So if I am being totally honest with you guys, I hadn’t tried Shakshuka before 2019. Ya! IT took me THAT long to try a Mediterranean dish living in the Middle East. How ironic is that! But when I did, I went super crazy and went to all the restaurants I could find here to try their version of Shakshuka. A traditional Shakshuka is basically a North African/Middle Eastern one skillet dish, that has a spicy tomato stew with poached eggs in it. And what I learned on my quest to finding the best Shakshuka, was that every restaurant had their own version of a good Shakshuka. And to be honest, I liked pretty much allll of them in a way. Naturally, I am going to share different versions with you over time…because why not! But today I thought I’d start with the basic one. Pronounced “SHAk-shooo-kah”, this dish is my egg favorite of 2019!
It is healthy, with natural ingredients so no guilt factor involved Shakshuka paired with toasted bread and Labneh feels like the most indulgent meal ever when its quite the opposite. Super easy and quick to whip up. The Spicy flavors in the dish totally agree with my palate! In other words its Delishhh!! Can totally be eaten as a Dinner option.
I’ll be honest, I am mostly doing intermittent fasting so, breakfast usually isn’t part of my routine. I usually almost EXCLUSIVELY have Shakshukas for dinner and I have never felt full and so light at the same time after having a meal. True Story
GETTING STARTED WITH SHAKSHUKA – STEPS
The shakshuka is served directly in the pan that it is prepared in. So make sure you select a pan that you want to serve your shakshuka in. The prepping of this dish starts like most recipes, Chopped onions and garlic sauteed in oil. I like taking the onions to a slightly golden area and then add chopped red bell peppers. Saute the bell peppers for a min or 2. Next, add tomatoes. Now you could directly add chopped tomatoes, but sometimes the tomatoes I get here (read Middle East) take all the time in the world to soften up. So what I like to do is, I add a little water and grind my tomatoes a little coarsely (not pureed completely, as it appears to be in the picture). Or you could add canned tomatoes as well. I add all my seasonings at this point, salt, pepper, etc. and cover the tomato base with a lid. Also add a little water. This should take around 10 mins to cook.
After 10 mins check to see if the tomato base is ready and the oil has separated on the sides. Make sure the tomatoes are a little watery at this point and not too thick. You can add a little more water (about 1/4 cup) if you feel your tomato base has thickened too much. Use a spoon to push the the tomato base aside in 4 areas and make sort of a small pocket. Break your eggs in the pockets and cover the pan again. Cover the eggs and tomatoes and reduce the flame to low. Let it cook for roughly 5 mins. There is no right or wrong way to cook these eggs. I like mines a bit runny but some people prefer the yolks cooked completely. Its up to you how well done you want your eggs to be. PRO-TIP: Always sprinkle some salt and black pepper on top of the eggs once they are done. Get your toast going and serve your Shakshuka garnished with some dill or parsley and feta cheese on top. I have had my Shakshuka with Labneh and I tell you, THAT combination has blown me away!
If you are into healthy eating, Click here to check out the other healthy recipes on the blog.
How to make an Easy Shakshuka Recipe
