard, I appreciate the review and would love a star rating if you have the time. Enjoy!
Beni says
I will try this recipe, but still want to go to Israel to try Dr Shakshuka’s version
HildaSterner says
Now that I know about that place, I want to try it too! Scott and I are talking about going maybe next year.
Beni says
Great recipe!