Shakshuka Recipe, Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Halloumi

If you've never tried Shakshuka, or eggs in tomato sauce, you should, and you'll also fall in love with this recipe with plenty veggies and – to make it even more spectacular - perfect fried cheese. Trying shakshouka for the first time will make you wonder just why you hadn't make it before. Such a simple idea, such a great little dish.

By Clara Gonzalez - Last revised Nov 13, 2023. Published Feb 23, 2015.

Why I ❤️ it Recipe Ingredients Preparation

Shakshuka poached eggs in tomato sauce.

Why I ❤️ it

Shakshuka (eggs on tomato sauce) is one of those dishes that have made so many rounds on the internet that you're likely to have seen it elsewhere. Trying it for the first time, on the other hand, makes you wonder just why you haven't made it before. Such a simple idea, such a great little dish.

There aren't that many food blogs without a recipe for shakshuka, and here's mine too. In my defense, it is a great dish, and it's highly adaptable, with variations ranging from the simple, soupy tomato base, to the vegetable-laden concoction that I favor. This is the perfect brunch recipe, but can also be served for dinner.

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Utensils and tools

• Large skillet
• Paper towel

Ingredients

• ½ pound of halloumi or paneer cut into slices (see notes for substitutions)
• 6 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 eggplant (large), diced (about 3 cups)
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 4 large tomato, diced (about 4 cups)
• 1 ½ cup of tomato sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, (or to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground), (or to taste)
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or paprika (or to taste)
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder, (optional)
• 6 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley (or cilantro)

Preparation

Before starting, please make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.

1. Frying halloumi cheese

Pat dry the cheese to remove excess moisture. Heat half the oil over medium heat and pan-fry the cheese till it turns a golden color, turn and fry on the other side.

Remove the cheese and let it rest on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

2. Cooking the vegetables

Add the remaining oil to the pan and stir in the onions. Cook stirring until the onions turn translucent. Add the garlic and eggplant and sauté for 30 seconds. Add bell pepper and tomatoes and mix well. Cook stirring until the tomatoes start releasing liquid.

Add tomato sauce and a ⅓ cup of water. Lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are cooked through but firm (about 4 mins). Season with salt and black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste, stir in cumin.

3. Poaching the eggs

With the back of a spoon, make small wells in the vegetables and tomato mixture, and gently pour the eggs into each well one by one.

Cook until the egg white has set but the yolk remains runny.

4. Serving

Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately, see serving suggestions below.

Variations

You can make this dish more complex by adding some more vegetables, but you can also make a very fast version by using marinara sauce from a supermarket jar and just leaving out the vegetables.

If you don't find halloumi use paneer, or Latino queso de freír, or you can leave it out entirely.

Instead of halloumi, you may like to crumble some feta cheese over once the eggs are set. Or even sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Neither of these two last choices are traditional.

If you want to make it a bit spicy, add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper to taste while se sauce boil right before adding the eggs.

Top tips

Traditionally, shakshuka is served in the same pot it is cooked, but assuming that you do not have 6 cooking pans, I have made it in one batch.

I have found that the eggs set faster and more uniformly if I cover the skillet after adding the eggs. If you have a glass lid, that would be preferable so you can keep an eye on the eggs and they don't overcook. It may take as little as three minutes for the egg yolk to haren with the pan covered.

Serving suggestions

Some rustic bread is the perfect thing to serve with shakshouka. I also served some kalamata olives on the side, and some Israeli cucumber salad (Salat yerakot yisraeli). If you make or have some skhug or zhoug, it's also lovely with this dish.

Nutritional information

Calories: 342kcal - Carbohydrates: 13g - Protein: 17g - Fat: 26g - Saturated Fat: 9g - Cholesterol: 164mg - Sodium: 1428mg - Potassium: 692mg - Fiber: 5g - Sugar: 9g - Vitamin A: 1835IU - Vitamin C: 43.4mg - Calcium: 433mg - Iron: 2.1mg

More breakfast recipes

See more: lunch recipes breakfast recipes

Shakshuka origin

Also spelled shakshouka, the word shakshuka is also Arabic for any type of mixture.

The origins of this dish are a matter of debate, but the most accepted version is that shakshuka is of Tunisian origin [Source: Jerusalem, by Yotam Ottolenghi].

Shakshuka is also known and loved in the Middle East and North Africa, especially in Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt, and was brought to Israel by Tunisian Jews. The spices and ingredients vary from country to country, and even from home to home.

Shakshuka recipe inspiration

It was during my culinary trip to Israel where I first encountered shakshuka outside of a cookbook, or the internet. I just knew I had to write a recipe for it. At least four tests later, I think I got just the perfect one that taste just like that one by the Tel Aviv beach.

For my recipe, I have gathered inspiration from several versions, and the addition of pan-fried halloumi works so well that I think it should be a permanent addition to shakshuka everywhere.

FAQs

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